Neighbor complained about chickens roaming - need to build enclosure

[Sweeney22]

Hi all-
I had a neighbor come over yesterday and complain that our chickens were going in her yard. We have a small grouping of woods between us - so I did not realize they were in her yard. We have been letting the chickens free range during the day and they are locked in their coop at night. I also have 3 ducks that roam during the day and are closed in at night.
I am really bummed bc I am sad I cannot let them roam again. And I don't want them to be closed in their run all day so I am looking for a solution that would allow them to roam some but it will have to be enclosed. So we wanted to enclose a pretty large area for the chickens and ducks to be able to roam in during the day. My problem is how big an area do I need so they wont eat it all down to mud? We have 16 chickens- 3 ducks. A friend told my husband that they will ruin all the grass in an enclosed area. But isnt there a big enough area that I can enclose that would allow them to roam and the grass to still grow? I cant have an entire year eaten to dirt - so now I am not sure what to do. The way it been now they only have killed all the grass in their run area which is over 150 sq ft This i expected but if I give them 1000 sq ft to roam in during the day will they eat all of that grass down to dirt??
Any help in this are will be great as we have to decide what we are going to do as far as an enclosure.
Thanks in advance!
Anne

 

[coop-er]

I have a tractor coop and when the grass starts to look a little roughed up I move the coop over 10 feet or so and the grass recovers very quickly. If you don't have a moveable coop, can you fence in an area and put in a divider so they can only use 1/2 of the yard at a time? That way your grass can have some time to bounce back when you switch sides? Does that make sense? Just a thought. My chickens wonder a little when they free range, but I have a large brush area where they prefer to hang out for the most part- I think they like the "cover", I also wonder out a few times a day and hand out a few random treats-this also seems to keep them close to the coop.

 

[redsoxs]

I think16 chickens and 3 ducks will eat down even 1000 sq. ft. to dirt in pretty short order. A possible solution might be a portable chicken tractor or two. In that they are mobile you can move them every so often so the trampled and scratched ground the tractor occupied has a chance to recover. Also, with ducks you might consider putting gravel around their water source. Since they are so sloppy the gravel will allow the water drain away and keep them from their notorious hole boring in the mud!

 

[Sweeney22]

I do the same - a few times during the day we go out and call them and give them mealworms. cracked corn, veggies...but they end up in those woods and now are eating a hosta garden of my neighbors - she planted it on the other side of the small berm of trees. I had no idea.

A type of enclosure rotation might work. I am so very bummed but I have to keep the neighbors happy and the chickens happy too! Sadly the chickens lose out in order to keep the neighbors happy. She made it clear yesterday she dislikes chickens. I had no idea we have had them over a year and they have been in those woods quite a bit. My roo bothers her too. The woods arent hers nor ours...but the neighbor who owns them loves chickens. She would let me erect a fence barrier in the woods but in the long run the chickens can still just walk up the lane and enter her yard through her horse fencing. So I have close my chickens in closer to their coop. bummer!

I will mull over the idea of how we could rotate them.
Thanks!
Anne

 

[Sweeney22]

Hi Flock Master -
Thanks for the reply. I am not sure I can find a chicken tractor big enough for 16 chickens! What if I double the area to 2000 sq ft but then rotate it in some way?

Also the ducks have swimming pools now and haven't dug too many holes around it but they do love when I dump the water and will dig for worms there. I was hoping to make them a "real" pond from a pond enclosure and build dirt up to the edge adding gravel and mulch. But I will have to filter it as well. That was a next spring project.

I am just so bummed about all this bc I really wanted my chickens to free range. But that is over now and I have to move on and figure out a solution!!

Thanks
Anne

 

[coop-er]

My chickens ate all of my Hostas too-then they lost interest in them and the Hostas did grow back-so not a total loss. Don't feel too bad about enclosing your chickens-free ranging is nice but not always safe. Mine free range during the day and are locked up at night, last week a predator killed 3 of my hens while free- ranging in the middle of the day--- still sad and egg production is now cut in half too.

 

[Sweeney22]

Coop-ER so sorry about your predator attack! That is so upsetting. I am like you mine go out during the day but have a nice coop and run at night. We weren't going to let them out at all but we did. So now I am hoping we can build an enclosed area around my coop and run and also around the duck coop and run.. I will allow them out less hours than before but at least they will be able to go out. I felt bad about the neighbor. The chickens have been going out for maybe 8 mos. she never said anything. I may not have gotten more chickens this past spring had I known. Oh well we just want to be good neighbors. We will begin on the enclosure this week. I will post pictures! Again sooo sorry about that predator.