Do chickens eat grass in their run or must i mow it?

[chasiekitten12]

I was wondering if chickens eat grass right out of the ground. Well do they? Do I need to mow it or is it fine?

 

[torrelee]

They do eat it. If it starts out too tall, sometimes they wont eat it because it is tough I think. If it is shorter to start out with they usually eat it down to dirt! If your flock is too small to eat it all down, mowing would be more for aesthetics than any other reason.

 

[iwiw60]

Trust me...they eat it and soon you'll have all dirt....been there, done that!

 

[chasiekitten12]

Ok how long do you think it will take to be dirt?

 

[chasiekitten12]

Thanks for the input do i need to plant seeds

 

[21hens-incharge]

How long til it is gone depends on a lot of things.
Size of run
number of chickens
density of grass
perhaps even the type of grass will impact longevity

 

[chasiekitten12]

Oh wow! Good to know!

 

[21hens-incharge]

I put 6 pullets in a run that is roughly 200 square feet with grass that had not been cut in months, it was about 7-8 inches high. After only a month you would have been hard pressed to even find so much as a blade sticking through the fence from the outside.

They are rather rough on the turf. I think most of the destruction of the turf comes from the scratching.

Some people have gardeners they hire.... I have moonscapers that mostly free load off of me.

 

[chasiekitten12]

How long for 5 chickens in a 144 sq. ft. run?

 

[21hens-incharge]

I am thinking with all the scratching and dust bathing and eating they will do it wont take long at all. Probably about 3 to 4 weeks.

I don't mind the dirt floor they have created. Less work for me to mow.