[staffschicks]

Just wondering if anyone knows how long it will take 6 chickens to reduce 100 square metre of grass to mud?

[mrs.ploppy]

Not too long as they will have a field day!   Won't turn to mud this time of year as dry at the moment but they don't so much eat it as scratch it all up and knacker the roots of the grass not allowing it to grow again, that's the trouble.  Its a bit like how long is a piece of string?? Some will take longer than others.  Depending on size of bird and how active they are.  My friend has Orpingtons and she has grass in her very small area all year round as they not interested in eating or scratching the grass up.

[poultrygeist]

I reckon about a month before it looks like a rugby pitch and another fortnight to the Somme.

Rob

[Rubellite]

Hmmm.............astroturf might last a little longer!

[GrannieAnnie]

I suggested astroturf once, they all laughed at me!  there's a new one on the market now, you can get it in different grades.  I thought it'd be great, looks like grass, but you can just hose the poop off and hey presto, nice green grassy looking stuff again!!!!

[andreadon]

i can just imagine doing that in our run - i wonder how long it would take for our chickens to eat it all!!
 

[staffschicks]

Will keep you posted.  they've been in for a month but have been let out now and again to trash the rest of the garden but now the plants are getting going they will be kept in.  So far 2 speckledys 2 bovan goldlines  and 2 light sussex have done a good job of scarifying but I still have grass.  The plot used to be church allotments and the grass has found it's own way there so is pretty tough.  Maybe another month!

[steephen]

We started with a moveablepen that was 4m x 2m it took 6 warrens half a week to make it a mess and if you left it a week the grass struggled to recover. We gave up and let them free rang only using it when we wouldnt be back at night early enough to shut them in
We increased the flock to 20 warrens and they were pinned into a little area with Christmas trees in. This was 20m x 20m. In the winter they could keep most of that as mud in the summer with good weather and growing weeds it was short green over 3 quarters of it.
To get free range birds living in nice grass you really needd loads of space. I often wonder how you can call 4 backgarden hens in a 4m x 4m pen of mud free range.

[Fifitrix]

I suggested astroturf once, they all laughed at me! 

Who?  Your chickens? 

[mad mark]

I have mine on flags, abit of grass and bark chippings which I am going to replace every few days, weeks depending on what mess they make of it. Guess if the area is open to the elements it wont take long to resemble the Somme if we have another great British summer as per last year.
Being inquisitive I guess they will eat, munch, destroy, rummage any thing of interest. That is part of being a happy chicken. Bit like teenage daughters, they need some freedom but not too much or they will get themselves into trouble...

[Rubellite]

Bit like teenage daughters, they need some freedom but not too much or they will get themselves into trouble...

Just don't go there MM.....................

[andreadon]

I have mine on flags, abit of grass and bark chippings which I am going to replace every few days, weeks depending on what mess they make of it. Guess if the area is open to the elements it wont take long to resemble the Somme if we have another great British summer as per last year.

you'll get quickly fed up of doing that every few days!
rake it over that often, if you like.
we remove all the poo from the ground every night (a scoop and a stick) which helps keep it sweet.

[mad mark]

Andreadon dont worry I am picking up the poo every morning, my daughters call me the CCSS, (chief chicken * shifter) not sure if I will get away with that on this site....sorry.
I put it in my compost bin so it should stay sweetish for a while, though its hard work getting up the wet ones.....mustn't give them too much cabbage I guess.

What ever you put down for chicks I guess they will soon wreck being the inquisitive ladies they are.

Cheers

[andreadon]

the wet ones are normal - they'll do that regardless of what you feed them!
our run has soil on the ground, so we pick up soil first, then the wet poo. stops it sticking to the scoop ("pick up" means push into scoop with the stick.  :blink: )