Best grass to plant in a chicken run?

[Chickengene]

As you can see, my run is pretty bare, and I'm wanting to get some greenery back in there.
View attachment 1564997

I'm working on building a few "raised flower bed" frames and I'm going to plant some grass in them, somewhat like this...
View attachment 1564998

BUT MY QUESTION IS... is there a particular type of grass that you'd recommend? Something with a little more nutritional value than others, something that is better quality, something that chickens like? Does it matter what type of grass I plant?

Thanks for any input!

Good looking plan. I would do more boxes than pictured. And if your flock is anything like mine, I suggest a couple easily movable fences.
My five girls would go through that like Sherman through Atlanta.

 

[333113]

Good looking plan. I would do more boxes than pictured. And if your flock is anything like mine, I suggest a couple easily movable fences.
My five girls would go through that like Sherman through Atlanta.

I found a very informative series of videos on YouTube that describe how to set up rows of cover crops and get the chickens to and from them.

I am just pointing at one video but there are several by the same guy with lessons-learned.

 

[333113]

I was just talking to a friend and she told me that she buys the deer seed mix when it goes on half-price sale at the end of the season. She grows greens for her poultry right in the run under 1-inch wire mesh tacked to a square of two by fours. They can't get their beaks close enough to the ground to pull it out.

 

[Col1948]

On this subject, how do chickens know what is edible and what isn't?
I've seen mine go around the garden pecking at things but they also leave some things, some kind of in built sense that tells them not to eat.

 

[BReeder!]

On this subject, how do chickens know what is edible and what isn't?
I've seen mine go around the garden pecking at things but they also leave some things, some kind of in built sense that tells them not to eat.

Instinct and millennia of evolution.
Let's just say we lost all of that when we decided to have grocery stores.

 

[aart]

On this subject, how do chickens know what is edible and what isn't?

Sometimes they do and sometimes they don't...
...have read of chickens, and other livestock, eating plants that sicken or kill them.

 

[BReeder!]

Sometimes they do and sometimes they don't...
...have read of chickens, and other livestock, eating plants that sicken or kill them.

I will sat that my chickens decimated our herb and pepper beds last year just after we sowed the seeds. They left the tomatoes alone though...
However, I agree that chickens are not the brightest animals and will make mistakes especially if there are limited options or quantity of feed available. If you put your chickens in a patch of nightshade and offer them nothing else, they are going to eat the nightshade.

 

[MontanaChickDoc]

Yes, hunger (and some stupidity, let's face it, they call them Darwin awards for a reason) will cause animals to eat things they would otherwise not touch.

 

[MontanaChickDoc]

I use poultry netting to keep the birds off sections of their run at a time, to let the grass come back in the spring (I also seed it and water it to help it reestablish). But there are areas that just get decimated so I really really like the idea of the raised beds and rotational crops. I think landscaping timbers are relatively cheap (and not pressure treated? will have to check) for creating forage boxes. I try to let mine out to graze but it's a risk, with all the predators we have around here.

 

[BReeder!]

I use poultry netting to keep the birds off sections of their run at a time, to let the grass come back in the spring (I also seed it and water it to help it reestablish). But there are areas that just get decimated so I really really like the idea of the raised beds and rotational crops. I think landscaping timbers are relatively cheap (and not pressure treated? will have to check) for creating forage boxes. I try to let mine out to graze but it's a risk, with all the predators we have around here.

landscape timbers typically ARE pressure treated. Just FYI. Construction/standard lumber would be the way to go if you want to avoid the chemicals of pressure treated wood. Also, cedar boards would be an option for a naturally rot resistant wood without chemicals, but it can be expensive. Take a look around Home Depot, Lowes or Menards and compare the costs of each option. Personally I like to buy 2"x3"s because they are often less than $2 each for 8' boards. One 2"x3"x8' would build a 2'x3' frame, which is perfect for the 3' wide roll of wire I have.