Need hard numbers on chicken run

[vstoltzfus]

About how long did it take your chickens to strip away the plant life in their run? How many chickens do you have, and how big is your run? I need some numbers so I can plan a paddock system for my chicken run. Thanks so much for your help.

 

[greenSearcher]

I have a yard that the coop and run sit in. The run is 4X12, covered primarily for protection and shade. The surrounding yard is 900 sq ft, 30x30' It takes less than 48 hours for the run to become bare dirt, in fact they will push bedding from the elevated coop into the run and scratch it around to make comfy areas for sun bathing. The yard was 4" grass when I put the coop out in Dec. Today we put half a bale of hay for them to scratch around in and absorb the poop. We have had a very dry winter, less than an 2" of rain and about the same of snow. The ground is bone dry, I am just about to the point of turning on the sprinklers them at night. This coop and yard is home to 6 Naked Necks and 7 Delawares. They get to forage 2-3 hours outside of their yard most days.

 

[TreeHugger]

30 chickens (mostly silkies). The run is 30' by 40'. It took them 2 months to completely destroy all the grass.

Last year I put in "grass beds" which were 4" by 4" boards arranged in the shape of a rectangle with chicken wire over the top. That way they could pick at the grass but not scratch it up.

I'm currently debating blocking off the first 10' by 30' section of their yard and filling it with sand and then trying to plant grass in the back section. The bare ground is a mess in the spring.

 

[Dixiedoodle]

I had 12 chickens, my run is 10x15, it was completely dirt in two months..

 

[donrae]

I don't have numbers but wanted to let you know the "grass beds" might be a good alternative to having multiple runs, if that's what you mean by paddocks. Basically, you protect an area with chicken or other wire supported horizontally above a patch of grass or other greens. The chickens can eat what grows through the wire but can't destroy the root, so the greens just regrow. Plus I think the chickens just like something to hop up on! Just thinking multiple runs are spendy, with fencing.

 

[vstoltzfus]

Thanks, everyone. I was thinking of adding "grass beds" to my existing run, but I am a little concerned about disease, with the hens being on the same bare dirt for years. I'm considering rotating 40 hens between (3) 18x42 pens/paddocks, but want to make sure the pens are big enough for all of the hens to be in for 2 weeks without them tearing the grass completely out. Sounds like that should be big enough (I hope!).