Mudpond Dirtbath Wasteland

[PajamaMama21]

Ok, the 8,000 animals have turned half of my backyard indy a wasteland. What can I plant? It's fall. There are goats and every manner of poultry. What can they eat that I can seed? I know I'll have to water it and convert but but it's gross and alllll the poo and dirt keep coming in the backdoor. Not cool!!!!

 

[SnackMeat]

Your best shot would probably be having moveable gates or create frames covered in hardware cloth so that grass or other plants can grow without the animals testing them out of the ground. And then rotate seasonally.

I'm not sure what the fastest growing ground cover is but you could probably look that up specific to your growing zone.

 

[BigBird 2025]

How big is your back yard and how many and what kind of animals do you have?

Not knowing just how big your back yard is, or your live stock load the suggestion to create gates and fenced sections is your easiest fix.

Calling the local county co-op and explaining your situation will get you all the info you need regarding the kind of grass that thrives in your neck of the woods, and what is good to plant at this time of the season. What ever you plant remember to irrigate regularly for good extended growth.

The frame boxes covered in hardware cloth will provide continuing plant life with out the roots being dug up. I have found that the wild seed in bird seed when it spills on the ground grows an interesting variety of various plants that I imagine your critters would enjoy.

I would also look into 1# how to turn seed into fresh sprouts and
2# How to ferment grain.
A little bit of work but yields a nutrient dance food source for your animals. The system used in both programs will after the first week give you a daily supply of food while you are trying to recover the bare ground under their feet.

If you yard has been picked clean I would start looking at some kind of long range program of prepping your soil and planning on having grazing material coming up for next year then rotate your animals so they do not wipe out any particular area all at once.

 

[StinkyAcres]

I'm sorry but if your land cannot handle the animals you have too many animals for the size of the land. If goats are not able to browse (they are not grazers) it's actually best for them to be kept in a dry lot and be fed hay to prevent parasite problems.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Ok, the 8,000 animals have turned half of my backyard indy a wasteland. What can I plant? It's fall. There are goats and every manner of poultry. What can they eat that I can seed? I know I'll have to water it and convert but but it's gross and alllll the poo and dirt keep coming in the backdoor. Not cool!!!!

How many animals do you actually have, as in how many goats, how many chickens, how many other poultry. How big is the area available for foraging?

I only have a few (5) chickens, but we have to periodically move our flexible fencing around to let areas recover.

I did just plant (as in "tossed in seeds") a raised bed with this cover crop mix, and amazingly, it sprouted in 3 days and is growing quickly, probably a combination of daily afternoon rains, temps in the 80's, and several months of chickens generously pooping away. It's meant for soil health, but chickens should find some goodies in here as well:

I'm encouraged enough that I'm going to plant a more meadow-like seed mix in the paths between beds to green them up a bit as well.