An Idea on How to KEEP GRASS ALIVE in the Chicken Pen!

[CynazarGoldens]

Not only keep grass alive and accessible for them to munch on, but also keep the chickens dirt-free.

Here is my idea:

Okay, so lets say you have 8 chickens....
Make a fenced in sandbox 4 x 8 ft next to a grassy lawn.
On the side of the sandbox, make a wooden frame 8 ft wide, 10 ft long, and however many feet high. Then fence it in.

Inside the fenced in grassy area, take hardware mesh and staple it very taught to the wooden bottom exactly 3 inches above the ground, so the grass pokes through.

Viola!

Now, the flock can peck off the tops of the grass to the perfect length, like a lawn mower. And their poop can fall through the mesh down to the grass and fertilize the lawn, like they're supposed to do. They can still scratch, dig, and dust bathe all they want in the sand box (you can add diatomacious earth to the sand, also throw some feed to give them something to root for). The best part is, no more muddy gross discusting feet! Especially the featherfooted breeds.

Let me know what you think, and has anyone else come up with this ingenious, yet simple solution!
Thanks,
Jenne (and my fiance' who swears he was the one who gave me the idea in the first place)

 

[ThePendragon]

How does the sand box fit in?

 

[CynazarGoldens]

How does the sand box fit in?

One side of their entire area would be sand, the other would be grass. You would need the sandbox to keep them happy (scratching, digging, dust bathing, rooting around, etc).

Jenne

 

[ThePendragon]

I see, so there wouldn't be wire over the sand. I think I am going to have a two story run this year has anyone tried that?

 

[Hawgon]

I built a frame out of 2x4's and put the rolled sod you get at Home Depot in it and it works great. I have a couple of them and rotate them in and out and the chickens love it. You can see it in this pic. I have one in the coop and one as a "door step', although I am crushing the hardware cloth into the top of it but they cant scratch out the grass roots at least.

 

[CynazarGoldens]

I built a frame out of 2x4's and put the rolled sod you get at Home Depot in it and it works great. I have a couple of them and rotate them in and out and the chickens love it. You can see it in this pic. I have one in the coop and one as a "door step', although I am crushing the hardware cloth into the top of it but they cant scratch out the grass roots at least.

I love it! Great idea, very innovative.
Ever think about doing up half pen floor like that?

Jenne

 

[sonjap]

Those are called "grazing frames".
See: http://www.thegardencoop.com/blog/2012/02/07/grazing-frames-backyard-chickens/

 

[CynazarGoldens]

Those are called "grazing frames".
See: http://www.thegardencoop.com/blog/2012/02/07/grazing-frames-backyard-chickens/

Lol where there you go. Someone else thought of the idea before!
If they exist, why don't more people use them?

Jenne

 

[redstarmama]

We have 3 coops and three yards for different ages and uses(egg vs. meat, chick vs. hen, etc) They all have access to a large main area that we call The Green. We let each of them out there for a period of time daily. This way we can have our yard and garden and they can have some fun. We also have one of our compost areas inside The Green. This way they have all sorts of things to do and hunt for and I don't have to worry about turning that pile as often. The only thing I have to do is regulate the access to The Green. I have noticed that all the other yards are now starting to regenerate some green matter of their own now!

 

[PaintedHearts]

I have to say...I love this idea! We are adding an 8x8 run onto an 3x8. I think I'm going to make a removable grazing frame to fit about 4x4 in the new run and plant some seed for them. The rest I will leave dirt and add a little play sand for dust baths. Then I can remove it yearly and plant new seed. Smart thinking! Thanks!