[Dominic]

I have four chickens in a 2.4*4.8m run, just shy of 3sqms each.
They been in it weekdays, they free range evenings and weekends, almost 2 months to the day, they have stripped it bare, not a blade of grass, not a dock leaf, nothing green has survived.  2 months, in what is really some of the best growing season.

Defra may say 1sqm per chicken, but that will be stripped bare in two weeks, and badly damaged in 1 week, so, I'm throwing out a rule of thumb, the number of sqms per chicken, is the number of weeks they can be on the grass before they are moved.

Thoughts?

[Lewjam]

I think it depends on the brids...

Mine have been on the grass for 3 months and its still all green - three brids on a 9SQm run.

Maybe they just dont like grass!

[Dominic]

Odd, it was my worst patch, so maybe thats something to do with it.  I'll keep an eye on how much damage they do to the bit they're on now, more rule of thumb says it should be showing wear in 3 weeks, and in dire repair in 6.

[joyfull]

if you get feather legged/footed birds they do less damage to the ground - a lot of the damage is caused by them scratching.
My birds all free range and yes I do have a big garden (for about 60 birds at the moment) but in the last 5 years the only bald patches have been where their coops have stood, where I had a bonfire (they love to dust bathe in the ash) and where we turn our vans around (this bit gets muddy in winter). Mine love grass to eat but only nip the tips off - a bit like lawn mowers.

[themagicaltoad1]

if you get feather legged/footed birds they do less damage to the ground - a lot of the damage is caused by them scratching.
My birds all free range and yes I do have a big garden (for about 60 birds at the moment) but in the last 5 years the only bald patches have been where their coops have stood, where I had a bonfire (they love to dust bathe in the ash) and where we turn our vans around (this bit gets muddy in winter). Mine love grass to eat but only nip the tips off - a bit like lawn mowers.

I'm not so sure about that Joyful, it took my feather legged girls a week to completely demolish all the greenery in their new big run, and the garden is full of holes from their dust baths!

[joyfull]

my sabelpoots must be so well behaved then 

[Colernehens]

We have 6 Orpington hens free ranging in an area of our garden, not sure on the size (surface area is not my maths strong point) but I would say about 10ft by 22ft. They have been on that same area for a year, and the grass grows better there then anywhere else in the garden. On average we cut the grass in their bit three times for every single time we cut the rest of the garden.

Maybe we just have very polite girls 

[joyfull]

and a good supply of fertilizer 

[ANHBUC]

It could be down to the type of grass, when we turfed our hen enclosure we ran out of turf from a local grown supplier.  We bought extra from a local garden centre which had Rolawn.  The 6 hens soon demolished the Rolawn eating it and scratching it up.  All that is left of it is a huge dust bath area which they love.  The local grown turf was ignored until the Rolawn was gone.  They now dutifully keep it neat with the exception of a few scratch holes.     Should have saved our money and just left it partly turfed. 

[Ben_H]

I've had 6 birds in a 9' x 21' run for the last 4 weeks and the grass is in a very sorry state. It all looks brown and dead and where there is regrowth it is being grabbed before it has a chance to grow. It is probably not helped by the fact that we haven't had a lot of rain recently.

I've got to wait another 4 weeks before more chicken wire and timber arrives and I'm able to extend the run but after that I hope I can alternate the areas and give the grass a chance to recover

[ANHBUC]

I've had 6 birds in a 9' x 21' run for the last 4 weeks and the grass is in a very sorry state. It all looks brown and dead and where there is regrowth it is being grabbed before it has a chance to grow. It is probably not helped by the fact that we haven't had a lot of rain recently.

I've got to wait another 4 weeks before more chicken wire and timber arrives and I'm able to extend the run but after that I hope I can alternate the areas and give the grass a chance to recover

Do you poo pick every day?  If not this could be the cause of your dead grass.

[Lewjam]

yea i have found ceacle poos if left to soldify leave dead patches of grass.  Mine looks like it was desighner pokerdot for some time before i starting clearing the sticky blighters up when wet!

[ANHBUC]

yea i have found ceacle poos if left to soldify leave dead patches of grass.  Mine looks like it was desighner pokerdot for some time before i starting clearing the sticky blighters up when wet!

I follow our hens round when they are let out in the morning to collect their first 2 poos, one large normal followed by one ceacal poo.  Saves it getting trampled in for the rest of the day so it is easier to clean up.   

[joyfull]

yea i have found ceacle poos if left to soldify leave dead patches of grass.  Mine looks like it was desighner pokerdot for some time before i starting clearing the sticky blighters up when wet!

I follow our hens round when they are let out in the morning to collect their first 2 poos, one large normal followed by one ceacal poo.  Saves it getting trampled in for the rest of the day so it is easier to clean up.   

Want to come on over and pick up after my 60 odd   

[ANHBUC]

Sorry you're just that bit too far away.  Would use a Vax if I had 60 hens.   

Couldn't sleep this morning so was out at 5.30.     Hens were still asleep and it took them about an hour before they were really awake.  Hope they don't expect the same tomorrow!