Mulched Yard Perfect for Pet Chickens?!

[6chickens in St. Charles]

I'm the idiot in 2002 who asked a tree-remover company to dump a load of chips in my yard, because grass wouldn't grow there under the oak and maple trees. So for years the 18 inches of Willow mulch just sort of darkened and moldy'd my yard, but it was easier than trying to mow the lumpy bare ground around those trees............

Fast forward 6 years, in come the pet chickens, they dig to china in that mulch! Now, go figure, stuff is sprouting up back there! I wonder if I could seed that next spring, let the chickens work it, I could maybe...actually...have grass....?

 

[6chickens in St. Charles]

Here's the bigger image. I wonder if there's a 4H "lawn improvement" project I could earn a ribbon for? I could hang it in their coop:

 

[TeamChaos]

Isn't it amazing what a little chickenscaping can do? We had nasty layers of old hay and horse muck that turned out barn door into a mud hole, since the chickens have been working it, they've broken up the hay and stirred up the rest of the dirt so now it's actually a really nice life-sustaining mulch.

 

[6chickens in St. Charles]

Quote:

Chickenscaping?! Well, now that's my new favorite term. Thank you!

 

[Dixiedoodle]

You can plant all the grass you want to, but it will be eaten and scratched up by your chickens!! They will love it but if you want nice pretty grass, you are gonna waste $$ and time!

 

[lynxs1981]

Unrelated, but with oaks and such, the leaves and acorns kill petty much anything they're allowed to stay on. Too much acid.

 

[2DogsFarm]

I was too lazy to go back to Lowes for more fencing, so my veggie garden was fenced 3/4 of the way round.

It took my hens all Summer to figure this out, but once they did, kiss remaining veggies B'bye!
Next year better, higher fencing!

Of course they did an excellent job of converting the straw bales I planted things in into next year's mulch.
Complete with organic poop that will compost itself over the Fall & Winter.
Too bad the tomato plants in the bales were "converted" too

 

[Olive Hill]

Oh yes, Chickens love mulch. If you mulch around something specific they will happily expand the mulched area by no less than 5 feet on each side.

Quote:
If you don't overcrowd the grassy areas chickens and grass can and do coexist quite peacefully.

 

[6chickens in St. Charles]

I wonder if there's a grass type that might thrive under the Oak and Maple trees? Or green groundcover that looks and smells good?