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VictoriaTemple said:
A question folks, I have never planted grass seed before, having lived in the woods my whole life. I bought Scott's Turfbuilder dense shade fescue mix in spring to plant in the new chicken yard, but it was so wet (and I was ill) that I never got it planted. Is it ok to plant it now to overwinter, can I expect it to grow back in spring, or should I hold onto it until next spring? Shockingly the planting instructions on the bag say nothing about it.
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Right now is the very best time to plant cool season perennial lawn grass, fescues, bluegrass and ryegrass. The only grass that should not be planted now is annual ryegrass, as it will die with the frosts. All the others will make it through the winter fine. You will need to keep the chickens off the new grass for several months, or they will eat every seedling within hours.
 
gonehencrazy said:
Does anyone know if this is poisonous to chickens? Google says it’s wonderberry. Idk if that is correct. Thought I should ask before these weeds go in the chicken pen! I couldn’t find any real answers online.
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Looks enough like nightshade that I would remove it all. Despite google's pics, you are far more likely to find nightshade growing wild than Wonderberries. The best weeds are Lambsquarter, Amaranth (Pigweed), Oxalis, Dandelion and Clover. Most others can be tried and they may eat them. Fall is a great time to cut down the overgrown weeds that have gone to seed and put them, seedheads and all, into the coop for the chickens to forage on.
 
I thought oxalis was toxic to chickens?

Thanks for the help with the grass seed. I am very poor, so I can't afford to waste it. I might plant it in the new chicken yard while waiting for the fence to be installed, but I need to move the chickens over there ASAP. How long does it take to sprout, and how long before it can withstand chickens? It's all fescue, a blend of tall and short.
 
coop location.jpg

Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend. it's a busy one for us. We built one raised garden bed for my blueberries. Just started marking the coop location, as shonw in the picture. Then we dig 2ft deep holes at the 4 corners marked. I planed to dig 36" deep, but our site is extemely rocky. I think with that much rocks, we should be safe for only 2ft deep. Next step is to pour concrete in 12" Diameter tubes for corner supports. We will add many 4x4 to support the beams. I'll update the pictures after we have more progress.

As you can see, we have lots of trees and a completely fenced yard with 4ft chainlink fence. How safe will it be for the birds to free range? We are cross street from State Game land, so lots of wild animals. I plan to build a 20'X10' covered run if I can free range them. If not, I have to have a larger run, which is not easy with all the trees around.
 

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VictoriaTemple said:
I thought oxalis was toxic to chickens?

Thanks for the help with the grass seed. I am very poor, so I can't afford to waste it. I might plant it in the new chicken yard while waiting for the fence to be installed, but I need to move the chickens over there ASAP. How long does it take to sprout, and how long before it can withstand chickens? It's all fescue, a blend of tall and short.
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Oxalis is edible by humans as well as animals. Perhaps you are thinking of Oxalic Acid, the chemical that is known for giving Dumbcane (Dieffenbachia) it's name. Those crystals can be very irritating, making ones tongue swell up. It is present in small amount in spinach and perhaps in Oxalis, but not enough to make either of those harmful.

Honestly, I have never found grass to last more than a few weeks with chickens, they pick and scratch too much. If you have a very large area, it could work, but you will always have bare patches. I would suggest letting weeds grow in the chicken yard, just pull any that get too large. Use the grass seed for a lawn where it never needs to fend off chickens.
 
TillyPeeps said:
View attachment 1896397
Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend. it's a busy one for us. We built one raised garden bed for my blueberries. Just started marking the coop location, as shonw in the picture. Then we dig 2ft deep holes at the 4 corners marked. I planed to dig 36" deep, but our site is extemely rocky. I think with that much rocks, we should be safe for only 2ft deep. Next step is to pour concrete in 12" Diameter tubes for corner supports. We will add many 4x4 to support the beams. I'll update the pictures after we have more progress.

As you can see, we have lots of trees and a completely fenced yard with 4ft chainlink fence. How safe will it be for the birds to free range? We are cross street from State Game land, so lots of wild animals. I plan to build a 20'X10' covered run if I can free range them. If not, I have to have a larger run, which is not easy with all the trees around.
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My chickens yard is half wooded with big Tulip poplars. then there is some smaller trees that provide good cover. I personally have never lost a chicken to a hawk or owl and they are definitely in the area. I also have an A-frame for daytime hideouts. I would guess that your bigger issues will be four legged critters.
 
gonehencrazy said:
My chickens yard is half wooded with big Tulip poplars. then there is some smaller trees that provide good cover. I personally have never lost a chicken to a hawk or owl and they are definitely in the area. I also have an A-frame for daytime hideouts. I would guess that your bigger issues will be four legged critters.
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Yeah, I figure that fox and racoon would be the largest problem. One of my neigbor lost all her chickens to a fox, but she has a open yard and free range. I may just do free range under supervision.
 

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