Old Speckled Hen Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 (edited) I have bought some chicken grass ( 12 different species of grass) from the Grass Seed Store and I plan to divide the garden into two to reseed one half while chooks are in the other. Hubby had the perhaps brilliant idea to sow ordinary grass seed in the borders so that the chooks will eat that instead Somehow "The best laid plans" comes to mind I know a few omleteers are trying this same grass so it would be really useful to compare notes as the year goes on. I'll keep the thread alive with updates. Yesterday we raked and spiked the lawn which was very hard work as our soil is very heavy and half the area sits on a rocky, shaded, mossy, slope. Our girlies helped along the way and have scratched some splendid holes!!! I also ordered some wet ground wild meadow seed to throw into the borders and round the edge of the garden and some omlet netting is on its way to imprison our girls in half a garden. I wonder how it will do Expensive stuff. Edited June 9, 2009 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecky Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 That sounds very interesting, but indeed very very expensive. I will have to reseed areas in the future and was thinking of quick growing football lawn, but this sounds nicer and more appropriate. My chicken are only around for 1 1/2 weeks and the damage can already been seen (the are too shy to use the whole 36m2 of netted area and just stay in the 3 m3 cube run). Keep us posted on your findings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubereglu Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Let us know how you get on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Speckled Hen Posted March 29, 2009 Author Share Posted March 29, 2009 We sowed the seed yesterday having omlet fenced the chooks into a border area. Mmmmm not very happy hens Half the garden is on a slope and it is this mossy area that has suffered most from grass destruction. Here's hubby with our expensive seed Will have to see how it grows. Frost last night would you believe it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Speckled Hen Posted April 28, 2009 Author Share Posted April 28, 2009 One month on and everything is looking much better. There are a few missing patches where one little devil has escaped on the odd occasion. We have planted wild flowers with a view to changing that part of the garden into more of a wildlife "meadow" area. Still waiting for those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Looks good - so there is hope for grass AND chickens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggalp Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 wow thats looking really good, i am definately interested to see how this goes! my lawn looks pretty bad at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surrey Hen Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 We have a bag of this seed from the Grass Seed Store too and are just getting ready to use it to patch up our lawn. I'll let you know how we get on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Speckled Hen Posted June 9, 2009 Author Share Posted June 9, 2009 From THIS To THIS Then THIS And THIS They are all loving it and enjoy eating the grass seeds waving infront of their faces. Worth the wait. We are leaving half the garden wild and have planted wild flowers in with the grass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mutrix Farmers Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 Wow what a difference. We bought some chicken grass and have sowed a small test patch, so your results will encourage us to sow some more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poachedegg Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 That last photo looks fab! They look like they are having lots of fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 That looks lovely DA, so natural. I wish I had the room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Speckled Hen Posted June 9, 2009 Author Share Posted June 9, 2009 Wow what a difference. We bought some chicken grass and have sowed a small test patch, so your results will encourage us to sow some more. The thing to do,I have discovered, is to give the grass enough time to get a good root system which makes it bomb-proof. We kept chooks off for three months and though I was itching to let them out of their smaller area (we fenced them in to a 30ft x 4 ft hedge border) Hubby said NOOOOOOO and he was right,really. That extra month made all the difference; the root system is quite secure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Speckled Hen Posted June 9, 2009 Author Share Posted June 9, 2009 That looks lovely DA, so natural. I wish I had the room. We don't have that much,Claret. The garden is three quarters of a square, the house inside that, slotted into the hillside. The east side is VERY overhung by the neighbour's oak and beech, on a steep slope and quite dark. It's here that we planted the chicken grass and wild flowers used to dark and damp. It's a strip some 10ft x 30ft that would have been barren and useless. We've had to net off the rockery that it leads down to, by the kitchen window, as I got quite used to the lovely plants I had put in it when the tribe were imprisoned. Good old Omlet netting. Wonderful stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffin Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 Brilliant! Are they on the new bit of grass all the time now? If so how well do you think it's coping? Do you think it'll last long or will it need re-seeding again eventually? Sorry for asking so many questions but it's a constant battle for us to have any grass at all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pedro1962 Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 Daft of the day! On a somewhat related subject, has anyone tried chamomile lawn with their hens? I suspect it would last less than a second, but at least they would have a restful night... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Speckled Hen Posted June 9, 2009 Author Share Posted June 9, 2009 Not so daft. I think I will add some seeds to my wild patch and see if the hens eat the plants. I think the only thing mine wouldn't eat is gorse. Actually I think I'm being rather unkind. It's not the eating so much as the scratching everywhere. Oh well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Speckled Hen Posted June 9, 2009 Author Share Posted June 9, 2009 Brilliant! Are they on the new bit of grass all the time now? If so how well do you think it's coping? Do you think it'll last long or will it need re-seeding again eventually? Sorry for asking so many questions but it's a constant battle for us to have any grass at all They free range all day. The grass is that long that it will hopefully take some time to trash it. My intention is to treat it like a wildflower meadow and cut it just the once in the autumn. If it looks bad over winter I will simply pen the chooks up for a month in their "border run" and reseed in the spring. They didn't seem to mind being restricted but I missed seeing them potter round the garden and visit me for a chat and the odd grape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pedro1962 Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Not so daft.I think I will add some seeds to my wild patch and see if the hens eat the plants. I think the only thing mine wouldn't eat is gorse. Actually I think I'm being rather unkind. It's not the eating so much as the scratching everywhere. Oh well Rather than seed, I was considering using plug plants like this. However, they are expensive to cover a large area and I suspect the little blighters would destroy it in less than a nano-second! Maybe just 10 plants as an eggsperiment... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beulah59 Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 I've found the grass seed store website ... but can't locate 'chicken grass'!! Please can you post a link? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Speckled Hen Posted June 23, 2009 Author Share Posted June 23, 2009 Hi beulah59 It's here. http://www.thegrassseedstore.co.uk/agricultural-grass-free-range-poultry-c-21_34.html?gclid=CI7O7LTUiZgCFQnllAodCFj-CQ Mine has been a great success but I did keep the hens off it for ten or so weeks. It's so long now that the chooks don't make much of an impression on it as they just pick small bits off the top and it is too dense to scratch around in. Having confined them to a long border full of hardy bushes etc. they tend to scratch around in that even though it is not fenced off any more Just as well as OH was getting really ratty about the state of the garden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 I have to say that I long for the land to be able to have a long grass meadow. We were walking the dog through one at the weekend, and I envy Lesley's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beulah59 Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Thanks! We don't have our hens yet (waiting for some ex-batts over the summer) but I like to be one step ahead! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Speckled Hen Posted June 23, 2009 Author Share Posted June 23, 2009 Thanks! We don't have our hens yet (waiting for some ex-batts over the summer) but I like to be one step ahead! That's wonderful. Plant now and you'll have an indestructible lawn. I wish I had had the foresight. It's not cheap but cheaper than arguments with the OH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henergy Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Wow that grass looks super. Wonderful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
