How many square feet in run/chicken to keep grass

[kizanne]

I've seen 10 sf for each chicken listed for the run. But what if you want to have a big enough run that they won't kill the vegetation. I mean if you let them free range they don't make your whole yard bare right? So anyone have a suggestions for mimicking free range without the free part LOL.

 

[LarryPQ]

An acre?

 

[huntinwidow]

It will depend on the breed as well. I have a 20X24 run with 12 Ameraucanas I had to mow. But with 6 barnyard mix it was bare.

 

[Cargo]

Over time they will take a whole yard down to dirt. It starts near the coop and radiates out. Some folks like to have 2 or more runs so they can reseed and rotate.

 

[welasharon]

Mine free range late in the afternoons and on the weekends and they have removed all weeds and grass from my fenced in front yard. It is about 30 x 24 or so. Didn't take them too long.
sharon

 

[kizanne]

Quote:
so how many chickens do you have.

 

[CathyM]

My run is about 20x10 and it's bare dirt (well, mud and straw now)... my six hens free range in the 1/2 acre backyard and I never have to mow... I need to fence the front so I can get them to "mow" that!

 

[dirtsaver]

Our 13 girls(now down to 9 to make room for the Sussex and other new chicks) have the 1/3 acre backyard and another 1/3 acre next to the woods looking like we mow 3 times a week. And that is free-ranging maybe 2-3 hours a day.

Larry

 

[welasharon]

Quote:
At the time six. Three polish, one barred rock, one cuckoo marans and a banty hen.

ETA: The established plants are mostly fine though they did remove any that grew like ground cover. Now I can see little chicken butts poking out of the pickets where they are trying to reach for the grass and weeds outside the fence.

 

[Big C]

You do not mention how many you have, but as mentioned from the coop it radiates outward. We have over 400 birds in our flock(s) that range over 8 acres. The acreage is rotated in 3 sections.