Chickens and lawns. .need some advice!

[Nifty-Chicken]

My experience:

5 chickens in a 2,000 sq. foot area that is just weeds (where the weeds completely die in the summer and sprout in the spring): My girls kept all the weeds completely down because they would eat the sprouting new weeds while they were young and would scratch around leaves that acted as mulch and made it hard for stuff to grow.

My brother:

5 chickens in a backyard with about 1,000 sq. ft of well established grass: No effect on the grass. Keep in mind there were plenty of other places in their yard (some dirt / weeds) for them to scratch around in. He also had a garden that he would section off when the plants were young but he said they were fine once established to the point he could remove the section.

 

[ozark hen]

ok, I have 25 chickens who free range. Our yard is about 2 1/2 to 3 acres but they seem to pretty much stay near the run where there are two very large, densely leafed- thorny bushes they hide/nap under. Except for the muddy spot the four ducklings have made around their kiddie pool there is no difference in the grass! With all the rain we have had I still can hardly keep up with the mowing. About a third of our yard is in clover and this is where the chickens pretty much stay.

 

[joanm]

I have five chicks that roam in the evenings after work and all day on the weekends - no distress so far. I have well established St. Augustine grass.