pasture endurance @ 1 chicken per 100 sq ft?

[Intheswamp]

In pondering my flock's future run and grazing needs I'm wondering....

How well will pasture consisting of bahia grass, miscellaneous weeds, and other grasses hold up to a density of one LF chicken per 100 sq ft grazing on it bi-annually? That's only a 10'x10' area and it seems to me that it would get stripped pretty quickly.

Anybody got some thoughts or ideas to share?

Thanks!
Ed

 

[CARS]

I have over 2000 sq ft of outdoor run for around 30 chickens and if I don't manage it they would have it raped in a couple weeks. Some weeks we have rain on a regular basis and they stay inside while the grass can recover but if I were to just let them loose all summer, I would have nothing left.

There is no formula for grazing. You need to manage it by looking at it. (not the answer you're looking for. Sorry)

 

[Intheswamp]

Thanks for the reply Christopher. Actually, your answer is exactly what I'm looking for...which is your experience. I find that people's previous experiences are of great value to other people.

I'm planning on keeping around 24 hens with 2-3 roosters (at least that's the plan

).

My plans are for a 75'x75' yard and to divide it down the middle with chicken wire to create two runs. My intentions were to let one run be the current chicken run and the other one be a garden area or simply lay it by to regrow grazing. I had planned on these runs being rotated back and forth each year but during the winter months let both runs be open to the chickens.

After your post I'm re-thinking this and considering rotations at shorter intervals. Maybe even going to 100'x75' and having three runs of 2500 sq ft each...one garden run and two grazing runs. Do a three year rotation with the garden and grazing runs and do an "as needed" rotation between the two grazing runs during the year.

When I can, during the summer evenings and on weekends I'll let the chickens free range on other areas of the pasture which will help take some pressure off of the yard.

I felt that even at 100 sq ft per chicken that the ground would be stripped pretty quickly, just needed to verify it.
Thanks!

Best wishes,
Ed

 

[Tala]

Can you grow Bermuda grass in Alabama????
It has about the ultimate "endurance" IMO. It practically grows itself!

 

[CARS]

This is not a great picture but you can see the 4 paddocks I have built.

Yes, I even let the bunnies out for a run once in a while

 

[Bossroo]

I found that if you make several pens and then rotate the birds through every few days so that each pasture can be watered and rested for 3-4 weeks per month, there is just enough grazing pressure to recover.

 

[gsim]

Quote:
I have 2000 sq ft for 23 chooks. I think that is in the 80 sq ft/chook range. My run is stripped. I imagine that about 6 of them in there would be ok. Grass might survive in places. Thing is, they will continue to eat and rip at it during wintertime when it is dormant. I have just about given up on having grass in there. I did cover 600 sq ft with a plastic mesh 1/2" squares over grass. I do not know if that will work out or not. I will post on it in coops and runs after around May or so either way. I am afraid that poop buildup will eventually block light off and kill the grass that I had growing under it late last Fall. I will know more in a couple of months.

So, I imagine that you would have to have more like 500 sq ft/chook to have grass in there year-round.

 

[Keri78]

Hey There Ed! I had my Hubby build me two chicken tractors last summer in hopes that we could move them every couple of days around our side yard and they would have fresh grass. Well, after about a month of that(7 standard size & 7 banties)....tractors are 8ft by 4.5 ft across...my side yard is not that big so my GREAT plan and nice green side yard quickly became dirt within a month's time!!! Anywho..I gave up and just toss some fresh hay in their runs every other month or so...they enjoy it and it keeps them nice and clean and dry. I prefer just free ranging them all and this seems to take the least toll on our yard! We have about 1.5 acres of yard/grass...but they LOVE the woods for hunting bugs anyway...oh yeah...and my flower beds!!!

Blessings, Keri Ps. Just stay flexible...I think we all have to adjust our plans depending on our flocks

 

[Intheswamp]

Quote:
Yelp, that's some tough grass and it grows fine down here. Since the pasture is established bahia I'll go with that to start with and see how it goes. I'm thinking of rotation and a "sacrificial paddock" as Pat called it.

Ed

 

[Intheswamp]

Bossro, gsim, and Keri78...thanks for the feedback about your experiences. I *really* appreciate this information. Looks like I will definitely need to rotate and pay attention to the "load" on the paddocks. Here's a depiction of a couple of things I've had in my mind...

I've seen the plans for the coop to sit in the center of the grid with pop doors opening into each section but I'd reall rather have the coop on an outside fence so that I don't have to walk across a run to get into the coop. The cross fences will simply be one or two inch poultry wire. Of course this is all just thinking right now...nothing in stone.

The problem is the lay of the land. I have terraces in the area that I would like to build the paddocks. The mostly level area that I have is further away from our house and away from the area that we are usually active in...basically the "blind side" of the property. I may have to modify things a bit and make it less square (which I dislike doing because of the loss of square footage when you move away from a square configuration. But, to follow the lay of the land with a welded wire fence I may very well have to go "non-square".

Definitely keep us posted about your 1/2" plastic mesh, gsim. I've been thinking of building several frames covered with chicken wire to grow different greens, grass, whatever under....gotta get the coop and yard ready first, though!

Thanks for all the feedback, it helps greatly!!!

Er, CARS....I take it that that's not a recent picture of your paddocks. Looks like a good setup, though, regardless of weather.

Ed