How to plant grass / flowers if chickens are freeranging

[elf]

Is there a way to plant grass seed without them getting gobbled up by freerangers? How about keeping flowers from being barerooted?

 

[scooter147]

Quote:
tall fence is the only thing I know that's fool proof.

 

[cluckers&quackers]

I have to agree about a fence, my chickens had a field day in my flower beds last year.

 

[elf]

Problem is it's their area around the pen that I'd like to get some grass growing in (my yard). My chickens are high fliers and I don't clip due to predators. Well, they have grass, just not around the area they most consider home. They can freerange over 10 acres if they wanted so they do get some greens. Just would like grass to soak up rain, look good, give immediate area greens.

 

[cobrien]

I can't think of a way to get grass established without fencing it off...

I have had pretty good success with planting deer resistant plants. I put a short fence around them for about 3 months until they got established then took the fence off and the chickens leave them alone (they don't taste good). check to make sure they aren't toxic to poultry. They occasionally dig around them but the plants are established enough now that they survive. chicken wire or plastic netting on the ground deters them from digging around the plants if you needed to.

another idea - put mulch/wood chips down and some potted plants with deer resistant plants in them. The mulch will absorb water and slow runoff. Pots that are 12" in diameter or smaller are less likely to turn into a 'chicken bath tub'. I have mulched areas in my yard, the chickens do spread it all over the place but in the larger areas that has plenty of mulch, they basically just shift it around and it doesn't go too far. I rake it a bit every month or so - less work than grass. I haven't been able to keep the mulch in the smaller areas, however. where I live we get free wood chips from tree trimmers by the truckload.

I have found that chickens younger than about 8 months are much more destructive than older chickens. The young ones just taste and destroy everything, even the deer resistant plants. Once they got older they mellowed out.

 

[elf]

With the plants, the digging has been more the problem, so I'll try the netting over the root areas. Hadn't thought of that. Does any one know if pine cones over the area helps?

 

[Chicky Tocks]

My chickens annihalated my pink tiger lillies just as they started to come out of the ground this year. I'm angreh!
We're going to get some deer fencing to go around the garden this year. I hear that since it's so flimsy, the chickens won't jump up on and over it.

 

[cobrien]

I don't think pine cones will help - if they want to dig in they will just kick the pine cones away. Just like they do with my wood chips!