How much run for renewable grass.

viper125 said:

Well a run here is difficult. I tarp off the top of what I got now. Prevents owls, eagles, and hawks from getting in.. I was thinking of chain link fence this time. But seems it would have to be 6 - 8 feet high to keep chickens in. And the raised beds I talked about is for them inside the fence.
Thinking of lay down some blocks or timbers and stretching poultry nesting across them. This way grass can grow up through fence on the beds. So they can eat the grass but not tear it up. And protected by the fence it could keep growing.

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I have heavy breeds so they rarely jump my 4' fencing.

I suggest you make a dome cover on your beds to the birds can't peck all the way to the soil. You can also plant lettuce, parsley, garlic and other veggie crops other than just grass. Something like this but with poultry wire instead of plastic. Then your plants could grow up through it but still be left alive to grow back. My birds decimate my garlic and parsley if they get in my garden.



If you have a lot of space you can plant shrubs that will give your birds shelter. Nine barks look pretty and have an "arching" growing habit. Shrubs like that leave space for the birds to hide under. Once established it's unlikely they will kill it by dusting under it. I have two "Summer Wine". These are not mine but you get the idea.

viper125 said:

Well a run here is difficult. I tarp off the top of what I got now. Prevents owls, eagles, and hawks from getting in.. I was thinking of chain link fence this time. But seems it would have to be 6 - 8 feet high to keep chickens in. And the raised beds I talked about is for them inside the fence.
Thinking of lay down some blocks or timbers and stretching poultry nesting across them. This way grass can grow up through fence on the beds. So they can eat the grass but not tear it up. And protected by the fence it could keep growing.

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Often called grazing frames:
1/2" x 1/2" for grass like leaves.
1" x 2" for larger leaves.
I highly recommend covering the sharp edges of the mesh with wood to prevent foot injuries.
Once in while you'll want to lift the frame, for no more than an hour or two, for them to thatch the growth and get some bugs hiding.

The easiest way to stop them from destroying a landscape is to rotate their run, as you would do if using a chicken tractor.

Yes prefer to not use tractors if possible

viper125 said:

Yes prefer to not use tractors if possible

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I did not mean for you to use tractors, just to split and rotate their run into multiple runs if possible, ie portable fencing.

Hmmm. Maybe...

For reference we have 7 chickens and 4 ducks That have free range to a 1/4 acre backyard. It stays green.

Before I decided to spend real money to make real chicken yards I used 100' x 7' rolls of deer netting from Lowes to make temp runs, pens etc. It's cheap and easy to use. I used t-posts, rebar, metal conduit, trees, whatever I had for posts and used construction twine to support it between the posts. It's so lightweight that a few strings run lengthwise across it will support the netting if you decide to make a top with it.

ChickenLegs13 said:

Before I decided to spend real money to make real chicken yards I used 100' x 7' rolls of deer netting from Lowes to make temp runs, pens etc. It's cheap and easy to use. I used t-posts, rebar, metal conduit, trees, whatever I had for posts and used construction twine to support it between the posts. It's so lightweight that a few strings run lengthwise across it will support the netting if you decide to make a top with it.

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You got pics.

At one farm in PA she has runs made from poultry wire and trees. Kinda like this but not so high and longer.

The space you need also depends on the kind of chickens you have. Silkies don't demolisch the grass much like other chickens would. And I know that the Barneverder is a hopeless kind of chicken for a nice green lawn.