Chickens & Lawn Care

[GrandmaChickie]

My DH loves his lawn, too, but now he loves the chickens more! LOL! The first year we had the chickens, he went around behind them, filling in their dust-baths. This year, he sits and watches them take their dust-baths. And just shakes his head. LOL!

 

[ejctm]

My DH loves his lawn, too, but now he loves the chickens more! LOL! The first year we had the chickens, he went around behind them, filling in their dust-baths. This year, he sits and watches them take their dust-baths. And just shakes his head. LOL!

when you see how much pleasure they get from a dust bath, you just have to suffer the pain of the lawn destruction!

 

[pickledpurls]

My DH loves his lawn, too, but now he loves the chickens more! LOL! The first year we had the chickens, he went around behind them, filling in their dust-baths. This year, he sits and watches them take their dust-baths. And just shakes his head. LOL!

I love watching them. So much entertainment.

My run is about 5x12, My coop is 4x6 so for 5 Australorp hens (actually 4 since one is a roo and going to go live in the country next month) I think they have ample space to be comfortable. I will just miss seeing them running around.

 

[canesisters]

I think I missed something.

You love the chickens and get great pleasure from tending them.
Your husband loves the yard and gets great pleasure from tending it.
You don't have any particular passion about the yard and he feels the same about the chickens.
The chickens will destroy the yard.
The coop and run are roomy enough for the chickens to live happily without ever leaving it.
(and they would be safer from chemicals and predators behind the wire than in the yard)

What was the problem??

 

[pickledpurls]

I think I missed something.

You love the chickens and get great pleasure from tending them.
Your husband loves the yard and gets great pleasure from tending it.
You don't have any particular passion about the yard and he feels the same about the chickens.
The chickens will destroy the yard.
The coop and run are roomy enough for the chickens to live happily without ever leaving it.
(and they would be safer from chemicals and predators behind the wire than in the yard)

What was the problem??

While the girls are comfortable in the coop, I enjoyed letting them out for about an hour before dusk to let them poke about the yard while I sat and watched or worked in the garden. It was not long enough for them to tear anything up.

Now that the lawn is being sprayed my question is/was "is it safe or how soon would it be safe to allow the chickens back on the lawn after it has been sprayed".

 

[En Plein Air Farms]

I saw some plans and finished projects here of forms with grass growing in them that were wire covered so the chickens couldn't eat it clear to the dirt, perhaps two of those that can be switched out in the pen each week would give the girls some greens to enjoy.

Chickens really do wreak havoc with nice landscaping. Good for you for understanding both sides of the problem. Perhaps a happy compromise will be extending the playpen a bit. Have you made them a dust bath area? There have been several good threads lately. Mine has good quality peat moss in a giant galvanized wash tub, amended with fireplace ash and couple other things.

 

[pickledpurls]

I have a little dust bath for them with a mixture of dirt and DE. They love it. The grass forms sound interesting!

 

[Rock Home Isle]

I was raised on a farm and have always had chickens until I married and moved to the city. For several years I have tried to talk my husband into getting some chickens finally this spring he agreed. We bought 5 Australorps and they are now 11 weeks old and they are a joy to me.

Here is the problem. My hubby was city born and bred. His joy is his lawn. I want the girls to free range in the back yard. He said that is fine but the lawn care company will still be coming every month to spray.

My question is if I coop up the girls for a week after the lawn is treated, will it still be ok for me to let them to free range?

Thanks!

I maintain my own lawn. I would not advise having a lawn care system and free-rangeing the birds on the lawn. The majority of the pesticides used by the industry are fat soluable, they will accumulate in the tissues of the chicken's body and will appear in both the meat and eggs of the poultry.

Honestly, I cannot think of a single pesticide that is not fat soluable...