Worried about grass in run

[imnukensc]

My chickens love to eat grass, but what kills it in their run is their poop. It is so high in nitrogen that it literally burns the grass and kills it.

 

[silarajc]

I would try either a grow frame covered in wire, that allows the grass to grow up and prevents the chickens from scratching it up, or just grow sprouts to supply their fresh greens.

 

[FLChickens]

I know one chicken-keeper who has her hens on grassy runs. But in order to do that, she had oversized runs - opening in all 4 directions, and she rotated them on each pasture every few days to a week (depending on condition of grass and season). It would take a huge amount of overhead netting to protect that much area from hawks.

I haven't done it yet in my run, but I plan to block off the soil of the last 6 feet or so, cover it with hardware cloth, and plant it with grass. I'm thinking it will give them something to do. But the leaves, grass clippings, etc. that I just started adding have been beneficial. They enjoy turning it over and looking for bugs. They've also got some large rocks to jump on and peck under, and branches to climb on and duck under.

But keeping lawn-like grass under confined chickens is near-impossible.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

............ I haven't done it yet........... I plan to block off the soil of the last 6 feet or so, cover it with hardware cloth, and plant it with grass. I'm thinking it will give them something to do. But the leaves, grass clippings, etc. that I just started adding have been beneficial. They enjoy turning it over and looking for bugs......

Hens enjoy having something to do with their scratching gear.

 

[FLChickens]

Hens enjoy having something to do with their scratching gear.

LOL well one of mine was really getting into it this evening. We added about 20-30 gallons of leaf litter and grass clippings, some of it slightly composted already, with bugs and worms. She called her chicks and scratched so hard she knocked herself over, and more than once sent an excited chick flying when it got in the way of her scratching gear.

 

[Saint_ Marwenne_Chickens]

 

[hlhutchinson]

You can also grow fodder for them once the grass is gone. This way they still get something fresh and green to eat

 

[rosemarythyme]

You can try doing a split or double run. I managed to regrow about 50% of the grass in half of my second run that had been completely stripped bare last year by managing when the chickens had access. While the grass was regrowing I gave my chickens a little time in a dog pen on the side yard so they still got a bit of grass.