Worried about grass in run

[Cabriolet86]

Hello, we're new to chickens this year. We've had 2 hens in a small portable coop that we move every 2-3 days so they have fresh grass. We let them free range info the late afternoon/ evening after work. We've lost 2 chickens now, we think to hawks. The hawks nest on a cell tower adjacent to our property

We'd like to get more chickens, 6-8 total, but I'm thinking i need to stop letting them free range for their safety. I have an old garden shed that i can convert to a coop and build a large run connected to it with a roof, but I'm concerned that they'll just scratch up all the grass in no time. How do i get around this problem?

 

[kwhites634]

Hello, we're new to chickens this year. We've had 2 hens in a small portable coop that we move every 2-3 days so they have fresh grass. We let them free range info the late afternoon/ evening after work. We've lost 2 chickens now, we think to hawks. The hawks nest on a cell tower adjacent to our property

We'd like to get more chickens, 6-8 total, but I'm thinking i need to stop letting them free range for their safety. I have an old garden shed that i can convert to a coop and build a large run connected to it with a roof, but I'm concerned that they'll just scratch up all the grass in no time. How do i get around this problem?

You're right; they'll decimate the grass right away. What you need is a chicken tractor that you can move from place to place so they don't eat the grass down to bare dirt.

 

[kwhites634]

Hello, we're new to chickens this year. We've had 2 hens in a small portable coop that we move every 2-3 days so they have fresh grass. We let them free range info the late afternoon/ evening after work. We've lost 2 chickens now, we think to hawks. The hawks nest on a cell tower adjacent to our property

We'd like to get more chickens, 6-8 total, but I'm thinking i need to stop letting them free range for their safety. I have an old garden shed that i can convert to a coop and build a large run connected to it with a roof, but I'm concerned that they'll just scratch up all the grass in no time. How do i get around this problem?

 

[Cabriolet86]

You're right; they'll decimate the grass right away. What you need is a chicken tractor that you can move from place to place so they don't eat the grass down to bare dirt.

That's effectively what i have now on a scale (about 3x5), but to scale up to 6-8 hens without them free ranging, it would be a pretty massive chicken tractor

 

[BantyChooks]

Would movable electric netting work?

 

[Cabriolet86]

Would movable electric netting work?

Not to protect from hawks

 

[kwhites634]

That's effectively what i have now on a scale (about 3x5), but to scale up to 6-8 hens without them free ranging, it would be a pretty massive chicken tractor

The plans I built mine from are for a 6'x10' frame

 

[BantyChooks]

Not to protect from hawks

Hmm, bummer. When I had my chickens penned, I gave up on grass and started deep litter in the run. It kept smell down, and they got to scratch around for bugs and similar yummies.

 

[blackdog043]

What I would do is, convert the shed, build a secure run and use the deep litter method in your run. Here's a video on deep litter, if you aren't sure what it is.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Hello, we're new to chickens this year. We've had 2 hens in a small portable coop that we move every 2-3 days so they have fresh grass. We let them free range info the late afternoon/ evening after work. We've lost 2 chickens now, we think to hawks. The hawks nest on a cell tower adjacent to our property

We'd like to get more chickens, 6-8 total, but I'm thinking i need to stop letting them free range for their safety. I have an old garden shed that i can convert to a coop and build a large run connected to it with a roof, but I'm concerned that they'll just scratch up all the grass in no time. How do i get around this problem?

As Kwhites states, your birds will very quickly decimate ALL the grass inside your run.

I am unsure if hens like to eat grass as much as they simply enjoy ripping it out of the ground. My money is on the latter.

I would rather provide them with something to scratch in like dry wheat straw or maybe shredded corn shucks.