I have no grass and....

ginnie5 · #1 05/13/11, 07:22 PM

one chicken managed to escape the backyard today......stupid chicken got stuck in the poison ivy on the other side of the fence. I guess it truly was greener on the other side of the fence. Kids couldn't get her to come out poking at her with a stick so I got the honor of suiting up and going in after her. If I come down with poison ivy she is chicken soup! Now about the grass.....dh is not exactly thrilled that the backyard that used to lush and green with weeds and grass is now brown and dry. The front yard is lush and green with weeds though so it is definitely the chickens doing it. Granted all we have is crabgrass but hey it is a form of grass. It makes less work on the child whose job it is to cut grass but the dh frowns everytime he looks at it. Does anyone keep grass that chickens are on? This is the first year we have had them loose. I'm not even feeding them (I love that part!) and getting big orange yolked eggs. If I could mange to get a little bit of green though it would be the best of both worlds.......happy chickens and happy dh.

chickenmommy · #2 05/13/11, 07:49 PM

I saw pics of a chicken pen a while back that the people had built 1x1 frames and attached rabbit wire to them. Made enough to cover the whole chicken pen. Grass was green and lush and beautiful. The chickens could eat it, but not scratch it up. And all the poo got washed through the wire and fertilized the grass. Best of both worlds. Don't know how the chickens liked walking on rabbit wire all the time though.

ginnie5 · #3 05/13/11, 07:55 PM

we've got 20 something.....it would have to be huge. I guess they are gonna have to stay in some and see if the grass will make an appearance.

chickenmommy · #4 05/13/11, 10:28 PM

Try splitting up the area they range on. Then alternate which area they are allowed in as the grass grows in.

taterwayne · #5 05/20/11, 10:06 AM

try planting some Bahia grass,grows really fast,and it's thick.It's also pretty drought resistant

trbizwiz · #6 05/20/11, 10:30 AM

When you get grass established again, dont cut it so short either. I am guessing you cut at 2.5 inches or so. Try cutting at 4 inches. Also dont ever cut more than a third off the grass at a time. That will keep the grass roots healthier and the chickens will not be able to scratch it up. Get some legumes in there too like clover or alfalfa. It will help balance out the omega three and six fatty acids in your eggs, plus it is very high in protein which will benifit your hens as well.