The Cirus Trees Versus the Chooks!!!

Make sure mulch is away from trunk of
citrus trees. Collar Rot is a big risk if this
occurs

Using plain wire U pegs to hold down wire

Citrus trees have lots of very shallow roots and I've noticed the chooks scratching up the ground uner the citrus trees and have started to expose some of these feeding roots.  NOT GOOD especially in summer. I had been mulching around the trees but gave up as the chooks just scratched it away.  BUT I came up with an idea to stop this today. I cut some lengths of chicken wire cut a line to the middle of the square of chicken wire then put the wire flat on the ground with the trunck of the tree around the the cut line. I was able to mulch under this wire then use short lengths of plain fencing wire bent in the shape of U's these pegs were then pushed into the ground to hold the wire and mulch in place. So now the chooks can walk over it poo over it peck through it but can't dig and scratch it up. PERFECT. It will also have the added benefit of providing small areas in the garden where insects can be safe away from the chooks and breed up numbers. This should mean my back garden doesn't become an insect desert because the chooks eat and destroy everything in sight!!!

Now it doesn't matter the chooks are
under the citrus trees. Mulch & roots
are protected with wire.