chrisnrob Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 Due to me being ill and stuck at home last week, the girls have been free-ranging all day, every day since last Wednesday. I went down the garden earlier to clean out the Eglu and the garden looks like they've been engaging in trench warfare and re-enacting the battle of The Somme!! They seem to make so much more mess than in the summer when the ground's all dry. Heaven knows what it'll look like by spring!! Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 They are a bit heavy handed when it comes to gardening aren't they? Mine are very restricted at the moment - an hour a day if they are lucky. Otherwise I won't have a lawn left by spring, and I am DETERMINED to keep my lawn! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baggins Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 Awwwwww - let them free range. The gardens look dreadful at this time of year (not helped by the girls, I agree) in any case. I'm continually amazed at how lawns recover and, by May, my very own Somme trenches will be lush grass again. Go on .... it's Christmas after all - the pleasure they get from it is immeasurable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 Trouble is they have to share with the children! Don't worry, they have a large run. They managed to wangle a full day in the garden yesterday, so confined to quarters today. They have some fresh aubiose and dry leaves and have been making dustbaths in the shrubbery in the run! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessa the Duchess Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 Snowy wrote: They have some fresh aubiose and dry leaves and have been making dustbaths in the shrubbery in the run! Snowy, what shrubs have you planted in the run that they don't eat, scratch up or otherwise destroy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 Snowy wrote: They have some fresh aubiose and dry leaves and have been making dustbaths in the shrubbery in the run! Snowy, what shrubs have you planted in the run that they don't eat, scratch up or otherwise destroy? I built the run around an existing 'flower' bed Tessa. There is a small ornamental cherry, 2 hebes, a holly, a weigela and a sambuccas. There also used to be a fern, geranium and an ornamental grass. Not sure if they will ever reappear again though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessa the Duchess Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 Snowy wrote: I built the run around an existing 'flower' bed Tessa. There is a small ornamental cherry, 2 hebes, a holly, a weigela and a sambuccas. There also used to be a fern, geranium and an ornamental grass. Not sure if they will ever reappear again though! Thanks for this. I suspect the fern and the geranium are long gone Your run is very pretty with all the plants in it. Tessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 I went down the garden earlier to clean out the Eglu and the garden looks like they've been engaging in trench warfare and re-enacting the battle of The Somme!! Rob Yep; thats what my garden looks like as well. Add in the veg plot with any winter greens cropped down flush with the ground, and it is a very sorry state. But the girls are happy ..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenlover Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 i wish my girls would stay on the lawn long enough to mess it up, any things got to be better than mopping the kitchen floor for the 100th time, they just wont stay outside and keep popping in and looking at me like 'wheres our cuppa?' and leaving a trail of mud chicken prints on the floor!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 my lawn is mud also, we only re-turfed it in September! its covered in mud and leaves and chicken poo, but the girls love it. Was only saying to hubby today that we wont bother to touch it (or look at it) till spring and let them have fun until then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Licken Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 whe we get to spring I will invest in grass seed and evict the chookie girls back onto the allotment! The grass regrows and not having to go onto the allotment in my jamas in the depth of winter is a relief, not to mention the girls can free range in the garden with much less concern about Mr Reynard!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 i wish my girls would stay on the lawn long enough to mess it up, any things got to be better than mopping the kitchen floor for the 100th time, they just wont stay outside and keep popping in and looking at me like 'wheres our cuppa?' and leaving a trail of mud chicken prints on the floor!!!!! I'll give you a little hint - involves the words closed, door and keep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chicklit Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 My three chooks love coming into the kitchen too. When I let them out to free range, it is a race to see who can reach the back door first, me or them. Once inside they drink out of the dog's bowl and generally make themselves at home. My husband says that they would join me on the settee to watch tv if I would let them. Luckily I do have a gate separating the patio from the grass area so I can keep them out if I want to. I'm glad of that because I wouldn't like to have to keep the door shut all the time and that wouldn't be fair to the dogs and cats either who like to come and go as they please when the weather is nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocchick Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 Raking the lawn (or area) helps, or poo picking as the acidity can kill grass at the roots. I just presumed it was all dug up/eaten. I'm glad it's not too wet as I've fallen behind and there are just a few tufts in the mud. We now have a rotation system of 6 months on one lawn, 6 months on the other (regrow lawn on chicken area). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Watch Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 It's my first winter with the girls too. In spring/summer we moved the run every few days - no problem. But now it's a mud bath. Hubbie put his foot down. Bought Omlet fencing 3 weeks ago and now the girls have a fenced off section of the grass of their own (well what is left of the grass.....) and they aren't allowed in the rest of the garden. The master plan is for this plot to be manured all winter and become the veg plot next spring and then the girls can go back to the other side of the lawn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...