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I kept some chickens in my backyard. They are caged, but sometimes I let them out to feed on the ground. The chicken loved to dug the soils in my potted plants.

I've tried to put some rock on the potted plant, but the chickens keep dig the soil and even the rock.

This image is taken from google. Because, currently I'm not at home. But, it's something like this. enter image description here

How to prevent this? I prefer solution/hack that not hurt both the chicken and the plant.

Shota
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    I do not know if `pest` is the proper tag. Feel free to make some edit. – Shota Jul 05 '18 at 03:40
  • give the chickens enough to keep them busy. Do you have pictures of what you're doing? – black thumb Jul 05 '18 at 06:18
  • @blackthumb I've add an image describing what I've done. But, the chicken keep digging the pot even when there are many rock there. I think they take shelter from heat. – Shota Jul 05 '18 at 06:24
  • chickens like to scratch they need enough of a scratching area to keep away from the pots – black thumb Jul 05 '18 at 18:07

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Since they are chickens, you can put chicken fence around the pot.

benn
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    Now you're just being silly! – Peter4075 Jul 05 '18 at 07:24
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    I agree a fence is a good solution. You can put a chicken fence around the pot to keep the potted plants safe from chickens or put a fence in the yard around the chickens to keep the chickens penned in from accessing the pot. A fence in the grass can be a movable type. – greggles Jul 05 '18 at 15:20
  • while this is a very nice solution, I have many pots more than twenty. It'll be costly and look not very nice to have many of this fences. I'll try to wait for another answer – Shota Jul 06 '18 at 01:16
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What kind of soil did you put in those pots? Garden soil? Chickens will never hurt plants. They eat bugs, seed, tender baby plants like weeds...they do not dig without a reason or a motivation.

Your potted plants look like bamboo? The rocks were a good idea but the chickens were after BUGS in the soil that shouldn't have been in the soil of your pots. Potting soil is sterilized, very little soil actually, but perfect medium to use for potted plants.

Garden soil in pots will not have the benefit of the larger body of soil in your garden that also houses beneficial organisms that keep other insects/disease in check. Your chickens were after insects that should not be in the soil of your potted plants.

So cute. I love chickens! The best 'coops' are the ones that you are able to move around the yard allowing your chickens to eat weed seeds and insects to their delight. Always caged. It is safer than allowing them out during the day with no supervision.

Those pots have some yummy insect in the soil. Chickens are doing you a favor.

Have you fertilized the plants in the pots? What soil is in the pots?

stormy
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  • The image is not my plant. But, I do the same thing in the image (Putting rock in the pot above the soil). My plant is Ashoka. – Shota Jul 05 '18 at 09:56
  • I think the chicken is kinda take shelter from heat. They do some kind a soil bath. – Shota Jul 05 '18 at 09:57
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    I think it's a bit too strong of a phrasing to say that "chickens will never hurt plants." As you point out, they prefer tender baby plants, but they will also eat leaves from bigger plants if given enough time. – greggles Jul 05 '18 at 15:22
  • Our chickens most certainly have damaged many of our small plants to the point where they did not recover. They scratch the ground to the roots at times, and they also will rip off leaves and limbs for some reason as well. We wrapped a short perimeter of chicken wire around the ones that did recover, and that appears to work well. – Johnathan Elmore Aug 12 '20 at 18:23
  • I had 70 chickens and roosters at one point. A huge garden with chicken wire fencing. The fence was only 4' high, they could have broken into the garden at any time. 50X100' or 5000 sq. ft. of gorgeous loams soil. I'd let the chickens in to 'play' in the garden and eat up cutworms, slugs, snails, flea beetles. They never hurt a single plant unless it was some tiny tiny start and they stepped on it? As long as one's chickens are fed well and on a routine, a timed feeding schedule, they are not a big worry in the garden. – stormy Aug 13 '20 at 20:34