What impact will 3-4 chickens have on our yard?

[Nicole01]

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I have special coop/chicken shoes. It's an old pair of crocs. They are very easy to clean when I step in the poop.

 

[Mattemma]

I used to let my hens all over but the poo by the house was attracting to many flies.I have 8. I put up some plastic fencing with T posts and/or bamboo poles-zip ties. The poles and zip ties is easy to move around.I have mean various chicken areas,but now I keep them all at the far back yard.They only come back to the house area at night to go into the chicken shed.

I have had 3 for a year,and then the 8 for 2 years.The area by the chicken shed has lost all the grass.It used to be the fenced in run.I have quite a few dust bath holes around the yard. They ate a lot of my grapes before I noticed them eating by the arbor.Lol,they will get into everything.I don't think it was so bad when I just had the 3 hens,but now that I have 8 the poo is the biggest issue.

I got black rubber boots from the feed store that I can hose down after going in the yard.

 

[Theapplechicks]

we live on a 1/2 acre lot in a cul-de-sac. We have a fenced in backyard and let our chickens free range a lot of the time. They do have a pen for when we can't watch them and when we spray the yard or anything like that. THey have destroyed the ground where the pen is of course but as for the rest of the yard. It's just fine. They wander and forrage. WE have some mulch that they like to dig in and dust bath and make a mess every now and then but nothing too bad. As for the deck. They rarely come onto the deck. They love to sit under it in the shade. Every once in a great while they will wander up there out of curiosity and I'll have an occasional poo to rinse off w/ the hose, but it really isn't that bad. I've had chickens doing this for about 4yr now and my yard looks great.

 

[darin367]

OH the newbies! Let me save you some trouble! Fence the hidious, destructive, hole digging, pooping everywhere, OK OK loveable little buggers.... I have over 2 acres and they're coop, run is in the back. They always come up to the house, porch, deck, etc... to dig, poop, tear up the rose garden, grass etc.... After a year we built a 25 ft. x 50 ft. run and they are very happy, and I am too.....

 

[Cindilou]

We have a very tiny lot and an edible landscape so the chickens get to go foraging but only under supervision. They do like digging in the compost area which is great because I don't care how that looks at all. Here is them on the Oregano Trail.

 

[teach1rusl]

With only three or four birds, your yard will show little ill use. Will you get an occasional dropping on your sidewalk or deck - yes - but not all the time, and nothing a quick blast from hose won't clear off. They prefer to be in the greenery, and generally only "hang out" in the people areas if they're use to getting treats from there - so don't make that the treat area.

 

[RedDrgn]

No, you can't train them to stay out of a particular area. They just won't get it/retain it for long, especially if they find something in a particular area that they think is delicious.

It'll depend on your landscape as to what may get destroyed (even with only 3-4 chickens). If they find a plant they love, they will demolish it to the exclusion of less tasty vegetation. If what they love is your favorite groundcover...bye bye. You also have to consider that some landscape plants are poisonous, so you need to know what you've got and whether or not it has the potential to harm your birds.

Chicken wire is meant to keep chickens out of areas, so that's probably what you'd need to employ if you want to make certain areas inaccessible to them. Either that or build a run.

 

[sanfordmom]

I have an average size backyard with a large raised wood deck and a pool. I have 4 hens that free range in my backyard all day. Small annual flowers are definately torn up unless protected until they grow in. They do poop on the deck sometimes, but we usually turn the hose in them when we catch up there so they don't do it much anymore. They do poop on the lawn, but I found that setting the timer for sprinklers for 15 min each night washes away whatever the dogs do not get

. All in all, they are easy keepers and we love their eggs.

 

[AllChookUp]

Short answer - Their effect on your yard is some poop you have to step around, and WAY less bugs and ticks.

 

[Pele]

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Omg you are living my dream! All those beautiful coops! All those gorgeous chickens! All those gardens!

Soooo jealous!

As far as my measly little scrap of suburbia, my yard in the back is always lush and green while my chicken-less yard in the front is always whining for fertilizer and bug-killer. The chickens fertilize the back yard, keep the grubs under control, and keep their craters confined to the side of my house where the grass never grew well anyway (I suspect hte construction crew threw all their trash and concrete there, then covered it with an inch of dirt and sod).

I will say, however, that I am thinking of planning a funeral service for my poor poor denuded Hosta.