I don't mind the chooks scratching around under my fruit trees & in the garden because my soil is so poor, their attentions are actually helpful.
However, it does wear a bit thin having to go out with the rake & put all the mulch back around tree when they continue to scratch it away after they have done their job & the tree needs to be left alone to grow.
So I watched them & noted they always face the tree trunk therefore scratching the mulch away from the tree.
This is what I came up with. It works 90%. The first time they went to this orange tree they formed a ramp with the extra biscuits of mulch & were able to scratch a lot right out over the top of the boards.
I solved that problem by removing the extra lucerne biscuits. Now they face the boards to scratch so the mulch stays inside the boards.
This fence is about 35cm high & the pegs are hammered into the ground about 15cm. An interesting discovery when driving the pegs was that I now have soft soil to that depth. I should have made the pegs longer to get them into the hard gravel below.
I cut the old weather boards to length. I set the pegs out all squared up on the bench & laid the boards over the pegs then screwed them together. Each side is separate. Here also is a slightly smaller one around the coffee tree too. I will have to do more trees once I find more old weather boards.

Now I can also make compost right at the base of the tree so no more shovelling & barrowing compost, mulch, etc.
Once I have created soil to half the depth of the boards, I can simply add a new board to the top of the existing ones with more pegs attached & driven into the ground. I think the chooks will still jump up that high (about 50cm) if the hunting is good!
I mowed yesterday & enjoyed the ease of mowing along the straight boards.
However, it does wear a bit thin having to go out with the rake & put all the mulch back around tree when they continue to scratch it away after they have done their job & the tree needs to be left alone to grow.
So I watched them & noted they always face the tree trunk therefore scratching the mulch away from the tree.
This is what I came up with. It works 90%. The first time they went to this orange tree they formed a ramp with the extra biscuits of mulch & were able to scratch a lot right out over the top of the boards.
I solved that problem by removing the extra lucerne biscuits. Now they face the boards to scratch so the mulch stays inside the boards.
This fence is about 35cm high & the pegs are hammered into the ground about 15cm. An interesting discovery when driving the pegs was that I now have soft soil to that depth. I should have made the pegs longer to get them into the hard gravel below.
I cut the old weather boards to length. I set the pegs out all squared up on the bench & laid the boards over the pegs then screwed them together. Each side is separate. Here also is a slightly smaller one around the coffee tree too. I will have to do more trees once I find more old weather boards.



Now I can also make compost right at the base of the tree so no more shovelling & barrowing compost, mulch, etc.
Once I have created soil to half the depth of the boards, I can simply add a new board to the top of the existing ones with more pegs attached & driven into the ground. I think the chooks will still jump up that high (about 50cm) if the hunting is good!
I mowed yesterday & enjoyed the ease of mowing along the straight boards.
Last edited: