4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[lyd119]

Hi

we have 4 new chooks and we have been letting them into their netted temporary run til the WIR is finished. However the grass is already starting to thin and the poo is everywhere!! we thought about constricting them to one part of the garden but they love grass and that is what makes the eggs nice (not that we've had any yet) and it would soon be gone. Our garden is not big or small and doesn't really have any flower beds. We would let them free range but because of the poo and ALL the grass going we aren't too keen on doing so. Also our friends who live in the next postcode area had 3 chooks and when they let them out in the garden (with them in the house with music on) a fox came and got the girls at 2 in the afternoon and left the heads on their decking

 

what should we do??

 

Lydia

[Plum]

You're doing ok. Why not rake up the poo from your netted area and move the netted area to a different area, put some seed down on the old area and it'll soon sprout again.

You can swap between the areas.

If I were you I definately wouldn't let them free range it would be awful if the fox got them. Lucky you getting a walk in run.

[xScrunchee]

I wouldn't worry too much about them enjoying the grass. I give my girls spinach, cabbage, spring greens etc because I only let them out of their WIR when we are in the garden.

Too many people have their chooks killed by foxes because they think that the girls are safe during the day or when the people are at home pottering around the house. Sadly this is not the case at all and I am not prepared to take a chance with my girls so unless I am in the garden-they stay in their run.

Better safe than sorry.

 

Hopefully their WIR will be finished soon and then you will have peace of mind.

Until then I would just carry on with what you are doing and when the grass has gone, throw some green veg in and that'll keep the eggs nice.

[Egluntyne]

Mine don't get to eat grass anymore and their eggs are beautiful.

 

Other greens such as broccoli and cabbage will be fine as replacements.

[teri]

mine are in a WIR that has wood chip on the floor due to the rain turning their patch into a swamp

they do free range but only when im in the garden. as for grass i just chuck a few handfulls in after i've mowed the lawn! other than that they have plenty of greens from the neighbours veggie patch. their eggs are great!

[chickenanne]

I guess if the lawn is really desperate, re-seeding with seed mix designed for family lawns would help: designed to survive kids playing football, it's got to have a better chance of survival than a finer mix!