[nerdle]

My once lush green lawn is currently a brown desert due to hyper grazing egg layers.  They hardly grazed at all until a couple of weeks ago and how they devour for hours.  So hoping my lawn can stand up to this and regrow soon....  my neighbours lawns look so green 

[8doubles]

My lawn stayed in top condition (maybe  a bit frayed at the edges) but i had to train the hens to behave themselves.
Grazing was fine but if they went into dig-mode they went back to their run.
They seemed to catch on to this after a while and obeyed the rules !


Until they found an ants nest .......................

Ps make sure they fill up on layer pellets before you let them graze first thing A.M .
Thin shelled eggs are not good for the hens or you !

[helens-hens]

It has to be said our lawn has never been the same since we had hens and this past winter has been particularly unkind to it as the wet weather made it into a bit of a mudbath.

Still they are worth it 

[splash101]

My garden got pretty much demolished last year by some legbars.

My hubby built a large run, partially covered. I exchanged large fowl for bantams and now I am redoing the garden.
I have a Huge empty border at the house end of the garden to start on. At least if i get that bit done it will be a usable space with the patio, and I can tackle the rest as and when.
I have been collecting shrubs that were on sale over winter. The most expensive one was £1.75 (such a cheepskate) and I've got quite a lot of planting to do.

Irony - I have been sprouting beans and seeds just for the chicken to eat. They didnt seem too impressed with them. Had they have been planted in my garden, they would have devoured them.

[nerdle]

I found that one hybrid was sustainable so three Pekins should be too.  Its just this time of year when they are hungry and its not the growing season yet.  Let's see....

Their egg shells seem fine - but keeping an eye out.

[nerdle]

Oh dear - much worse now.  Should I cordon the lawn off to give it a chance or would they deicmate it all over again?   They hardly touched it last year and I had to keep mowing it.  Didn't know egg laying made them so hungry...

[traacyken]

my grass is a mess! what with the dogs and the rain plus it being clay its awfull, growing in places but loads of bald patches and slippy hope it grows bak but i doubt it

[nerdle]

Just bought 5x4m of garden netting online for £10.  Will protect lawn for a few weeks.  The hens will have to scratch the garden for a while The neighbours gardens look so good - the grass really is greener!!!!

[Trillium]

Here's an idea I'm incorporating with my new coops and runs.

The interesting bit starts at minute: 2.57   HERE

One upgrade I'll do is to bury scrap metal around exposed areas to stop any tunneling by greedy chooks 

[nerdle]

So interesting!!!  - they can nibble but not plough!  In the meantime its damage limitation here so a garden chair in the middle and netting pegged down around the edges.  The circus is in town!
I'll have to be sure no wild birds get trapped in there!!!!

[andy46]

The video is very interesting but my lawn is 27ft by 34ft would a lot of wood and mesh think i might let them on for a couple of hours each day and put them back in run    cheaper to.

[pepsi100]

GRASS !!!! you people have hens AND grass ?

My lawn has never been able to keep up with my hens, cockerels and their grazing, the winter didnt do it any favours either

I have now dug it over and reseeded, but I dont hold out much hope of it lasting until August

[nerdle]

Might get it returfed - its been awful since I moved here and before my hen era.

I have an idea - some rabbit hutch type mesh (6' x 4' sheets) - I could peg it down firmly over the grass to let it grow through - then my little darlings could nibble it but not scratch it and disturb the roots. Mowable too.

[pepsi100]

That never worked for me, they got to the new grass shoots, but didnt get to scratch it up though

[nerdle]

I suspect I'll always have to cordon off some of the lawn - for its survival.
Currently finely chopping bits of grass from the meadow for them.