Effective Ways to Keep Chickens Off Your Patio
Are you tired of finding chicken poop on your front porch every morning? Do you wish your feathered friends didn’t use your flower beds as dust baths? If you’re nodding along, you’re not alone. I tend to get a stern look when my husband finds chicken poop on our deck. Ha! Luckily I have found a few effective ways to keep them away.
Many backyard chicken owners face the challenge of keeping their curious hens and roosters away from specific areas like the porch, vegetable garden, or flower beds. But fear not, because there are plenty of effective solutions to deter them while still meeting their needs. Let’s explore 12 ways to achieve a chicken-free zone around your porch.
- Provide Adequate Shelter Away from Your Porch
- Provide High Perches
- Feed Your Chickens Away from Your Porch
- Physical Barriers
- Natural Repellents
- Fake Predators
- Motion Activated Sprinklers
- Positive Reinforcement
- Negative Reinforcement
- Chicken Tractor
- Get a Livestock Guardian Dog (LGD)
- Regular Cleanup
What Attracts Chickens to Your Porch?
Determining what attracts chickens to your porch can help you devise effective strategies to keep them away. Understanding the reasons behind their behavior can guide you in implementing the most appropriate solutions.
Before delving into solutions, it’s crucial to understand chicken behavior. Chickens are naturally curious and opportunistic foragers. They are drawn to areas where they can find food, water, and suitable living spaces. Thus, keeping them away from specific areas like your patio requires a combination of strategies that address their needs and deter their unwanted behavior.
12 Ways to Keep Chickens Off Your Patio
Provide Adequate Shelter Away from Your Porch
Providing a well-designed and comfortable chicken coop far from your porch is one of the best ways to keep your chickens from wandering onto your porch. Ensure their coop meets all their needs for shelter, roosting, and nesting.
We have a large predator-proof run that provides all our chickens’ needs. So when they can’t free-range, they are all set.
Provide High Perches
Providing high places for chickens to perch in their designated area can discourage them from seeking out elevated spots like your porch. I used to regularly find my chickens perched on my patio furniture.
For all you chicken owners, you know how much chicken poo I was finding on my cushions! Now they have 4 high roosting bars in their run!
Feed Your Chickens Away from Your Porch
My back deck is right off my kitchen, so I used to feed my chickens scraps right off my deck. It was no wonder they would regularly come onto my deck. They were looking for their next treat! Now I only feed them snacks close to their chicken coop and run.
Physical Barriers
Erecting a chicken-proof fence around the perimeter of your porch can prevent them from accessing the area. Another effective approach could involve installing obstacles such as thick, prickly bushes, shrubs, or specific plant species. Some plants are unappealing to chickens and can serve as natural barriers to deter them from approaching too closely.
Natural Repellents
Chickens dislike the smell of certain spices like black pepper or chili powder. Sprinkling these around your porch area can discourage them from coming close.
Repellent sprays are also a good option. Spraying your porch area with citrus fruit repellents such as lemon juice, citrus peels, or commercial repellent sprays can deter chickens due to their strong smells.
Fake Predators
Using fake predators like a plastic owl or a phony snake can trick chickens into thinking there’s a threat nearby, keeping them away.
Motion-Activated Sprinklers
Chickens do NOT like to get wet. At least mine don’t! Installing a motion sensor sprinkler that will spray water when chickens approach, provides an effective deterrent without causing harm.
Positive Reinforcement
Rewarding chickens for staying away from the porch with treats when they stay in their designated area reinforces desired behavior. I trained my chickens to come when called with mealworms. Now if they are somewhere they’re not supposed to be, I just shake the mealworm bag and they come running!
Negative Reinforcement
Using loud noises or sudden movements as negative reinforcement can teach chickens to avoid the porch.
Chicken Tractor
Creating specific living spaces for your chickens, such as a chicken tractor or a designated free-range area away from the porch, gives them ample space to roam without encroaching on unwanted areas.
Get a Livestock Guardian Dog (LGD)
An LGD can potentially prevent chickens from accessing your porch. These dogs are bred and trained to protect livestock, which can include poultry like chickens. By establishing boundaries and enforcing their presence, a well-trained guardian dog can deter chickens from venturing onto the porch, thus helping to keep them in designated areas.
However, success may vary depending on factors such as the individual dog’s training, the temperament of the chickens, and the layout of the property. Regular supervision and reinforcement of desired behavior may also be necessary.
Regular Clean-Up
Removing chicken droppings promptly from your porch discourages chickens from returning to the same spot.
What if it’s Your Neighbors Chickens?
If your neighbor’s chickens are a problem, communication is key. Discussing concerns and potential solutions can lead to a mutually beneficial arrangement. I have an article on how to keep your chickens from leaving your yard, but you can use these tactics to also deter chickens from entering your yard.
What About Vegetable Garden Protection?
You can use all the same tips we already discussed, but the best solution would be to surround your vegetable garden or flower garden with chicken-proof fencing or thin bird netting that can prevent chickens from damaging your crops.
Bottom Line
In the United States, where backyard chicken operations are increasingly popular, finding ways to keep chickens off your porch can be one of the biggest pet peeves for many homeowners. However, with a bit of creativity, some hard work, and the implementation of effective deterrents, it’s possible to create a chicken-free zone while still providing for your feathered friends’ needs.
In short, while chickens may be naturally curious creatures, there are plenty of obvious solutions to prevent them from turning your front porch into their personal playground. By employing a combination of physical barriers, repellents, positive and negative reinforcement, and communication with neighbors, you can enjoy a clean porch and a happy flock of chickens in your backyard.
What other methods have you tried? Let me know in the comments!
Related Posts:
Ways to Keep Chickens from Leaving Your Yard
Best Guard Dogs for Chickens
Ways to Protect Your Chickens from Predators
15 Best Chicken Breeds for Foraging and Free-Ranging
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Our chicken coop is quite far from our house, so that has worked in our favour, but they still find their way to the house! The best solution has been our dog. He gently herds them away from the house. Now they stay on ‘their’ side of the yard and our dog has ‘his’ side of the yard 🙂 Our dog keeps them out of the garden too!
I love it! Thanks for sharing!!