Saving the grass?

[Kung Fu Chicken]

Planted grass a few months ago and now it's barely a crew cut.

Any ways to keep them from eating scratching them to dust?

 

[chiques chicks]

In my experience, no. Chicken tractors where the birds grazing area is moved every day or two gives the grass time to recover, but grass in a permanent run isn't going to happen in my experience.

A frame can be made of 2x4 with hardware cloth stapled on top so the grass can grow through it to provide limited fresh greens, but that is the best I've been able to come up with. That is basically just a salad bar for the chickens, not a nice grass area.

If you are looking for a beautiful lawn looking run for the chickens, I haven't figured it out yet. I don't even have to weed along my run, it is 2x4 welded wire and the birds keep the grass and weeds trimmer as far as they can reach through it!

 

[Bryant Redhawk]

I have to agree with chiques chicks, if you want grass in a chicken run, the best you can hope for is to keep them from being able to get to the ground by using hardware meshed frames. The only other method is to tractor them and move them every day.

If you fully cover the run with a 2" above the soil mesh then you will have as good as it can get in my experience. You still have to provide a way for them to scratch and dust bathe, but that could be one dedicated section of the run.

We have a covered run for when we are away from home, otherwise they free range. The run is dirt and when they are free ranging the farm they find places under trees to do their dust baths. They are put up in the coop every evening just before dark.

 

[Kung Fu Chicken]

Guess I've got some management to do.
My pen is setup difficult to quarantine areas.

Have tried putting fresh pulled weeds on top of grass to act as straw.