I used fertilizer on the new lawn for the hens. Will they be ok?

[GimmeCake]

I'm putting down a nice new coop and lawn down for my hens. The size of the run is 10x10FT so it wont last long but since it didn't have grass there to start with, the dirt was very loose. Anyway I used 3 types of seed. One was a fertilizer/mulch/seed mix. Another one was just seed, which I didn't know much about it but there wasn't anything else in the mix from what it looked like. The final one is just plain seed, with nothing else in it.

After the grass started to sprout, then I put down some fertilizer (no weedkillers). Which of now I can't find them in the ground, which maybe they have dissolved (it's been 3 days and about 10 different times I've soaked the ground with water). The fertilizer/mulch is still there, although it just looks like green shredded paper now (it always did, maybe that's what it is).

In about a week or two I plan on putting them in this new coop. Is it safe for them? They wont start laying for another month or two according to what I've read online (they're still pullets).

 

[chfite]

What seems to be paper soaked with fertilizer needs to have dissolved or otherwise gone before letting the chickens in. They will eat anything, including the paper bearing fertilizer. If this is a chemical or inorganic fertilizer, it would be poisonous for the chickens.

Chris

 

[GimmeCake]

I think that the roots of the grass have grown into the paper. So I can't pull them out. And they don't seem to be decomposing too fast. I think they grass will take care of that though.

 

[GimmeCake]

"The One Step Complete consists of mulch (paper), grass seed, and a small amount of fertilizer. There are no pesticides or chemicals in this product that create a reason to believe that there would be any hazard to children or pets which play in the yard after the One Step Complete is applied. We recommend that you water the product in after application and allow the area to dry completely before allowing pets and children out into the area. The mulch will begin to break down after a few weeks and several waterings." - Pennington

Does this mean the mulch shouldn't be a problem?

 

[Den in Penn]

I don't see a problem with them eating some of it. After it has been washed when it is watered or rained on the fertilizer should have been washed out, After a couple of weeks to let the grass get established there will be very little left in the paper.

 

[GimmeCake]

Thanks! I'm actually going to have to wait a bit because of the new coop (which is why I'm building a new run) isn't going to be done in a second. Currently I'm working on the doors. Anyway, I can wait about 8 more weeks if I wanted to before moving them. So the grass shouldn't be a problem.