Do you guys think chickens will destroy my lawn?

[chickengeorgeto]

Hi all. I'm not new to chickens, but I have never personally owned them. I have racing pigeons and chukars, so I'm not new to birds. My brother has LOTS of chickens, and I have several friends with chickens, so I know their behaviors and most everything I need to know to have them. But I am wondering one thing about whether they'd ruin my grass...

Chickens will only destroy your grass if you allow chickens to have access to your grass. The speed and thoroughness of this grass destruction depends on how much grass you have and the number of chickens that has access to that grass. I hope that this helps.

 

[aart]

whether they will just completely destroy my beautiful lawn

If you are attached to your 'beautiful lawn'...and I'm guessing you are,
you should probably build a good sized run to limit their time on said lawn.
Most ornamental turf grasses are fairly fragile with their shallow roots.

 

[Relleoms]

Just to clarify my earlier statement, even though chickens will “help” you landscape, I wouldn’t let that deter you! The joy I get from my flock far outweighs the frustration (and I’m a horticulturist; I love a beautiful landscape)! The poop is a fantastic fertilizer and they do keep things aerated. If that’s a concern, build a pen for them as others have suggested.
Also, I’m a bit neurotic and clean up poop from my yard daily with a plastic putty knife & a large cat litter scoop. It goes to the compost pile and makes walking around a little less treacherous.

 

[Mosey2003]

Chickens will destroy everything you love

 

[RNPAULIE69]

If you are just keeping 2 chickens then they wont destroy your lawn, But they will probably make dust baths were ever you don't want them to

I have three chickens and my lawn is toast lol

 

[crazy4ChickensNducks]

I have three chickens and my lawn is toast lol

Well there are a few factors that play into it like what breeds you have or the amount of yard you have

 

[Aunt Angus]

I have more than twice that area in lawn and 4 chickens. They free range part of the day, and they haven't destroyed my lawn. But they did make a dust bathing spot right smack in the middle of it. And they do poop everywhere. But I can deal with that with a leaf blower and a power washer. I also plan to fence in my large patio this spring in an effort to thwart the little poop-machines. But with two hens, I imagine your lawn will be ok.

 

[LamarshFish]

But they did make a dust bathing spot right smack in the middle of it.

LOL, well, that would be a consequence I'm not sure I would enjoy, so I might have to simply fence their area off.

they do poop everywhere

That could be problem, since my dog has recently taken a liking to my pigeons' poop. He knows under the aviary there is a supply of it. So maybe I'll have to fence of the area where the chicken coup and pigeon loft is and solve two problems!

 

[EggWalrus]

LOL, well, that would be a consequence I'm not sure I would enjoy, so I might have to simply fence their area off.



That could be problem, since my dog has recently taken a liking to my pigeons' poop. He knows under the aviary there is a supply of it. So maybe I'll have to fence of the area where the chicken coup and pigeon loft is and solve two problems!

I'm sure you've heard the old saying about a $hit eating dog. It's true, they do. They like to eat that stuff!
Especially Cat Turds! I don't know what they put in cat food, but it makes a dog love them. Dogs will gobble them down like they were Milk Duds!

 

[LamarshFish]

I'm sure you've heard the old saying about a $hit eating dog. It's true, they do. They like to eat that stuff!
Especially Cat Turds! I don't know what they put in cat food, but it makes a dog love them. Dogs will gobble them down like they were Milk Duds!

My current hunting dog is the first dog I've owned that doesn't eat goose turds. He does, however, very much enjoy cat turds, pigeon turds and deer turds.