Rotational grazing question.

[suzannesparks]

So we have 3 hens that I hope to rotate between two pens and a chicken tractor. The pens will be about 16 feet by 14 feet. My question is, how many days should I keep them in each pen and then the chicken tractor? Are these areas even big enough to do this? Thanks!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hi, welcome to the forum, glad you joined.

It is going to depend on your climate, the time of year, what kind of grass and weed are in your turf, and how much rain you get. Someone in North Dakota would probably get a different answer than someone in New Mexico. South Florida would be a different answer. My suggestion is to go by what you see. That can change with the seasons.

Also, as long as they have a choice chickens will eat some grasses and weeds and not others. Don't be surprised if you have to get in here a few times a year to mow or cut the area to let the good stuff have room to grow.

 

[3KillerBs]

I am intending to establish a rotational system around my new coop and have read a lot about it. There are several possible systems, some of which include:

1. Put the animals in until they turn the area into bare ground with the roots grubbed out and then plant a garden behind them -- usually moving them seasonally. The disadvantage of this is the need to plant fresh pasture each time -- which is why it's usually used as a means of clearing land of weeds and bugs to prepare for a garden.

2. Put the animals in at a moderately-high density so that they'll take all the vegetation down quickly but move them before the roots are grubbed out then allow the pasture to recover behind them. For this you need enough subdivisions to allow the pasture to regrow. The advantage is that the high-density and short duration don't let them pick and choose their favorites and the disadvantage is that you need to be able to move them often. Tractors are often used this way, moving the chickens every couple days or even twice a day.

3. Put the animals in at a moderate density and leave them until some parts of the pasture are looking worn but the vegetation will recover quickly. The advantage of this is that you aren't managing the movement as intensely and that you will never have bare ground looking bad and being subject to erosion. The disadvantage is that they will leave behind the less palatable vegetation, which will then spread because it's less damaged than the good stuff -- meaning that you will have to mow it and that you will eventually have to till it and reseed it.

There are hundreds of variations and different people will prefer different methods. My own intent, which might change with experience, is to use #1 because I need a garden area and have a lot of difficult-to-eradicate weeds in my yard.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

...and having read the answers above, I have nothing to add. @Ridgerunner and @3KillerBs have hit the highpoints. If @aart were here, they'd share the message about putting your location into your profile, so we would have that information when trying to assist with your question.

14x16 is a good sized area for three birds, I suspect that - during some seasons - they will be able to stay in that space "a while" before they need to be moved on so the ground can recover. Other times of the year, that may be completely untrue, based on climate and growing season.

You will, likely, want a mix of vegetation to help avoid dietary imbalance, and likely what that mix is will vary seasonally, with cool season plantings late summer/early fall through the start of winter, an overwintering cover, and then transition to warm season plantings in the spring, after first frost. A diverse landscape will help plant recovery too, though you will need to be careful that no particular crop crowds all the others out.

 

[aart]

If @aart were here, they'd share the message about putting your location into your profile, so we would have that information when trying to assist with your question.

Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Thank you @aart !