Are grass clippings bad for your chickens?

[eggoland]

I don't use weed & feed on the back yard & had given my hens some grass clippings. I was told that the residue from gas & oil in the lawnmower could be harmful. With mowing season just around the corner I want to know if it is safe or not. I know no better peeps to ask than BYC. I have learned so much in the last year!

 

[krcote]

Our girls get a mower bag full of grass clipping every time the lawn is mowed. We just dump it out in the run in a pile. They like to play queen of the grass mountain and munch away on as much as they would like, then spread the rest around searching for bugs. Excellent entertainment and we have been doing it for years without any crop impaction. Have fun!

 

[lazy gardener]

I was going to post a similar question and ran across your thread.
We too have used grass clippings for about 2 months now (in the run, not the coop) and it does seem to work out very well. Like others have said I dump it in a pile or 2 and before you know it the hens (5 here) have turned the piles into a 2" shag carpet in the run. The grass absorbs the poop great and after about a week I'll rake it up and add it to the compost piles and replace with fresh clippings. Grass clippings are high in moisture so 2" deep is good enough for it to dry out quickly and not get clumpy/moldy. Since it is so moist and green I do not use it inside the coop but rather use dryer pine shavings for coop floor and nesting boxes. Good to know too about the shorter the clippings the better for digesting. Our "lawn" is just a mix of wild grasses and weeds with clover, no fert or other treatments involved, just rain. When I mow I try to concentrate on the clover areas to bag up mostly for the run. My 2 cents.

Grass clippings are wonderful in the run, especially if your flock can't get out to free range in your yard. IMO, any time a run, or even a garden for that matter has bare soil, it is an unhealthy situation for the soil, and certainly for the plants in the garden as well as the chickens in the run. My goal is to keep both areas well covered. Look in the forest. How much bare ground do you see? For that matter, how much bare ground do you see any where where man hasn't left his mark? IMO God intends the soil to be covered. Instead of raking those clippings up to put in a compost pile, why not just leave them, and add to them? You can add leaves, garden debris, wood chips, used litter from your coop... or even stable litter if you have access to some. That deep litter will attract all kinds of beneficial organisms to the area, including insects, worms, beneficial bacteria and fungi (all work together to decrease pathogens, including internal/external parasites) All that good stuff will give your chickens a healthier digestive system, cut down on your food bill and give them hours and hours of purposeful entertainment. Don't bother taking any of that litter out, until you need some compost. Your chickens will make yards of compost for you, and you will work far less than you would by removing it so you can add a fresh layer.

One thing you should give them to make a good situation even better, especially if they are confined to a run is some grit. If we have to keep our chickens in a confined situation, we need to supply all of the things they would seek out if they were able to free range.

 

[Keltara]

Chickens LOVE grass clippings!! On a hot summer day, if you've mowed the lawn, you can put out a large bowl filled with icy water and grass clippings. They will love the grass and the cool water will help to bring down their body temps. But yes, yes, yes to grass clippings. My hens go crazy when I mow the lawn. We have a riding mower and I mulch. They love eating the fresh clipped grass in our lawn.

Kelly

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Our Country Chronicles

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[Joz]

People have had problems with grass clippings leading to crop impaction. The length of the clipped grass is too long, and will get balled up with other clippings and not pass freely through the crop.

When they graze on vegetation and grass, they pull smaller pieces off the plants. These smaller (and variable sized) pieces are more manageable.

I don't have chickens (yet) but have been reading this forum for a few years now. I would not give grass clippings to my chickens, but would instead put them in the compost pile. You've got chickens... don't you have a garden too?

 

[MCraft-NPoultry]

I think they should be ok. Crop inaction wouldn't worry me much. Everytime I clean the barns I put the hay and stuff in the Conpost Pen and Twice a week the ladies and gents get to go in and " Compost"! It's all gone in a snap and I've never had problems with the hay, Grass Clippings, Leaves, Etc!

 

[ECBW]

Dont suppose you spill gas and oil on your grass?! Unless you do, you can treat it like the sky is falling theory.

I mow only every other week, because the chickens don't have the patience for me making clippings and help themselves to the grass.

When I do mow, the buffet is open.

And no chemical fertilizers. Chickens contribute nicely in that regard.

 

[TennesseeChicken]

Some of our hens will even follow the mower! I also give them all of the weeds and I pull out of the gardens and let them forage for the few worms and grubs that make it into the bucket.

 

[Fifi-le-chick]

Thank you for the advice.

I put in a big bag of clippings in a pile, they loved it then I went out for a couple of hours. When I came back there was a thin layer on the ground and not much else. I hope they had fun as I will definitely do this now after each cut, I hope it helps with the bare ground problem, giving them something to scratch at other than just bare earth.

 

[Sunnysidedown]

I was going to post a similar question and ran across your thread.
We too have used grass clippings for about 2 months now (in the run, not the coop) and it does seem to work out very well. Like others have said I dump it in a pile or 2 and before you know it the hens (5 here) have turned the piles into a 2" shag carpet in the run. The grass absorbs the poop great and after about a week I'll rake it up and add it to the compost piles and replace with fresh clippings. Grass clippings are high in moisture so 2" deep is good enough for it to dry out quickly and not get clumpy/moldy. Since it is so moist and green I do not use it inside the coop but rather use dryer pine shavings for coop floor and nesting boxes. Good to know too about the shorter the clippings the better for digesting. Our "lawn" is just a mix of wild grasses and weeds with clover, no fert or other treatments involved, just rain. When I mow I try to concentrate on the clover areas to bag up mostly for the run. My 2 cents.