Grass Seed Warning Question

[MarcoPollo]

I just planted new grass in the chicken run. I noticed the bag says that the seed is treated and it shouldn't be used for feed. I keep the chickens out of the areas that I plant until the grass is at least 4 inches tall. Does anyone know if this is going to hurt the birds? I planted grass twice last year since I have the ability to keep the chickens out of certain patches for months at a time until grass grows back. The previous bags of grass were similar but I never read any warnings on the bag until now. Does anyone have recommendations on something else that is safer to plant? Will grass from treated seeds cause chickens to get sick?

 

[Ridgerunner]

That is a good question. Grass seed is sometimes treated to keep insects from eating it. A lot of vegetable seeds are treated for that or to help germination. You should not eat any seeds intended for planting yourself or feed then to your animals. Just don’t do it.

But once the seed has sprouted, the pesticide or whatever chemical they use is finished. It depend on what the actual pesticide or chemical is used as to how long it takes, but they normally break down fairly quickly due to exposure to sunlight or just air. If it is in the ground it may take a little longer but not that long. It will also get diluted by rainwater to a point it is no longer in a harmful dosage or even leached away. If you are waiting just a couple of weeks after the grass has sprouted, I would not be concerned at all. The chemicals have almost certainly broken down and/or been flushed away. Even if they haven’t totally broken down, the dosage in a grass plant would be so small it won’t hurt them.

The seeds should not be fed to animals, but the plants that grow from those seeds are perfectly safe for you and your animals.

 

[chfite]

If the seed has sprouted, the grass should be safe.

Chris

 

[MarcoPollo]

Thanks for the helpful replies!