Destroying my lawn

[JoCoKS]

Giving more protein won't stop them tearing up the lawn. They may hear grubs or something just under the surface and they are after them. They will hunt down live protein if they can. If you don't want them to tear up the lawn, you are going to have to confine them to their own area.

My 3 Rhode Island Reds have their own garden area with a beautiful stand of Blue Grass and it short order all the grass was gone so now there is nothing there but the large Rose of Sharon they like to hide under.

 

[Thomas70]

Have had my chickens around 9 months. One began laying 10 weeks ago and two around 10 days ago. Two will hopefully begin laying in around one month.
The pullets are free ranging in an area approximately 90x45 feet.
Feed, all flock, is always available.
They have an area to dust bath.

Around ten days ago the pullets began tearing up the lawn, the lawn is now looking like Swiss cheese.

Is this behavior related to them laying eggs and needing more protein ? If so are they digging to get to worms, etc.
Will giving them more protein stop them from digging up the lawn ?

Yes they scratch and dig for grubs and worms, but they eat the grass roots and all so there are no roots to sprout new grass so you are left with bare ground.

 

[DobieLover]

My 3 Rhode Island Reds have their own garden area with a beautiful stand of Blue Grass and it short order all the grass was gone so now there is nothing there but the large Rose of Sharon they like to hide under.

If you want them to have grass, they'll need a much larger area.
This is the area I confine my birds to. It is about 1/3 acre. They clearly still have lots of grass but also lots of wood chips to scratch through. This picture was taken about a week ago well into the dormant period for the grass in NY.

 

[sciencegrrrrl]

Mine love to help when we're getting ready to put the garden in! They will follow at a safe distance when we run the tiller and quickly gobble any bugs they see. And they fertilize the whole time they are in there haha. I've never found a way to prevent them from murdering the lawn, but I have found ways to make their behavior work for me!

 

[centrarchid]

You may be able to concentrate scratching effort in areas that do not result in damage to lawn. Consider getting a bale of hay (ideally alfalfa or clover hay) and breaking it up into flakes. Then place the flakes in a location where stray hay or chickens digging is less of an issue. Scatter some scratch grains on the flakes and later the loose hay. Chickens will excorcize their need to scratch demons going after the scratch grains. You can do similar using a compost bed if available.

 

[Mrs. K]

The big difference is the size of your chickens and with that size and maturity, their legs have gotten a lot stronger, and their nails a lot harder. Once year I raised chicks in the vegetable garden, not a problem at all. They were healthy getting outside, and their little scratching did not hurt anything. But I didn't leave them there, they went very soon to the coop/run.

Anything close to full grown can tear up established plants.

Mrs K

 

[Durelle]

I have a 40 by 30 enclosed garden that 5 silkies have to run in. I laughed because the border is native grass. This winter they worked it over good. Looks like I am enlarging my garden next year.View attachment 1999794

 

[SurferchickinSB]

Have had my chickens around 9 months. One began laying 10 weeks ago and two around 10 days ago. Two will hopefully begin laying in around one month.
The pullets are free ranging in an area approximately 90x45 feet.
Feed, all flock, is always available.
They have an area to dust bath.

Around ten days ago the pullets began tearing up the lawn, the lawn is now looking like Swiss cheese.

Is this behavior related to them laying eggs and needing more protein ? If so are they digging to get to worms, etc.
Will giving them more protein stop them from digging up the lawn ?

My chickens just love to tear up the yard! They have great fun doing that! I just fence off whatever I don’t want them to dig up or poop on with metal stakes and chicken wire.

 

[Durelle]

I have a 40 by 30 enclosed garden that 5 silkies have to run in. I laughed because the border is native grass. This winter they worked it over good. Looks like I am enlarging my garden next year.View attachment 1999794

We also have 3 horses on 4 acres of pasture. They always have a round bale in the pasture. In the summer, the bermuda gets tall and they won't eat it but instead stay mainly on the bale. In the winter they will paw up the pasture and eat the roots of the Bermuda leaving bare spots. The solution is to pull them off the pasture before they destroy it. Go figure.

 

[chickenenthusiasts5698]

My chickens have about 2 acres to roam from spring-early fall most of my yard is okay but the parts they hang out on is destroyed but if they’re happy i’m happy. All the area in the pictures once had beautiful grass on it.