Chucky Mama Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 My chooks free range all day and OH likes to keep his lawn in good shape. We have a lawn care company that would come 4-6 times a year to treat it - weed killer, lawn feed etc. However I don't like the chap as when I asked him if what he was putting down was safe for the chickens he did the ' I haven't heard of any problems' type response. He thinks I am a mad chicken woman and he doesn't really know what is in the stuff he spreads. Does anyone know of any good chicken friendly lawn care products that I can use to keep OH happy and the chooks healthy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules. Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 good question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted May 29, 2009 Author Share Posted May 29, 2009 I've just seen the Green Thinking section; maybe I should have posted this question there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggalp Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 i would be interested to know the answer to this too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poachedegg Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 We use GreenThumb and this is their reply regarding animals and children from their website: Is it safe for my children or pets? Yes it is. We do ask that you keep off the lawn until the weedkiller has dried (usually less than 1 hour). This is to prevent you walking the weedkiller off the weeds. Think about this…by using our service you will no longer have half full bottles of concentrated lawn weedkiller in your garden shed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmamakeup Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 I'm really keen to keep my lawn looking nice too and went to the garden centre yesterday. When my girls were all safe in their Eglu last night I attached a bottle of Evergreen lawn feed to my hose and sprayed it on the lawn. It didn't say either whether it was/was not safe for children and pets but did say that it's great for wear and tear of the lawn by children and pets. This one doesn't have weedkiller in it though. I've seen the Evergreen complete which you sprinkle on and water in and it does say that the stuff has to be well watered in before letting pets and children venture onto it. As I did mine at night it gives the lawn a good 12 or so hours before the chooks are out and so far so good. I'm actually noticing a difference to the lawn already However I'm really keen to hear from you all re any fab products you recommend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyhas3chucks Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 excuse me but aren't we ALL "mad chicken persons?" that'sall very well walking on it, but most pets don't eat it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted May 29, 2009 Author Share Posted May 29, 2009 excuse me but aren't we ALL "mad chicken persons?" :lol: that'sall very well walking on it, but most pets don't eat it! Yes it is the eating of it that is the concern for me. Both the chooks and Kevin the tortoise use the lawn as a salad bar and this is what concerns me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angels4 Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 I've just seen the Green Thinking section; maybe I should have posted this question there? Good idea. I'll just pop it over there for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prudance Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 There are some companies equivalent to GreenThumb who use organic products for fertilising your lawns. I even found one who's MD keeps free-ranging chickens. We used GT happily for years until we got the chickens. I don't like the idea of them eating grass that has been chemically treated (though I'm sure most of my food is!). Also, the fertiliser that they used was in the form of tiny orange balls that took up to 4 weeks to dissapear depending on weather. Even GT said that perhaps I'd need to keep chickens confined until they dissapeared. The organic fertiliser equivalents exist but the weedkiller doesn't. Fortunately, chickens don't like eating dead weeds, so we only need to keep them off for 12 hours now. the organic option is more expensive and you might not be able to find someone who covers your area. They all seem to be small companies covering small areas. Hope that helps someone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
majorbloodnock Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 One of the most effective lawn feeds I've seen is actually free, and is the "secret" of more than a few elderly gardeners with immaculate lawns. Put simply, pee into a bucket, top up the bucket with water and use that to water your lawn. Whether or not it's chicken friendly depends on what you consumed within the last 24 hours However, grass is pretty hardy stuff, and lawns only really benefit from fertilisers because they're constantly being encouraged to grow and then having a lot of that new growth taken away from them. Mulching mowers work on the principle of cutting the waste really fine and then injecting it back into the lawn so it can decompose quickly and feed the lawn; effectively, the lawn can fertilise itself. Mulching mowers are a bit more expensive because they need to be more powerful than equivalent conventional mowers, but they're well worth researching. The final added benefit I've found is that, because they're leaving the cuttings on the lawn (not that you'd know it to look at), there's no continual emptying of a collector. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
