chickflick Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 I am about to get some chickens(and a green cube) and i have been told that they trash your gardens.Is this true?Can i see you before and after pictures of your gardens please?I am only thinking of getting 3 but i would like hybrids which i am aware do more trashing! thankyou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbaraJ Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 lol i will take a before pic soon, will probably look like peoples after shots , we are not gardeners. my chickens don't arrive for couple of weeks though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 (edited) chickens havent trashed our garden. Plants intact - the only thing that hasnt survived is our grass , comination of it not growing in the winter and chooks eating it...in the summer the grass is fine! This is my grass NOW !! Edited March 5, 2008 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Watch Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 (edited) You should go for it anyway. Any damage is made up for by the joys of chook keeping. For my lot, trashing depends on the weather and time of year. Got my girls last April. So in Spring/Summer they would free range in my whole garden with only the greenhouse out of bounds and a veg patch with netting in front of it. I moved the eglu every few days and the grass recovered really quickly and went a lovely dark green. They did however eat my daughter's plant within 10 mins of planting (see picture of stalks to the left and pre-chicken attack in the pot right). They make very funny crater sized dust baths where they fancy. But it is just so amusing to watch you will forgive them. Now Winter. That's another matter. The trashing is really just grass. If you keep yours confined to an area of garden it will get trashed. Or you may decide to keep them permanently in the run. My garden sits on clay, gets very waterlogged and after it rains the chooks love to scratch the grass. So they've got their own bit of garden which is now fenced off. So this Winter this..... Turned into this.... Edited March 5, 2008 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 The only thing my 3 girls have decimated is my Johnson's Blue (geranium) - although it looks quite nice as they've pecked at the edges so neatly all the leaves are just a smaller version of what they should be . I'm hoping it'll grow back but don't know if they'll let it . Our grass is rubbish anyway, but they've not damaged it at all, they tend to prefer scratching around in the flowerbeds (and flinging the contents all over the lawn ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welsh sarah Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 i think it depends on how big your garden is, i am lucky i have quite a big garden and only 2 hens ( soon to get more ) they do like to dig in the stones and they have scratched on the lawn but it hasnt effected it because it is big enough to cope i think. also depends on how much free ranging they do, mine are always out 5 hours a day plus all weekend hope this is helpful sarah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 We have very heavy clay soil too...the area where the chickens play is as bald as it is possible to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyren Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Our grass is still recovering from last year - the bits that weren't kept short by the chickens were always too wet to cut and became long, straggly and matted The main problem with chickens is gravel. Whoever landscaped our garden (probably the developers) decided that the perfect thing to do with any narrow strip of bare soil was to cover it in gravel to keep the weeds down. Unfortunately the chickens love kicking it everywhere I think this summer I'm just going to sweep it up and get rid of it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 I have to say mine has not been trashed ... the biggest factor is how much free-ranging they do. Mine have limited playtime, as due to Inspector Fox paying regular visits, I only feel able to let them out if I am in the garden to supervise. It also helps that I have a big garden, around 100 ft, with very established shrubs - they won't damage those. I use Omlet netting to keep them off the veg patch, the only real problem is with pots and tubs - they love to balance on the edge and scratch around, so I use upturned hanging basket frames to cover these where possible. If you are worried, consider a breed with feathery feet - I believe that they don't scratch as much? Or apparently bantams are much less destructive. If your girls free-range a lot, then they will have an impact on the garden, no doubt about it, but you can manage this to some extent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clash City Rocker Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 This photo was taken June 2007 when they first arrived. The 2nd photo was taken Feb 2008. As you can see the "Netting" sold by Omlet I find very useful!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 oh my Clash you have SO MUCH grass!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gooner.girl Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Before... After... Sigh.... And doesn't DH let me know about it... Admittedly that is 5 chickens and 4 ducks (who make way more mess) in a not very big garden.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura & CTB Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Wow Helen - that's quite a contrast Good job they're all worth it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debbie26pet Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 ive only had mine a few weeks but im secretly re thinking how much free range mine do as i dont want the grass to go, ive ordered another run to put on the exsisting one and free range i will let out but not as long? they usually free range from morning till bed time is this to much? hubby wouldnt make a meal of me if my grass goes, Clash City Rocker need tips on sucj lovely green grass whats the secret? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clash City Rocker Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 ive only had mine a few weeks but im secretly re thinking how much free range mine do as i dont want the grass to go, ive ordered another run to put on the exsisting one and free range i will let out but not as long? they usually free range from morning till bed time is this to much? hubby wouldnt make a meal of me if my grass goes, Clash City Rocker need tips on sucj lovely green grass whats the secret? I don't really have a secret for green grass, My chickens don't seem that bothered about digging the lawn up!!!!. they wander about for most of the day but only seem to dig in their dust bath/run area (luckily). I deliberately don't cut the lawn very short, and try to cut it every month through the winter. The other possible reason could be living in a city like Worcester where it is either flooded or recovering from flooding nearly all year round, perhaps that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickflick Posted March 7, 2008 Author Share Posted March 7, 2008 well it seems to depend on many variables not least being the personality of your chickens! I will have to have a flexible approach to how much and where they can free range and see how we go on the garden /grass front.I do have a couple of plans up my sleeve so to speak involving netting if the need arises! I can't believe my cube is coming in less than a week now!Then i have to find some chickens once we have assembled the cube and got sorted out. thanks for all the pictures of your gardens its very interesting to see them all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clucky1 Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 For Helen: I really know that I shouldn't but after a bit of a stressfull hour when I saw your 'before and after' pictures I did burst out laughing. How terrible. Mine isn't alot better to be honest. Maybe astro-turf is the way forward ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Hubby re turfed the lawn today Its looking fantastic! Only cost £30 - should last all summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clucky1 Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Is that what they call 'wishful' thinking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westie Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Hi Gardeners I am considering renting my chooks out as scarifiers. If you have an area of garden that suffers from moss, that's the place to put them. Fortunately for my girls, most of the lawn is actually moss - they love it. it back and let someone/thing do the work. Have lots of fun with your girls when they arrive. Westie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...