My chickens are taking to dirt a grass paddock which is 1/4-1/2 acre size. They scratch and tufts of grass and dirt go flying. The other similarly sized paddock is rock and unimproved dirt with minimal stubby grass. They never go in that one. Nor do they do this on our lawn which seems healthy, and appears to resist chicken scratching efforts well.
I am assuming:
1. this means the grass in the paddock is in poor condition
2. they are finding plenty of grubs or other grass pests to eat, some kind of infestation
3. When they move on to a new area in the field they have finished eating whatever they are finding.
This goes beyond simple dust bathing needs as there are many many areas they can already do this including under several trees, their run, a garden area, and the other paddock.
At this rate I am pretty sure the whole paddock will need reseeding as there are major open areas now. Am I correct in thinking they're at least eradicating a grass pest? Will I need to treat the areas they've taken down already?
I am assuming:
1. this means the grass in the paddock is in poor condition
2. they are finding plenty of grubs or other grass pests to eat, some kind of infestation
3. When they move on to a new area in the field they have finished eating whatever they are finding.
This goes beyond simple dust bathing needs as there are many many areas they can already do this including under several trees, their run, a garden area, and the other paddock.
At this rate I am pretty sure the whole paddock will need reseeding as there are major open areas now. Am I correct in thinking they're at least eradicating a grass pest? Will I need to treat the areas they've taken down already?
