Fertilizing a Lawn with Chicken Safety in Mind

[Nats Chickens]

My lawn is actually worse off now I have chooks, they scratch it up lol!

 

[BY Bob]

The same way a dog fertilizes the lawn.

My lawn has never looked better. No dandelions or clover. Constantly aerated. Fertilized. Unlike dog poo which poisons grass, chicken poo has made my yard lush and green.

I think I have the ideal hen to square foot ratio in my yard.

 

[JLR]

My lawn has never looked better. No dandelions or clover. Constantly aerated. Fertilized. Unlike dog poo which poisons grass, chicken poo has made my yard lush and green.

I think I have the ideal hen to square foot ratio in my yard.

Just watch where you step.

 

[Fluffy&Cutie]

Quote:

Why, oh why would you want to fertilize your lawn. That just means you'ld have to mow it more!

Yes, I am a chicken/egg farmer

but I'm also a suburban resident with 3 kids that play soccer, baseball, tag, frisbee, you name it- on my lawn. We have cut back on about 1/3 of the area in our yard that used to be grass to save water, but we still have a front lawn and a big green plot in the middle in back. Here in So. Cal fertilizing is a must. I tried going without once and the weeds took over like crazy. Then the weeds go brown and it looks really bad. Frequent mowing and mulching of the clippings helps, but we still need to fertilize twice a year.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. It's been food for thought.

it's a so cal thing for sure. terrible soil...horrible soil, super heat, no rain (that small drizzle barely wet the grass!) And children running across your lawn is bad enough. add in the chickens scratching it up-it becomes difficult. i m a "natural" type, but this year, with the mosquitos and the large brown patches of dusty dry sand isn't working for our suburbian space. i am glad you posted this question. every year i grad a couple of bags of good soil from the store. i focus on one area because i too have 10,000 sq. ft. i have given up on trying to grow grass in one area. i tried for 7 years. i just planted clover. it's pretty, helps the bees and the chickens love it. good luck on your quest , keep us posted!

 

[Fluffy&Cutie]

My grass is green. The grass is thick enough that I do not have to deal with broadleaf weeds. So my yard is free from from weed killer, pesticide and insecticide applications. Been doing it for the last 15 years.

I bet it would stay that way without the treatment.
You're not removing any nutirents unless you always bag when you mow.

120 lbs on 12,000 sq ft of yard...I would never consider using that much in a year even if I was using bagged fertilizer let alone 3x that amount.

Then you're not adding enough to benefit the grass

Fertilizer to grass is like feed to the chickens.

If they need a pound, they can't get by on an ounce

If you're giving them an ounce, and they still thrive, they are getting what they need somewhere else, and the ounce isn't making any difference

It's just chemistry and physics​

to be fair, you probably get an awesome amount of rain. so cal hasn't seen a drop of rain since...last november? (wednesday it FINALLY drizzled!) water is expensive and so cal grass only gets water from the garden hoses. my grass loves when i give it water, but my wallet hurts. Your information on the nutrients is great! and makes complete sense.

i personally am no longer adding grass seed. i am planting clover in the parts of the yard where the grass can not take hold (poor soil, not enough sun, not enough water, too much traffic) The clover helps the bees, the soil, and the chickens love it. and, it grows like a weed, LOL.
loving all the ideas. thanks for sharing.

 

[Barry42001]

I don't put anything down the little toads just rototill everything and then they're not doing that they dig these anti-tank traps it's very tough with free-ranging chickens to keep the lawn looking decent when you need a track hoe to level the yard lol

 

[Melky]

The same way a dog fertilizes the lawn.

Chicken manure is considered fertilizer or amendment due to its nitrogen content while dog manure is not and will burn lawn if left behind.

 

[Melky]

it's a so cal thing for sure. terrible soil...horrible soil, super heat, no rain (that small drizzle barely wet the grass!) And children running across your lawn is bad enough. add in the chickens scratching it up-it becomes difficult. i m a "natural" type, but this year, with the mosquitos and the large brown patches of dusty dry sand isn't working for our suburbian space. i am glad you posted this question. every year i grad a couple of bags of good soil from the store. i focus on one area because i too have 10,000 sq. ft. i have given up on trying to grow grass in one area. i tried for 7 years. i just planted clover. it's pretty, helps the bees and the chickens love it. good luck on your quest , keep us posted!

I just went to a soil class and the clover is nice true but if you want to build the soil up again, it is best to plant cover crops in areas that are tough to grow things such as Grasses/Grains (oats, cereal rye, flax), Legumes (peas, clover, vetch), Brassicas (turnip, radish, mustard, canola), and Broadleaf (peas, clover, turnip, oats, barley, wheat, sorghum). The chickens will love the variety. Leave to grow and this will add needed nitrogen and nutrients back to the soil while suppressing weeds, insects, pests, and erosion. Its best to not till areas and allow soil to break down on own and plants in order to develop the right soil composition while providing a natural mulch. Many farmers went to no till for this reason and just plant in raised rows and leave the rest. My chickens love my clover. We reseeded in front yard but have held off on fertilizers in free range areas. One thing we did was dedicate a 4x4 bed for chicken salad greens some of which are considered cover crops and will rotate beds each year to improve nitrogen content. The greens are a mix and the chickens love it. Not much grew here anyway. The class recommended a Brandt 6 way mix.

 

[Barry42001]

I don't put anything down the little toads just rototill everything and then they're not doing that they dig these anti-tank traps it's very tough with free-ranging chickens to keep the lawn looking decent when you need a track hoe to level the yard lol

I live in Florida where the ground is primarily Sandy it has a bit of organic matter to it because of the high amount of oak trees in the area and pine needles although not necessarily the best thing for a lawn the backyard which is pretty big is well shaded by these big oaks the girls take great Delight and digging little pits that they can lay in and throw sand over them selves dust bathing I know lol Grass quality is already poor and I wasn't Rich enough to afford making it a good lawn LOL

 

[JLR]

Chicken manure is considered fertilizer or amendment due to its nitrogen content while dog manure is not and will burn lawn if left behind.

I was referring to the concentrated droppings. I have a 10,000 sq ft yard and the droppings of three chickens will not fertilize the entire yard. There will be spots of great grass where they poop and not so great where they don't. I really do need to fertilize my yard and wanted to know if was harmful for chickens if they eat the fertilizer. I think that was the OPs original question.