3 Landscape Changes To Make If You Plan To Bring Home Free-Range Chickens
Having your own flock of chickens free-roaming your property can be highly beneficial. From keeping bugs and pests at bay to being traveling natural fertilizers, chickens have a lot of value to bring to the table—not to mention they can help keep breakfast on the table by delivering you fresh eggs daily. While free-range chickens tend to be healthy and a major bonus, you should know how to properly prepare your property before bringing these feathered critters home. Here are a few landscape changes you should make before bringing home free-range chickens to keep on your property.
Trade in mulch for heavier filler material.
Mulch naturally harbors moisture, and because of that, it is an excellent hangout for bugs and worms. Chickens know just where to go on your property to find the best meals, so they will likely make a beeline for your mulch. You may have no qualms about the chickens digging around in your mulch at first, but this can be a major hassle over time because they can and will make a mess. Chickens have pretty strong legs and feet, and when going after food, they can scratch incessantly to kick away anything in the way. Therefore, your mulched areas can quickly become a barely mulched area in a matter of days. Trade in lightweight mulch for a material that's more hefty, like dense gravel or rock.
Install tall borders around your flower beds.
If there are areas you do not want the chickens to be, you will have to put up some kind of barrier to keep them out. Chickens can't fly well, but they can fly short distances, and they can definitely jump. For a lot of chicken owners, this means they keep flower beds either raised significantly off the ground or they install a good border or fence around areas they do not want the chickens to go.
Steer clear of materials that your chickens will find appetizing.
Chickens go after some things because of the texture it has and its similarity to real food. So don't be surprised if you catch your backyard flock pecking away at styrofoam planters, landscape paper, and other odd landscaping materials. You will have a hard time combating this behavior because it is just the chicken's natural tendency to eat whatever looks and feels like food, so it is best to simply eliminate these items from your landscape instead.
For more tips about updating your property to better accommodate your chickens, contact a professional landscaping service, such as C & J Landscaping.
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