Marauders

Having spent most of the day digging and planting and sowing I then had to spend some more time building a small fort around the area I'd just sown.

Not to keep out the evil bunnies, although that's a bonus, but to stop the hens scratching about for grubs and having dustbaths in the oh so tempting finely raked soil. We've tried various methods over the years from chasing them with a broom/rake/small child to small explosive devices but have finally settled on a two prong attack.

a) divert their attention by chopping up some of the dung heap so they are occupied digging for worms.

b) Use a combination of chicken wire and jaggy sticks to make the site hard to access and dustbaths uncomfortable

Not foolproof but better than the seeds being scattered to the four winds. Of course your garden does end up looking like a small prison but once the plants are established the hens find other places to trash.