Cover the ground with wire cloth. If you want to protect a broad area of mulch, recently sown seeds, or seedlings, you can usually do so by spreading a wire cloth over the entire patch of ground. Most chickens won't like the feeling of wire beneath their feet, so they will tend to stay away.
As with deer, however, there are plenty of herbs that can be incorporated into the landscape that chickens will avoid. These include: borage, calendula (pot marigold), catnip, chives, feverfew, lavender, marjoram, Mexican sage, peppermint and spearmint, rosemary, sage, salvias, St. John's wort, tansy and yarrow.
Use a Mechanical Decoy/Scarecrow
Chickens are prey animals, making them flighty and easily startled. Using a mechanical decoy with a revolving head of an owl or hawk can help deter your chickens from entering a certain area. While this may work for a while, chickens are smart and might be de-sensitized after a while.
Hens should never be fed food scraps that contain anything high in fat or salt, and do not feed them food that is rancid or spoiled. Specific types of food that hens should not be fed include raw potato, avocado, chocolate, onion, garlic, citrus fruits, uncooked rice or uncooked beans [2].
Provide Stumps. For some reason, chickens love to hop up and walk on stumps. As stumps rot, they're also an excellent place for chickens to find bugs — one of their favorite snacks. Including a few stumps in the chicken run or using them to border a path is a great way to keep your chickens busy.
Wood shavings are an ideal material for your coop flooring. They give off a pleasant smell throughout your garden when kept inside. When pine shavings are scattered around the outside of the coop, they absorb moisture to prevent bacteria from growing and causing illnesses in your flock.
Ground cover within the coop can be anything from wood chips, straw and grass to bare ground. Organic materials tend to break down quickly and plain sand is a popular choice for its durability. Whatever you choose, make sure the chickens may easily scratch and dig.
Yellow light
Therefore, laying hens and breeding hens should be prohibited from lighting with yellow light. Yellow light can also induce chicken mites, so chickens of all ages should not be illuminated with yellow light.
Salty foods - Chickens can suffer from salt poisoning, as they don't naturally ingest a lot of salt. Mouldy food - Mouldy food should never be fed to chickens as the mould can cause illness and may be fatal. Overripe, wilted vegetables, or stale bread is all fine as long as mould is not present.
Since owls are territorial, the presence of a decoy will deter other owls from trying to claim the area. Make sure the fake owl or hawk (or even scarecrow) isn't visible to your chickens, though. If they see it, they may get nervous, and that instability could make your rooster aggressive.
If you are approaching your chickens to get closer to them, you'll have to use gentle voices and noises to keep from scaring them. Thunder, loud automobiles, motorcycles, lawn equipment, or even distant gunshots can frighten your chickens.
The short answer to this question is: Yes! Apple cider vinegar is safe for chickens as long as it's used in moderation. Most chicken keepers who add this acidic supplement to their hens' diets only use a tiny bit at a time, which is enough to provide the extra level of wellness support they're looking for.
You can also consider an electric chicken fence to provide protection from predators. Some chicken keepers also use overhead poultry netting to ensure their flock always stays within the yard. Overhead netting is also a great way to keep flying predators like hawks or owls away from your flock.
Chickens, coffee grounds, and dinner time do not mix because of the caffeine toxicity, but the good news is that chickens aren't particularly picky with what they eat. They shouldn't eat coffee, but there's a lot of leftover food you can feed your feathered friends.
Hens dislike noise and prefer to be undisturbed and relaxed as they lay, so may appreciate an occasional touch of lavender in their nest boxes (although be aware - I've seen it occasionally send them to sleep in the middle of laying!).
Other chicken remedies: Some chicken owners have sprinkled coffee grounds around the area they want to protect to help repel the chickens from these locations. Placing a motion-sensor sprinkler by the areas you want to protect will help keep the chickens away by spraying the chickens whenever they come close.
Can Chickens Eat Tomatoes? Absolutely! Chickens love this healthy snack. Packed with vitamins, fiber and antioxidants, tomatoes make a great chicken treat.
Can chickens eat banana peels? Yes, they are technically edible, but they probably won't touch them without some preparation. The peels are very fibrous in nature and chickens don't have teeth. They can only tear at food and likely won't be very successful with an entire peel.
Most fruits are safe to give to your flock and beneficial. But do not give them fruits with seeds like apples and pears and pits like cherries, plums, peaches, and apricots without first removing the seeds and pits. They contain small amounts of a cardiac-toxic cyanide compound and can be fatal.
Do Chickens Like Getting In Water? No, chickens with access to bodies of water are not known for getting into it. They avoid it, and also avoid rain, seeking shelter under bushes, in pens, or other sheltered areas. The reason chickens avoid rain is that their feathers are not waterproof.
Yellow – bright and happy. Orange – attractive to chickens and reminds them of daylight, may encourage egg laying. Red – chickens are attracted to the color red and this color may also have a positive impact on egg laying. Purple – regal and relaxing.
Yes, there have been behaviour studies suggesting that hens can smell fear. This comes down to the fact that if the scent of a predator is placed near a chicken, they will react as if that predator was present.
Grass in the chicken run.
The obvious answer might seem to be grass, and if you have a big enough area, grass is ideal. Chickens can spend their day happily scratching around for bugs, and creating their own dustbaths in whatever shade they can find.
Why you will love a concrete coop floor. Most chicken keepers who have concrete love their concrete. Concrete is a very safe flooring choice as it keeps burrowing predators out. After the initial installation, concrete is low maintenance, does not rot like wood floors, and can take plenty of abuse without consequence.
Sand is another chicken coop litter option most people consider. Sand has a fairly good absorbency factor and is a well-draining litter. One reason why many chicken keepers choose to use sand is that it can be more economical than wood shavings or straw in the long run.