[mbc]

hi, we have 3 chickens in a 22' x 30' garden. it was mostly grass, (in july) and they were very happy. But NOW i have a little and diminishing strip of grass, and very muddy chickens! :? so i thought i'd pen them in a run give the grass a chance to come back. any suggestions to get quick ground cover as my girls are not happy in the run, and have started to peck each other! help please my nieghbours have started to complain about the state of my garden!  :oops: thanks

[Evansent]

I'm not sure that a decent lawn is compatable with chickens, i'm afraid, they do tend to root up most things.  
I can only really think of putting down wood bark, this may give the grass a bit of protection and come the better weather, it may rejuvenate. However, the chickens will probably rip it out again! :?

Or you could go for a formal garden look and put down gravel, the chickens would probably like scratching around in it and perhaps have some pots with plants in to soften the look?...ones chickens don't like to eat though!

I'm sure some of the more experienced "chickeneers" will be along to give much better ideas soon.

C X

[Aunt Sally]

They won't dig the grass up if they have somewhere else to dig.  

My chooks have a digging garden (the one with shrubs that youn can see). They don't do much damage to the grass and they've been on it for about 3 years.  The grass area is about 25ft x 15ft roughly.  Their digging garden is about 8 ft deep.  The flower bed (on the right) is netted off.

[L 11OBS]

As Auntie says really, if they have 'softer' ground to scratch around in they wont do the lawn too much harm.  I'd tell the neighbours to mind their own as well, there's no laws on how tidy one's garden must look

[karlooben]

i was thinking of splitting my run down a little and fencing of a section an let that grass over an then do a multi storey type area an try to grow grass mid air on wood like u see on the shed roofs that ppl have started to do  but i think that will take some planning and i cant see it lasting long but it would be a great project.

[Alby]

I just wish I could START with grass  :?  just finished my run and Ive trodden it into a mud bath even befor I get the chooks !!!!  :shock:
Try seeding a small area with green manure, grows quick if fenced and then let them at it !!!!
Alby
OH ! and B....r the neighbours  

[nnbreeder]

If you do section off the run plant either wheat or rye or even millet in the summer as it will freeze out. The wheat and rye will be up in a couple of weeks and will have a strong enough root system to put livestock on it in about 60 days. But I only have experiance with cattle and horses on wheat pasture, not chickens.

If you get an overwintering type it will continue to grow until a hard freeze puts it into dormancy to grow again and head out the following summer. Here they plant a lot of hard red winter wheat but I believe that the white wheat is not winter hardy. As it is planted mostly in the spring for a summer crop. If you were to spread it out over grass and then lightly cover with compost it would come up and outgrow the grass and the chickens should nibble on it instead of the grass.

[Kate and her Ducks]

I have the same problem in my garden with the ducks. In summer all is well and the grass stands up very well but once autumn comes and the growth slows and the ground gets wet (my garden gets very waterlogged) the ducks just puddle the grass into the mud and I get a quagmire!.

I have split my garden into lawn and veg patch and during the summer they are on the grass and fenced away from the veg to give it a chance! Once its all harvested they go onto the veg patch to clear out the weeds, any brave surviving slug or egg and to concentrate the fertilizer for next year. Unfortunately due to the wet summer and autumn I still have a bog for a lawn but threw down some grass seed at the end of Oct that is doing surprisingly well. It is not yet a lush and verdent field but it has germinated and making a start so I am ahead of the game for spring and can start the whole game over.

The pack said plant from march to begining of Oct but mine is doing well and might be worth trying some a bit early next year.

[Sadgit]

when mine free roam in their netter off area it covers half the lawn and a large area with loads of bushes and trees. they hardly bother with the grass and prefer to scratch about under the trees/bushes... the only real problem I have is the amount of dirt/mud they kick onto the grass!!!!

[woodburner]

Ooh good question with lots of useful answers, too.
Thanks everyone, and welcome to the forums, mbc.

[mbc]

wow guys, thanks so much for all the good advice. I am so sooo jealous over Aunt Sally's lawn in the background of your picture!! I think i'll try some extra bushes and low plants instead of so much lawn. thanks guys. merry Christmas

[turnip]

hi,
I have mud bath where lawn used to be.
 last winter it survived fine but have had much more rain this year,  was thinking of turfing it next month

 does anyone know if this is likely to be successful,  my girls  roam free in garden all day and usually eat grass but not dig it up as use flower beds for dustbath and scratching etc
                       am new and finding all advice on forum very helpful and interesting !! :D

[pushrod]

One way of preserving some grass in a run is get hold of half a dozen or more bread trays leave them upside down so the hens can't dig the grass roots out - they can eat the tips as it grows out the top. When the grass is growing strongly expose that area and seed and cover another to get it to recover.

[karlooben]

One way of preserving some grass in a run is get hold of half a dozen or more bread trays leave them upside down so the hens can't dig the grass roots out - they can eat the tips as it grows out the top. When the grass is growing strongly expose that area and seed and cover another to get it to recover.

now thats a smart idea  

[turnip]

thanks pushrod, will try this,   had a garage built in part of garden over the summer and i think this hasnt helped things.      turnip.