Cut Grass

[Mahonri]

We just have a winter lawn up and Thursday, my chickens are going to feast on Rye Grass!

 

[Fuffy]

I was told that some ppl had probs with chooks getting sick from the gas fumes on the grass.

I am also worried about them getting sour crop if they get too much. So I let them have about half a bucketful from the nice new part of the lawn (for 7 birds)

They have a wonderful time with it

 

[Chickn chick 46]

I have always been hesitant to do this but gave each group a wheel barrel full last week, mostly to alleviate boredom. For the most part they ate some and scratched around in it.
It seems that anything that is mounded up in their run, whether its leaves or grass clippings has to immediately be conquered, defeated and completely flattened

they love it!!

 

[PortageGirl]

Fumes? In cut grass? exactly how does that happen? What kind of lawn mowers do THAT? I think if I had a lawn mower that was spewing that much exhaust, I'd be shopping for a new one. Same thing with oil or gas leaks. I dunno, I have free rangers all over my lawn right now... who KNOWS what could be out there on the lawn too! Sorry guys, that just doesn't make much sense to me... and what about tractors and hay mowers and baled hay? ok, //end rant.

 

[chickon baby]

My girls love cut grass in the beds.After cutting the grass D.S. rakes it up and I dry it out on a tarp for 5-7 days,depending on the weather.We keep some in the coop in a old wheel barrow base and the rest we bail like hay and store it for the beds during the winter.They love it and will kick out anything else we try to use;ie;hay,straw,wood chips,pine chips etc..Our 1st winter w/the girls we ran out of the grass and tried all the other things.Found out D.S. was allergic to the hay/straw.He had a nasty asthma attack n we cant use that again.They dont eat the grass but they love to make little nests in it and will actually sleep in it and/or lay eggs as well. Very spoiled girls..lol

 

[ducks4you]

Quote:
Good rant! I agree. The cut grass doesn't pick up much, if any exhaust fumes. When you put it in an outside run ANY gas evaporates, anyway. I use grass clippings for both my hens and my horses. I don't treat my lawn with ANYTHING, just the rain that falls on it. My hens love it--it helps keep their runs from being muddy, I can clean up the run easier by raking up the grass.
My HORSES eat it when the pastures haven't come in yet, and ignore it when the pasture IS in. NEVER had a founder from it--I only have to mow 1 acre, anyway. Plus, I usually feed a wheelbarrow full, which is about 5 bags from my push mower, so it's not much. I guess if I swept up and fed a whole acre about every day and fed it, I might consider it unhealthy.
Sounds like Much Ado About Nothing, to me.

 

[ILOVEFRIZZLES]

went outside put the bag on the mower and turned it on and it didn't cut look under it and the blade was gone guess DH took it to get it sharpen so got out my bucket and went to pulling maybe next time try to give them grass once a week. They do not get to free range

 

[Megs]

i wouldnt personally feed gas powered mower lawn clippings to anything other than our cows (i think they can eat pretty much anything being as they have 4 stomachs), for the chickens i hand pick grass (dosent take to long and i know its healthy for them).

 

[Akane]

Whether you believe it or not it's considered common knowledge on small pet forums and even medical boards for small animals. It is not even cautioned against. You just get an answer of "don't do it they will get sick".

 

[RendonRoo]

I'm more worried about the exhaust from my mower going into the pen when i mow around it than having it on the grass itself. I think you can worry yourself to death about things like this. If you knew what was in your tap water you would filter it before giving it to the chickens and have resperators on their beaks to filter the polution from the air.
This is a personal thing i think, chose your battles and do the best you can but i think i have better things to worry about than what my mower puts on grass clippings.