Thankyou for all the great info!! We let our chickens (29 plus Roscoe the rooster) free range and they peck and scratch at all sorts of things. We did plant a few patches of oats and rye for them as well; along with every so often, mulching the taller grass in their chicken yard . We recently got our garden in and found out in a quick hurry that some of our plants needed protection from our two legged friends!!!