Seeding down a run

[henney penny]

We are going to build another run for our chickens in the spring,my question is what to put down for seed in the old run as the chickens have it down to bare earth.We are hoping that changing runs often that we will be able to keep grass in each run,our runs are very large16x60.What will hold up the chicken traffic and has anyone tried this before?

 

[wood&feathers]

I dunno about holding up to chickens but wherever I get bare patches in our field I use wildlife mix. Pick one with some clover mixed into the annuals. I like lots of kale and turnip too. Most mixes are filled out with grass (rye or wheat) seed that helps with the traffic.

 

[patandchickens]

Be aware that it takes quite a good while before newly seeded grass has deep durable roots. It would be best if you could keep the chickens off it all year; at the very least, til late in the summer.

A heavy-traffic turf seed mix, with various fescues, would probably be your best bet (endophyte-containing fescues are not the very healthiest grazing for livestock but I am not aware of there being a particular problem with chickens and nothing else in the north is likely to hold up as well). Till the soil first to loosen it, and check the soil pH to see if you need to lime (a little while before reseeding, not at the same time)

That is still not *that* much run space if you want some of it to stay vegetated though -- how many chickens do you have? If it is more than just a couple, you may be out of luck in the long run. You might consider making one run (perhaps the new one) your "managed pasture", and only letting them out in it as much as the grass can gracefully tolerate, and use the other run as a "sacrifice paddock" that they are confined to when the grassy run needs to recuperate. Don't cheat on recuperation time either or you will gradually run the pasture into the ground again.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Intheswamp]

I like the idea of the "sacrifice paddock", Pat. Hmmm, maybe even make it smaller than the others since it will be stripped down anyhow but still give the chickens plenty of room. That would give more area to the other areas for rest and rejuvenation.

Ed

 

[Sandrachx]

the first run i ever saw had three different paddocks for their hens. each run had a shute the hens passed through that could be closed off to let the greens grow (weeds, etc.). it was really funny to see them go from the main run area through the tunnel to the "exploration paddock". the shutes were made from old metal pipes (sewer type?) and had a gate that the owner could shut when the area got too used and needed a rest. we don't have use that system because we like to let our girls free range on nice days.

 

[nop169]

When seeding chicken runs in spring & summer, I use a wild bird seed mix. My logic is thus - NOTHING you plant will last over time if the chooks are on it full time & the idea is to give them a healthy green snack - so the more economical the seed mix the better since it will be eaten in a matter of weeks. We did this for several years before I began using chicken tractors. With the tractors I move them every 4 days so the grass is not killed so no new planting of bare runs.

 

[Bossroo]

I found that if you build a number of smaller pens then rotate the chickens through every few days then water and rest each pen for 3-4 weeks you can have green pastures.