free ranging with stationary coop

[mamarosa]

I have a 100 x 300 lot in the burbs, not really suppose to have chickens in my area but have had the girls for almost 3 years. I have great neighbors who love fresh eggs. I have 23 hens
mix of rir, buffs, aussi, isa browns and one rir rooster. the problems I am having is my pen area is "growing" what started as a 16 x 20 area is now more like 30 x 50 not including coop
they devour all grass and vegetation once in the area to bare and barren. I just opened up another area and soon if things continue there will be no more yard. How can I rotate them and grow things that will provide them with greens in the summer. I live in southeast michigan. I need anyone's advice for next spring and summer. they are still great egg layers and I am told they
will decrease with production with age. Do I just decrease the flock size due to my circumstances or do I look for fencing off areas and find some quick growing greens.
any info would be appreciated

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

You can cut your run in to 3 10 by 50 sections. One that they can kill. An two others that they only get to go to when the grass is healthy. Doing that you should be able to handle about 50 hens. You just have to make sure to not let them touch the grass that is not tall an healthy.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Thought I would add that if you theoretically wanted to use your whole property an split it in to 3 sections you could graze 1000 hens this way without any breaking out general 10 square feet per bird rule.

If you were further south where you wouldn't have to lock them in to the "burn" paddock all winter you could raise about 3000 at a time.

For anyone thats wondering thats 4356 birds per acre or 1452 using the 10 foot rule on one paddock of a 3 paddock system an rotating to keep grass.