Growing Grass in the Run

[jthornton]

Quick update @jthornton - The hardware cloth did indeed sag more as all the girls piled on and we've been baking in pretty hot weather these days...

I attached the HWC to the "catwalks" with UV resistant zip ties. Two ties per "catwalk" about one foot apart. It's MUCH more stable now. They've been tromping all over it since the sun went down. A vast improvement!

Do you have a photo of the new system?

JT

 

[GeneGoddess]

In the interest of recycling, we built one of these from a broken down queen size box spring. The wooden frame is held up by some 4” tall PT 2x4 legs and there is 1” chicken wire on the top (supported by the wooden slats). No sagging. The untreated pine will rot a some point, but the PT legs keep it elevated. The chickens run to it first thing in the morning to eat and there is usually one on it at all times.

 

[aart]

In the interest of recycling, we built one of these from a broken down queen size box spring. The wooden frame is held up by some 4” tall PT 2x4 legs and there is 1” chicken wire on the top (supported by the wooden slats). No sagging. The untreated pine will rot a some point, but the PT legs keep it elevated. The chickens run to it first thing in the morning to eat and there is usually one on it at all times.

Got a pic, please?

 

[GeneGoddess]

You can see in the sunnier parts that the grass is much shorter. I have not had any issues with toes or feet catching in the chicken wire. We used it because we’d put wire there years ago when our cats decided sleeping in the box spring was a good idea. In the first pic you can see the PT wood “feet”. There are nine total.

 

[aart]

I have not had any issues with toes or feet catching in the chicken wire.

Thanks. I imagined it would be taller, like as tall as a box spring.
Is this in a new chicken area?
Almost as much grass around frame as in it.

 

[GeneGoddess]

It’s about half the height of a standard box spring. Chickens in there about a month. Run is about 500-600ft2. They are only 2mo old. The area they hang in under some bushes is denuded. And the grassy areas look “mowed”. It will all be gone by the end of summer I’m sure...

 

[JShubin]

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I found out years ago that if you have 200 square foot of run space or more per hen then that one hen will likely only kill but about 1/2 the grass in your run.

 

[JShubin]

I keep pairs in 4x4 - 16sqft.
They'd love 200 sqft of grass.. I cant grow grass here in the desert.
I had to grow that flat under shade cloth... and it still looks burnt.

 

[PetesChicks]

For being grown in the desert, that doesn’t look bad at all! Had your chickens ever seen green grass before?