Okay, Girls...You Win

[bcorps]

I have moved my flock of 9 girls and a very lucky boy into a fenced in run that is about 15' x 60' (It will get a little bigger when I finally get my mega coop done). Over the Winter and Spring, I have watched them literally strip 900 square feet down to bare Earth, and bedrock is probably starting to worry. I literally go through the part of the yard they used to be allowed in before the garden got planted and pull up huge handfuls of wild sorrel and plantains, and toss it over the fence to the 2-legged greenery destruction machines. They even seem to be giving me the stinkeye lately, because they miss their greens. Maybe I shouldn't have COMPLETELY spoiled them last Fall by letting them clean up my garden. They ate turnip greens, brocolli and carrot leaves, etc until they damned near OD'd on chlorphyll.

But given that I can barely walk across the muddy trap that is their run just to collect eggs every day, I'm going to finally build those grass frames. A couple 4' x 8' rectangles made of landscape timber and half inch hardware cloth.

I have a huge bag of perennial rye grass, and a smaller bag of (hideously) expensive Mazama bluegrass I am planting under them. Anyone know of any toxicity issues with either? It's the only way I can think of to give them a stable (albeit a bit minimal) supply of greenery. I had delusions of their run recovering a bit once late Spring got here, but I can tell already, that place is going to be No Man's Land for as long as they live there.

 

[1muttsfan]

Anything you plant in the run will be completely decimated by your birds. I recently saw an interesting thread where the poster used plastic drink crates upside down over planted areas, and the chickens would eat the grass that grew up through them. I may try that myself if I can get hold of some short crates. You may be able to use them to walk on as well.

To help with the mud, I add aged wood chips to the run in the fall and spring every year. The local energy co-op trims trees seasonally, and will drop off a pile - about the size of Volkswagon Bug - for free. I then let it sit until it starts to break down a little and you find bugs and worms, then add it as needed to the run. Works great for mud, and you don't have to spread it, the girls will do that joyfully.

 

[bcorps]

Anything you plant in the run will be completely decimated by your birds. I recently saw an interesting thread where the poster used plastic drink crates upside down over planted areas, and the chickens would eat the grass that grew up through them. I may try that myself if I can get hold of some short crates. You may be able to use them to walk on as well.

To help with the mud, I add aged wood chips to the run in the fall and spring every year. The local energy co-op trims trees seasonally, and will drop off a pile - about the size of Volkswagon Bug - for free. I then let it sit until it starts to break down a little and you find bugs and worms, then add it as needed to the run. Works great for mud, and you don't have to spread it, the girls will do that joyfully.

That's why I'm building the grass frames. The hardware cloth on top won't let them get at the roots.

 

[1muttsfan]

I'm sure they will help. Likely they won't be sturdy enough for you to be able to walk on them, though

 

[kerbotx]

There are pasture seed mixes specifically for chickens/livestock - I have this one, but haven't planted yet... :} https://smile.amazon.com/Barenbrug-Range-GroundCover-Forage-Mixture/dp/B07MV1Z8TP?ref_=ast_sto_dp Local stores like Home Depot, Lowes, or TSC sometimes carry them, too.