I let my chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys "free range" around 1/4 acre fenced area of my yard. The area is kind of messy now with part of the yard by my house in the midst of a year long DIY landscaping project of patio/pond/walkway building, ie lots of dirt/mud. In the middle of the yard is feathers and smushed down grass/straw/dirt from duck activity and grass that didn't grow back after being trampled by a loader. It's all looking kind of extra ratty now that it's winter. I could at least make the area look tidier if use a mower/mulcher and rake the leaves but the birds seem to like to root around in them and lounge in them.
Do they really especially love the leaves for foraging/scratching about? Or they just do it because it's what's available? They don't spend an inordinate amount of time in the leaves under the trees-I think mostly they wait around the patio for me to come out the door with treats. And there's plenty of good spots for them to dust bathe under the pine trees.
Here's a photo of the middle of the area, with straw over grass seeds that didn't take (I'd have blamed the ducks but the seeds were very old). The photo is kind of bright, so you can't see the white feathers that contribute to the messy look. (The Pekin feathers tend to look like pieces of litter)
Do they really especially love the leaves for foraging/scratching about? Or they just do it because it's what's available? They don't spend an inordinate amount of time in the leaves under the trees-I think mostly they wait around the patio for me to come out the door with treats. And there's plenty of good spots for them to dust bathe under the pine trees.
Here's a photo of the middle of the area, with straw over grass seeds that didn't take (I'd have blamed the ducks but the seeds were very old). The photo is kind of bright, so you can't see the white feathers that contribute to the messy look. (The Pekin feathers tend to look like pieces of litter)
