Can you not have grass?

[superchemicalgirl]

I've got a pretty large run here and my 30 some girls and their rooster have made it completely bare. I think the biggest problem was after all the snow melted what started to grow didn't have a chance. The bushes, small trees and the blackberry bushes are starting to come back but they get "trimmed" a lot by the girls.

I don't think you're ever going to have a run that has nice grass in it.

 

[gale65]

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thanks for adding mine! I seriously need to update. I have pics on the computer, just need to reduce the size and post them. I'm off to look at all the blogs you have listed!

 

[BarefootMom]

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Thanks! Just picked about 2 1/2 gallon more of beans a few minutes ago...

still have blooms too...

BarefootMom-are those wheat combining pictures from this year? DH is getting the combine ready to go and is hoping to combine wheat tomorrow. Do you throw the wheat shown in your hand to the chickens? If so I am going to arm dh with a bucket tomorrow and see if he'll bring some of it home before hauling it to the grain terminal.

yes we combined wheat last week, and fesuce the week before. Today they are square baling the wheat- or at least until all 4 wagons are full. Estimating we should have around 600 bales this year.

I do keep some of the wheat for the chickens- they love it

 

[catsew]

Well the most we would ever have would be 10, but we're hoping to get/stay around 8. Its not our nice grass or anything, so it would be fine even if they ruin it, but its part rocky/sandy, etc, so I don't want their feet to get hurt after they get rid of the grass.

 

[wava1vaughn]

Hi from Ga. Chickens love grass and its a great food for them the problems is they will eat every bit of it in a few days. Some people have their runs on wheels (tractor) so it can be moved to new grass each day. Good Luck.

 

[gale65]

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chickens have lived on dirt of all types since the beginning of time. I think they'll be ok.

 

[TDM]

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You really need to have fewer than 500 birds per acre (86 square feet per bird) to have any hope of maintaining a grassy yard. Even then, you need to rotate the birds on a weekly basis to prevent the buildup of dangerous pathogens and loss of vegetation around the hen house.

The popular concept of having ten square feet per bird in the run is really nothing more than making a really big cage.