Fertilizing or treating lawn where chickens roam?

[egglady]

I let my chickens out periodically to forage on my acre lot. The lawn area right around the house badly needs a weed & fertilizer treatment (the chickens eat all my flowers but not enough of the weeds )

I'd probably use Scotts granulated products for the weeds, and then (at a later date) Miracle-Gro lawn food that gets sprayed on with a hose attachment.

I was wondering how long I should keep the chickens off the lawn after treatment? I'm especially concerned about the weed-killer granules and how long it takes them to completely absorb into the ground.

Anybody else treated their lawn?

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

I would NOT treat my lawn with fertilizer if you have chickens. I know it kills birds so it will most likely do harm to your chickens. Do research on it first. I know we would not do it.

 

[happyhen]

I would never think about letting my chicks out on a treated lawn.... or my dog, or my kids (when they were younger).

They are just now starting to make a connection between health problems in dogs (increases in tumors, allergies, etc.) with lawn care products.

Why risk the health of your animals for a "nice" lawn? JMO.

 

[d.k]

* I'd contact Scott's and ask to be darn positive! Their number is on all their stuff. I pull weeds or use organics or mulch em or ignore em usually. I know Round-up is SUPPOSED to break down in 2 weeks, but ya gotta wonder how it is that you still don't get weeds for up to a year or more!!!! There's also a site o/l that has tested most of this stuff for some breakdown estimates--and what the stuff breaks down INTO but I can't remember the name of it. Wish I did, I want to know about those neat plant moisture crystals.

 

[kees]

Watered down chicken poop is the best fertilizer for your lawn but I wouldn't use any weed killer. I'm afraid the only safe things for your birds, especially if you intend to eat their eggs or meat is to weed by hand. It's a real pain but the safest thing to do. You can also try using corn gluten meal which is safe. Horses eat it. It is sold in feed stores. Unfortunately it won't kill any existing weeds but helps a bit in keeping new ones from coming back up. Even then, ya gotta weed!

 

[New chicken family]

We have chosen to do NO herbacide or fertilizer. We recently applied corn gluten, The chickens eat it!
The grass - no weeds in our lawn are everywhere!!!!
Oh well.....
Better healthy than "pretty".....

 

[d.k]

* Corn gluten helps quite a bit actually, but can take time to show real results-- about 2 years of spring and fall application according to studies. Also, mousey type critters like it since it's a corn product so you have to have it kept in critterproof cans or something.

 

[NoSpringChick]

My weeds are the same color as my lawn; it looks great!

Bonus....Weed flowers are the prettiest!

 

[d.k]

* Know what you mean-- I usually pull the weeds that quickly get taller than the grass, other than that, if the weed's color isn't too different and it's not too woody, regular overseeding with good grass seed and compost tea USUALLY satifies me.

 

[jaku]

Does the same go for fertilizer as well, or just the weed killers? I've got the chicken poo going as well, but fertilizing with that is REALLY tough compared to a broadcast spreader.