Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[Luvachicken]

My pekins have the soil of their 3m omlet run to dig in and then in their wooden run they have a digging pit which is about 2m x1m.

I was thinking of laying them some turf in the digging pit and letting it grow for a couple of weeks before letting them loose on it. Would it stay as grass or would they totally destroy it ?

Also would they mind too much being shut in the 3m run while they waited for the grass to grow ?

[Cat tails]

Dunno about pekins, but I just put down ready grown grass on a roll. Let it settle for a few weeks and then moved the coop to the grass. I figured that these grass rolls are probably cheaper then the wood chips. I need 4 underneath the Go Up run, and they are about €2,50 each. A bag of wood chips is about €13,- and I think won't last me as long.

Looks better too and they like to eat the grass.

[Luvachicken]

Yeah, I might get them some as a treat then and see how long it lasts

[chickenanne2]

I have pekin bantams.

My originals have heavily feathered feet and would do little damage to anything - I let them in the veg patch without worries.

However, I think the the feathered the legs are/longer legged they are, the more damage they can do. The purer "show" bantams will cause little harm, the more bog-standard types are able to scratch far more enthusiastically!

[Luvachicken]

I think I will get them some but it will be difficult keeping them off it until it is growing properly.

[Chortle Chook]

I think a role of grass is a great chicken treat. I let mine enjoy the top, then I turn it over and they enjoy the wormy side too . . . but it doesn't last very long

[redsunset]

I'm about to turf a large area which the chooks won't have access to for about two months until the turf has taken. I have high hopes of grass remaining afterwards (am I mad?)

 

My top lawn was trashed due to flooding last winter and want to seed that (a challenge as well)......

 

Good luck!......to us both

[redbug]

Grass......wats that look like

 

 

Chooks demolish that green stuff

[Cat tails]

I'm actually thinking I might need to mow the "lawn"... Bit of 2,5 m by 2,5 m but I just call it my lawn.

The grass is getting really high in some places. The grass in the run is still quite short, but they don't scratch at it. The only bit that is suffering, is the bit in front of the Grub. All the stuff they spill has turned into some kind of big plaque of mush.

 

I think my chooks are far to busy to eat all the forbidden plants... I thought ferns were rather chicken proof.

 

I was wrong...

 

Poor fern... It didn't stand a chance.

[Chortle Chook]

Yes, I had that with ferns too. One year they were ignored. The next they were decimated

[Luvachicken]

Got them some lovely green turfs and hubby laid them in their digging pit on Sunday afternoon.

I'm hoping to keep them off it for a week and then let them loose.

Who knows how long it will last