How to Protect Yard from the Chickens?

[conmurph5]

Hi,

My wife and I bought a triplex in Berkeley, Ca and have two couples living our two one bedroom units. When one of the couples moved in they asked if they could put a chicken coop in the backyard. The three chickens quickly outgrew the small coop that was originally built for them. My housemate is now building a bigger coop but asked if it was alright for the chicken to roam free in the backyard during the the day. It was fine for a couple of days but then the chickens started figuring out how to get out the front gate. To prevent them from getting out my housemate built a mobile cage made of PVC pipe and chicken wire. It has worked well to keep the chicken confined but now the chickens destroy the grass underneath them. I have asked the housemate to move the cage once or twice during the day but I am still worried that the chickens will destroy our new lawn. We are starting to see bald spots from where the chickens claw at the ground. The following are my questions:

1. Do the free range chickens have to be on grass? Would it be bad for the chickens to be confined to an area that does not have grass beneath? We have a dirt driveway that we dont use for cars so I am thinking about telling my housemate to confine the chickens to that area.

2. How do we prevent the chickens from smelling up the driveway if we were to confine them to this area?

3. How much "free range" time do the chickens need. Can this be a couple of hours in a day or does it have to be all day?

4. Will the chickens eat other plants if allowed roam towards the flower beds?

Any help would be appreciated,

 

[tdgill]

sounds like a good plan...

you can always just throw in some grass clippings along with other things to keep them entertained

 

[mdbokc]

OK to be confined to a dirt surface although they will want more. Many runs are just dirt after a short while.

Handle the smell by picking up the poop just like you would a dog.

A couple of hours a day is fine....although they will want more, a lot more!

Yes, they might well eat other plants depending on what they are as they go towards the flower beds.

And any grass clippings you might throw in should be mulched clippings that are bagged as you mow. They will love to get those....free of chemicals, of course. Can have crop problems if they get just long bladed grass.

 

[teach1rusl]

1) They eat grass, so yes, they'll destroy it if not moved often. The dirt area should be fine as long as they are getting formulated feed. Hopefully their owner will throw in some grass clippings or give them fresh veggies occasionally.
2)Their owner will need to rake up the droppings (they make great compost if you guys have a bin or pile). If not, it can be bagged just like kitty litter mess and tossed in the trash. With only three birds, raking up every day should only take about 3 minutes????
3)How big is their run area now? If it's about 30 sq. ft, then they can just "free range" a few hour a day and be happy. My girls have a huge run, but I still let them free range when I get home in the evenings...about three hours. Some folks totally free range. Some folks don't free range at all. If the run is big enough, technically they wouldn't need to free range at all.
4)LOL...if given half a chance, they will demolish your flower bed unless you place chicken wire or some other barrier around it.

 

[medtec113]

It sounds to me like you are more than tolerant. If your housemates, renters, etc. chickens cause that much of an issue, get rid of them. They arent worth that much stress.

 

[conmurph5]

thanks for all the repsonses, you all really helped us figure out the best way to deal with the situation.
c