Many people enjoy the benefits that come with keeping chickens. They provide eggs, help keep bugs at bay, and can even be a source of income for some families. But what do you do if you need to keep them off your patio? There are several different methods that you can use to accomplish this task!
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What Attracts Chicken to the Porch?
One of the first things you need to do is try and determine what might be attracting your chickens. It may not always be something they can eat, so you will have to start by looking for other reasons that they find your porch or patio desirable.
- Some chicken owners notice that their birds tend to roost on porches.
- You also want to look around and see if there are bugs, such as mosquitoes, present where the chickens are hanging out. Chickens love eating these little pests!
- If none of those potential issues seem like a problem, then perhaps another type of food source is available at this location. Chickens will eat just about anything and they love to snack, so this could be one explanation for why your flock is hanging out on the patio or porch rather than in their coop at night.
Easy Ways to Keep Chickens Off the Porch or Patio
Relocate Your Chicken Coop
If you have a chicken coop, move it to another location. A new spot may be less attractive for your chickens and they will stop going there on their own.
Alternately, if the area is small or easily fenced in with a temporary fence, consider relocating the whole chicken coop to that area so that all of its contents are contained within a smaller space. This is probably easiest when raising bantam hens who won’t fly over fencing anyway but it’s worth considering even if you’re dealing with full-sized breed chickens because any confinement method should keep them off patios temporarily while you wait for them to get used to each other being around again.
Feed Your Chickens Away From the Porch
Chickens love to eat, and if they see food sitting on the patio, chances are good that your chickens will be all over it. To keep them off of your porch or deck, place food and water inside of their coop or chicken run. If your chickens are not used to being locked up at night, you’ll need to build an outdoor enclosure so that they can be safely contained outside after dark hours.
Make the Porch Less Attractive to Chickens
Put in the unlikable herbs and plants that chickens don’t like to eat. This includes herbs such as sage, rosemary, and thyme along with some flowering perennials such as petunias or geraniums which will help repel the hens from lingering on your patio.
Furnish the porch with artificial predators. This can be done with the use of ceramic squirrels, dogs, or even a rubber snake which will both scare and discourage your chickens from ever setting foot on the porch.
Also Helpful Articles
Best Chicken Coop Kits – Buying Guide for Homeowners
Best Chicken Feeders For Poultry – Buyer’s Guide
Use Another Animal To Keep Your Hens in Check
The most obvious solution would be to use another animal in order to keep your chickens on their side of the fence. While it is certainly an option, this may not always be the best choice for everyone. There are some great options out there that can help with keeping poultry where you want them without having to resort to getting a dog or cat involved. This allows for more freedom when caring for animals and is also typically much less expensive than buying a pet!
Use Motion-Activated Sprinklers
Use motion-activated sprinklers to keep them off the patio. The chickens will trigger the water by walking around on your patio, so this is a great way to get rid of unwanted visitors without hurting them. Another good thing about using these types of sprinklers is that they won’t hurt you or other people if you happen to walk through them as well!
Electric Fences Off Your Patio
If all else fails, an electric fence is a sure way to keep chickens away from your patio. Electric fencing uses wire that carries low-voltage shocks through the animal’s system if it touches or comes near the wire. It can be set up on top of existing fences and will only be used when you need it because there are no high voltage wires running underfoot at any time. You can use this method with other animals too, like deer and goats, just make sure they get shocked before they get into your yard!
