USED to have grass before chickens-HELP!!

[K0k0shka]

Yeah, chickens and grass don't mix. You keep emphasizing that you would never get rid of the chickens, but nobody is suggesting you should. The solution to a destroyed yard isn't to get rid of the chickens. It's to keep them out of the yard. Or at least out of the areas where you want grass. It doesn't matter if you fence it off temporarily to regrow the grass. The moment you let them back in, they'll destroy it again. So unless you want to do this back and forth indefinitely, you'll just have to find them some other place to live - like a designated run that's just for them, where they can destroy all they want, and leave the area around the house to you. I love my chickens too and wouldn't get rid of them either, but I don't let them into my yard. They have their own yard, fenced off, where they dig trenches and what not. And I have my grass. Everybody's happy.

 

[3KillerBs]

Yeah, chickens and grass don't mix. You keep emphasizing that you would never get rid of the chickens, but nobody is suggesting you should. The solution to a destroyed yard isn't to get rid of the chickens. It's to keep them out of the yard. Or at least out of the areas where you want grass. It doesn't matter if you fence it off temporarily to regrow the grass. The moment you let them back in, they'll destroy it again. So unless you want to do this back and forth indefinitely, you'll just have to find them some other place to live - like a designated run that's just for them, where they can destroy all they want, and leave the area around the house to you. I love my chickens too and wouldn't get rid of them either, but I don't let them into my yard. They have their own yard, fenced off, where they dig trenches and what not. And I have my grass. Everybody's happy.

Very well said.

 

[TheTexasChickenGirl]

Very well said.

X2

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

I had a big section of my property that I had subfenced for the chickens when I first started out. It got to the point where I could not go in that area without getting poop on my shoes, I could not allow the dog in there or he would eat the poop. I made them a large, 400 SF run and now I can enjoy them even more without the poop.
Chickens and kids, they need boundaries.

 

[KingD]

OK, I have a question. My chickiepoos have eaten all the grass in my backyard closest to the house. How do I reseed my "mudslide" without them eating all the grass seed? What grass seed is available without a coating that may make them sick or kills them? They free-range my entire backyard with no problems as I have a wonderful protecting dog who loves to play with them. Now that she is no longer a pup she doesn't try to catch them and ends up killing them because she is so much bigger than they are. They actually come up on my deck to try and eat her food, and she LETS them!! lol

They'll eat all the seeds up before they can even germinate. You'll have to make them a run

 

[BDutch]

Yeah, chickens and grass don't mix. You keep emphasizing that you would never get rid of the chickens, but nobody is suggesting you should. The solution to a destroyed yard isn't to get rid of the chickens. It's to keep them out of the yard. Or at least out of the areas where you want grass. It doesn't matter if you fence it off temporarily to regrow the grass. The moment you let them back in, they'll destroy it again. So unless you want to do this back and forth indefinitely, you'll just have to find them some other place to live - like a designated run that's just for them, where they can destroy all they want, and leave the area around the house to you. I love my chickens too and wouldn't get rid of them either, but I don't let them into my yard. They have their own yard, fenced off, where they dig trenches and what not. And I have my grass. Everybody's happy.

There are more ways then to keep them in a fenced area (al the time) that work wel for me.

Other things you can consider:

• Some breeds scratch less then other breeds. Its known that heavy feathered footage chickens scratch less.
• If you keep the chickens in a run for say 50% of the time you have less damage and it has more chance to regrow. Same thing if you keep less chickens.
• If you put fine HWC on the ground the chickens can’t scratch the roots. The grasses will regrow all the time. And if the grass gets high you can mow over it.

I used a mix for playground grasses to create a lawn. Keep my chickens fenced in a run most of the time but let them free if I am at home.

I always use hwc (temporary) to regrow grasses. Yes, the chickens love to eat the seeds. All small dirt places are all repaired this way except one. I still have dirt ‘problems’ near the entrance of the run. And finally made a tile path to the entrance for clean shoes.

 

[MissE]

I will throw my vote in for clover. Not only do the roots really hold the ground, which is great for erosion control, it's nearly impossible to kill. My chicken pasture is mostly clover. If I block off an area, it will be green again in two weeks.

If it were me, I'd seed the clover in the fall, keep the chickens in the run for the winter, and then rotate sections of the yard during the growing season.

 

[KingD]

I will throw my vote in for clover. Not only do the roots really hold the ground, which is great for erosion control, it's nearly impossible to kill. My chicken pasture is mostly clover. If I block off an area, it will be green again in two weeks.

If it were me, I'd seed the clover in the fall, keep the chickens in the run for the winter, and then rotate sections of the yard during the growing season.

Clover gets horrible little white flowers on it though. I must admit it is extremely hardy if you want greenery all year round including when hens are feeding on it.

 

[MissE]

Clover gets horrible little white flowers on it though. I must admit it is extremely hardy if you want greenery all year round including when hens are feeding on it.

I like the flowers, both the red and the white. Also, flowers allow the clover to reseed itself, however, the chickens usually eat the flowers.

 

[Pullet Press]

I have to agree, clover is good ground cover (plus, it adds nutrients to the soil). Lasts through freezes very well.