Thanks Monty,
Chickens actually are really helpful in the garden the rest of the year. Here the grasshoppers and caterpillars start coming in during the hottest months and chickens will chow down on these as well as slugs, snails, even small snakes! And that's a dread that I've recently thought about, having so many irises that you couldn't see a snake if it came around. We have both Copperheads and Rattlesnakes in the area and I actually got bit in my garden about 30 years ago by a 9" Copperhead. And if you want to know how it feels to roast your foot over an open fire, then that's the way to do it. I couldn't wear a shoe for about a week since my foot was twice the size, too! But hopefully between the cats and chickens they will be a bit of an early warning system if one gets in.
I took a few pictures of my metal stakes and labels to give you and anyone interested an idea of what I'm doing for labelling. Of course I do mapping as well since stuff happens.
The stakes are 1/16" welding rods and the labels are made with a DYMO RHINO M1011 aluminum label maker. They are flexible but should add a little extra strength to flower stalks, too.
