Chickens tearing up my tomatoes

dirtfarmer · Mon Aug 16, 2010 8:01 am

My neighbor's chickens are ripping apart all my tomatoes......not green ones mind you, just the fat juicy ripe ones! What can I do short of fencing in my garden?

I usually don't mind the free ranging chickens because they haven't bothered anything......until now! I like their presence in my yard but NOT my garden.

dirtfarmer · Mon Aug 16, 2010 11:35 am

Yeah, we've talked to him and he's apologetic and sympathetic, offering payment in the form his own ripe tomatoes. I do have dogs but I just can't let them go have a chicken dinner....I'd feel terrible!

The dang chickens peck holes in my bell peppers, tear up my tomatoes and scratch at my mulch.........(sighing) it's not like I don't have enough to worry about already!

TZ -OH6 · Mon Aug 16, 2010 1:40 pm

Pick the tomatoes before they get ripe. They will ripen off of the plant after they start to develop color.

I can get inexpensive deer netting (7 ft high) at Tractor Supply. It is also sold as bird netting, just cut to a different size. Its not a big deal to surround a garden pach or even cover over smaller areas.

dirtfarmer · Mon Aug 16, 2010 2:36 pm

TZ -OH6 wrote:Pick the tomatoes before they get ripe. They will ripen off of the plant after they start to develop color.

I can get inexpensive deer netting (7 ft high) at Tractor Supply. It is also sold as bird netting, just cut to a different size. Its not a big deal to surround a garden pach or even cover over smaller areas.

I'll have to look into that netting. Today, I went out and picked several tomatoes that are ripening. I put them on my window sill in the kitchen, they will ripen in a few days I'm sure.