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How to Keep Chickens Off Your Deck

Keeping chickens, whether as pets or for food, can be challenging. Free range chickens forage on their own and tend to go where they want. They can foul any area, including the deck where you go to relax. Keeping chickens off of your deck is difficult, but if you take the time to train your chickens to stay in certain areas of the yard, it can yield results that are well worth the effort.

Instructions

    • 1

      Recreate whatever the chickens might be seeking on the deck, such as shade or shelter, in an acceptable part of the yard.

    • 2

      Reward chickens that wander away from the deck or that go to the acceptable part of the yard with treats and a soothing voice. This will encourage them to repeat their good behavior.

    • 3

      Shout "Go!" or "Shoo!" in a loud, startling voice when you see a chicken venture onto the deck or come close to it. You want to create the impression that it is an unpleasant place to be. If a loud voice doesn't work, try an air horn or a squirt gun of cold water.

    • 4

      Bar off the easiest access points to the deck. For instance, if your deck is higher and reached by stairs, use a baby gate to block the entrance. If the birds are able to hop up through the railing, hang chicken wire along the inside.