Duckgrass pool inside the chicken yard?

[shawthorne44]

Hello all, I can't find the answer to this by searching.
I am new to chickens and I have 20 30-month old Austrolopes. My goal is to have healthy, happy unstressed chickens. We live in North Texas. I have been feeding the chickens some Duckgrass and they seem to really like it. I bought a starter from ebay and used a 5 gallon bucket because that was what was available. But, with the limited surface area, not much is growing. We just got a plastic toddler pool for the duckgrass. I wonder if we should put it inside or outside the chicken yard? Our chicken yard is about 1200 sq. ft and just for the chicks. The bucket is outside because I don't want a hen to drown. But, I wonder if the kiddie pool being not very deep might be good inside the yard? Maybe the could get in to cool down their feet when Texas summer hits. Or maybe they would ignore the pond. Or maybe they wouldn't want to eat the duckgrass while it was inside the water. Or maybe they would eat every last leaf and I'd have to start over.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I would leave it outside the run. Do you have mosquitoes where you are at? It could become a breeding pool for them if it isn't dumped regularly. Mosquitoes can spread fowl pox. I have had chicks drown in standing water, so if you do put it inside don't keep the water too deep.

 

[shawthorne44]

Ok, outside the run it is.

 

[lazy gardener]

Do you mean duck weed? To keep mosquitoes in check, you might stock it with some small fish. Keep in mind that if you use gold fish, they will eat all of your duck weed. You will also need to be mindful about local regulations regarding having fish stocked outside. You can also buy "mosquito dunks" which will kill the mosquito larvae.