chickens and grass

[perrycountychicken1]

our home had the coop on the property when we bought it. though it has remained unused for quite some time. my question is that it is surrounded by thick grass. can we fence off an area as a run for the chickens without removing the grass? is grass bad for chickens? what is a good alternative? should we dig the grass out and use stone? Help

 

[Dandy Acres]

The grass is fine for chickens, just don't expect it to last long.

 

[ChicoChickens]

My chickens LOOOOOVE grass, they eat it, scratch in it, find bugs in it, sleep in it, poop in it

. Grass is good.

 

[Hollywood Chickens]

My yard is now a desert the hens have eaten every blade of grass every weed and even low branches on my trees!

 

[al6517]

Grass to a chicken is like Chocolate to a woman, they love it, but it will only last about 5 minutes then it's gone forever.

AL

 

[Anny]

The chickens will take care of that grass. Just fence it off and set them loose at the grass it will be gone in no time.

Grass is very good for chickens, just make sure it wasn't sprayed with any chemicals.

 

[Casey3043]

Last fall I fenced off part of the bare, muddy chicken yard, tilled it, and planted a cover crop of annual rye. In the winter, the chickens can go in the attached 40 X 60 garden which is separately fenced, but with a gate to the chicken yard. In spring, when they could no longer go in the garden (for obvious reasons)! I took the fence down and allowed them into the large grassy area. Closed one gate and opened another! Now the grass is about two feet high, with paths and flattened areas where the chickens play. They LOVE it! I read that they can get crop bound if they eat long grass, but they seem to just nip off the tips and eat the shorter pieces in the worn areas.

My baby chicks, now 5 weeks, are still in the workshop building in a cage about 3 X 6 feet which I built in the farm wagon. I had to roll them out of an unheated shed and into the workshop which is air conditioned when they got too hot in the shed. Their place in the shed will be finished this weekend, and I hope they will be able to stay cool by going out into the grassy area which is nearby. I will fence them off a separate area, so there will be a fence between them and the older hens until everyone is able to eat the same feed, etc. I figure about 16 to 20 weeks of age.

Sorry for the length of this post. I love this forum! Just discovered it and have spent hours reading!

 

[vtsarahb]

Quote:

 

[gkeesling]

when I mow my yard sometimes I'll collect the grass clippings and throw them over into the chicken run. They love to eat and scratch in it.

 

[animal nut]

We allow our flock to free range most of the day. They love the grass. When we mow we through some of the cut grass into their pen. They love to play in it while eating the grass. This also saves on the feed bill.