After using weed killer how many days until it safe to let chickens out of chicken run ?

[aurimilky]

We have nettles growing near the coop and our chickens don't touch them either. Mine go crazy over dandelion, though.
Just my opinion, from the research I have done, I wouldn't spray in the run, unless you plan on putting them somewhere else for a week or so. I know nettles are a pain, but could you pull them out by the roots, or use a vinegar/water solution just in the run? I would want to get rid of the nettles, too.

Yes will be using white vinegar, dish soap, salt and hot water in a sprayer.

I think I'd remove nettles.....chop them down.

Unfortunately they can't be cut down, as they are all on the other side of the chicken run fence, which has 10 feet of brambles in hight

Three of the four of us in my family are allergic to poison oak, which grows rampant here. I still would not use roundup, as I am not clear in its impact on pollinating bees, which I believe are in swift decline. Our mountain community has an ongoing discussion on this topic. It seems round up will indeed degrade with time, but I still don’t use it. Another way to get rid of weeds in a large area is to rent some goats. Seriously!

My mum rented goats many many ago, I think I stick with the white vinegar, dish soap, salt and hot water in a sprayer.

There are no weeds at all in my main run or attached exercise yard. Both have been bare since the first birds were turned into them. My secondary run, currently occupied by 5 young Orpingtons, is rapidly losing all vegetation, as well. Chickens are better than goats at clearing vegetation, & a lot cheaper in the bargain.

Okay

 

[gtaus]

Also what can I use to kill the weeds inside the chicken run that is not weed killer and it wont harm the chickens ?

Interesting. My chickens ate everything down to the bare dirt in almost no time. I thought that was the ultimate weed control. Just eat everything!

I don't use any chemicals on my lawn at all. But I don't have a big weed problem. A fresh mowing will make everything look good enough for me. At the moment, my lawn is under one foot of snow, so it will not even be growing again until next April.

If your chickens do not eat the weeds in your chicken run, I would suggest just chopping/cutting down the weeds and throwing wood chips, leaves, and/or grass clippings on top of that patch to block the sun from the weeds and kill the growth.

I turned my entire chicken run into a compost system after my chickens ate the grass down to bare dirt. I think it was the best decision for me. I harvest $$$ worth of compost a couple times a year from the chicken run compost and use it in my raised beds and other gardens. Last year alone, I harvested over $300 in compost (big box store compost bags equivalent) for my gardens. My people food in the gardens is growing much better and I could not be happier. Also, my chickens love to scratch and peck the compost all day looking for worms and bugs to eat. So they benefit too as they make compost for me.

There are a number of us on the BYC forums that raise composting chickens and consider the eggs just a bonus. Anyway, if you decided to turn your chicken run into a compost system, I started out with a base layer of wood chips to cover the bare dirt. This will prevent your chickens from getting all muddy if it rains. Some people will just stop there as the wood chips look pretty nice in the run. But I continued to add grass clippings all summer long and then leaves in the fall. Last year, my chicken run compost was 18 inches deep after all the fall leaves were dumped in the run. Over winter, it went down to about 12 inches deep. But the compost under the top few inches is a rich dark black gold material that is great for my gardens. I spread out my grass clippings and leaves in layers, but the chickens will naturally mix up the compost as they scratch and peck around looking for things to eat. It really is a great system.

Since I don't use any chemicals anywhere on my lawn, everything I take off my lawn is safe to throw into the chicken run compost system. I would think that whatever chemicals you used on the lawn should have some kind of warning as to how long you should keep pets and small animals off the treated section(s). If not, maybe contact the company customer service and ask for a printout on the topic. Honestly, since you are concerned about the chemicals, and I think I would be too, I would look into other solutions like vinegar, already suggested. Also, I see some people using a propane torch to burn out/down the offending weeds. I have a dandelion stick that I use to pull them out by the roots, and then I feed the dandelion plants to my chickens. What they don't eat gets mixed up in the chicken run compost.

Because of hawks and Bald Eagles overhead all the time, I don't free range my chickens. But I cut the grass and collect the leaves and bring the range to them into the chicken run. It works for me and keeps my chickens safe. Chickens don't need to free range to be happy.