Will chickens eat my grass seed? Planting new grass.

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brandibaby23

brandibaby23

Songster
10 Years
Oct 13, 2009
438
10
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New Paris, Pa 15554
I figured the best place to ask would be here. I am planning to plant grass seed soon, and I have chickies about 24. My question is will they eat the grass seed? I assume they will, any ideas how to keep them from doing so, what are good covers for the seed, I have been doing a lot of reading and I would have thought straw but I have been reading straw will make weeds. And fertilizer, will that hurt the chickens if they would happen to get into it?
 
I was wondering the same thing. Thanks for asking the question, I was assuming I'll have to keep my chickens from the area I am reseeding. I think the chicken poo could be used as the fertilizer, however wondering if it would burn the new grass? I guess well see what others have to say on the subject
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I was wondering that too if after the grass sprouted if they would eat it! Darn it!!! I thought about putting chicken wire up around were I'm seeding. but it is in front of the coop. So that might make for a difficult situation, it just gets so muddy and stuff there I wanted grass. Darn chickies. LOL
 
Chickens will eat seeds and anything green. You will have to exclude them while you are sprouting or they will scratch up your seeds. Until the grass is well established, they will snip off the tops and the grass will die. Remember that chicken fertilizer is "hot". You will need to compost it before using it in the garden.

I'm sorry to tell you this. I know from experience that gardens and chickens are not compatible except when you want them to clean up bugs and after your seasonal garden has been harvested. If you don't believe me, take a look a chicken runs. There's not a living thing in them.
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Yep

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Nope

Other than keep them off of it until it grows, but then they will eat the grass if you don't rotate them. Chicken tractor?

But you have 24 chickens, so unless you have several acres, you aren't going to have grass.
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Well I beg to differ. I have 10 adult chickens on less than 1/3 acre and I have plenty of grass. The trick is to grow a really hardy type of grass. I cut down a tree and burned brush on THREE places in the back yard (where the chickens range) last spring - by fall they had fully filled in. The grass isn't just surviving the chickens, it's thriving

I'm partial to Bermuda grass, but I don't think it grows as far north as the OP lives. Anything that sends out runners that creep along the ground and reproduce the grass quickly will probably do well.
 
Tala thanks thats the kind of info I am looking for, a good grass may be the key lol. I have plenty of grass too where I am replanting just got covered in shavings over winter and we did some work there in the yard and its bare from that I think if I can get and idea of a good grass and put up fencing until the grass is good an started It may work. ANy ideas of good grass that grows like this (underground) I did read about that I will have to do some research. Thanks
 

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