A slightly different take on the "chickens and grass" topic

[partsRheavy]

If you move from Portland to ATX you gotta remember that the summers will be MUCH hotter and hardly any grass grows then. The chooks will thrash the grass in late spring like it's a wild night down on 6th St. Then when it gets really hot the grass won't grow back until (cross your fingers....) fall rains. You might wind up buying them alfalfa hay.....

I assume you know that 10 of either gender are allowed in the ATX which is good!

One word for Austin: XERISCAPING.

 

[bairo]

Looks like I will get away with 100 per bird if I rotate a separate 100 per bird every 2 weeks. Most would think that is 200 per bird, but it does not work that way, LOL. Unless you can hit that 500 per bird mark you are going to have to rotate. Even at 500 per bird, I would probably throw out a few pounds of winter rye grass to thicken it up real quick.

 

[potluck]

Quote:
I had 25 on about 1/2 acre and no damage anywhere except the section with the tall grass I couldn't get in to mow so I threw out the scratch and called in the chicken working party. Now I'll probably never get grass there again because they keep going back there looking for scratch. Do you suppose a couple of months of snow will help them forget?

 

[partsRheavy]

Austin TX is in a serious drought and the grass isn't growing very well!

 

[Xtina]

This is all very useful information, and a special thank you to partsRheavy for the local perspective. Yes, I did know Austin was in a bad drought but I hope that won't last for the entire future of my existence there (although my husband says better not hold my breath). Now, I actually did not know the law about how many chickens are allowed, although I knew it was a lot. Ten birds would make me very happy! How do the neighbors tend to respond to living by roosters in Austin? I don't want to get on a bad foot with my community right from the get go!

 

[bairo]

ummm. I just read "Austin" I'd have to be blunt and say good luck with that.

Half the people in Austin cant keep grass down with just one non grass eating Chihuahua.

Seriously1 acre is about 44000 sq/ft. in Austin that would support about 10 and stay green if you were lucky. soooo 4400 per bird.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

We have a somewhat similar environment to yours here in Tucson. My coop and run covers 200 square feet and has had 6 chickens in it (now 8). For the past two years I have laid down 80 square feet of sod in November and it lasts until June/July when it gets too much shade from the grape vines covering it and the heat scorches it. My chickens spend most of their time in the winter free ranging outside the coop and run, but periodically spend weekends and up to a week or more locked up. I really like the fact that my girls have constant access to fresh greens in the winter when we can't be here to let them free range. Our first freeze was very late this year and my grape vines are just now losing their leaves and I'll put more sod down this weekend.

Here's what it looks like after all winter and spring has arrived:

 

[Xtina]

Good setup, Gallo del Cielo!

I do realize this may be a total fool's errand on whatever land I have (without adding sod). It's still an interesting topic to me though. I will probably end up constructing my hens a run with a salad bar around it so they can peck at the greens coming through the wires. But I'm still curious to know what people's experiences have been. Chickens (and dogs) just destroy grass. It's a fact that I'm well acquainted with. But if one really wanted to have grass, there has to be some amount that could survive my zoo. Also, I may not end up in Austin. Might stay here, might move to Tennessee or Georgia...might do just about anything! You never know. So I'm glad to hear all your input.

 

[Beekissed]

30+ chickens, 1 acre, 6 years, plenty of grass...a few denuded areas close to coop due to heavy foot traffic or areas designated for dusting.

 

[bairo]

Quote:
I lived in Portland back in 1991 for a year and a half. Was in Beaverton in an apartment. I really liked it. Out of all the traveling I got to do back then, I always said if I made one last move it would be either east of Portland in the foothills of the cascades or where I am now in the foothills of the Appalachians. I hope you guys find what your looking for...it took me many years to decide for me that it was a place that many try to move away from..LOL