I have free ranging chickens. They are very beneficial in keeping the tick population under control and therefore I do not want to confine them to a fenced in area. The problem I’m having is chickens like to dust bathe. Mulched flower beds are prime dust bathing spots and my chickens have been digging massive holes in my flower beds and are destroying our landscaping. This made my husband VERY unhappy. After doing some research I decided to give the Contech Scarecrow Motion Activated Sprinkler a try.
When it arrived we immediately hooked it up only to find it leaked like a sieve. The other reviewers on Amazon who suggested purchasing extra rubber gaskets to use when attaching the hose were correct. Once we added some extra rubber gaskets the leaks stopped. We set up the sprinkler at the edge of our house in the prime location that the chickens were frequenting and digging.
I have not seen the chickens come near the flower bed since we installed this. Chickens hate change so just the fact that there is something new sticking up in their favorite bathing spot kept them away for a few days until they were used to it. I have yet to see anyone get wet, but it’s been almost a week and I can say the chickens are no longer going anywhere near the flower beds.
Would I recommend this product? Yes, I would. I think it would work well for anyone that has deer eating their landscaping, or perhaps a neighbor’s cat is using your yard as their litterbox?
According to the instructions this sprinkler covers a width of about 45 feet and a depth of about 35 feet. If you have multiple areas that you need covered you may need more than one. I plan on moving ours frequently so the chickens don’t wise up and figure out they can still dust bathe in the flower bed that is out of range of the sprinkler!
UPDATE 5/18/15: The chickens eventually wised up and figured out how to get around the motion sensors so we added another sprinkler about 20 feet away and connected the two with a hose. Works like a charm!! We LOVE our motion activated sprinkler system! It has saved our landscaping!
Thank you! Just the review I needed. I’m going to order one now!