Installing Indoor Cat Tree

[Guest]

The girlies have destroyed our lawn over the winter, so we now literally have a mud bath for a back garden!

 

Any tips or advice or growing a new lawn, or are we better laying turf??

[Lesley]

Don't bother with either unless you can make a separate area for the girls

[Guest]

Don't bother with either unless you can make a separate area for the girls

 

 

Depends on time, energy, area and finances, plus the above.

 

Seeded lawns are cheaper and look better in the long run.

 

Turfed lawns are quicker but more expensive.

[Chunkin]

Me too Shona!

 

I was thinking that turf would stand up to them better and hoping that if I move the run off the grass completely it would be OK?

 

Now they've built up their confidence they free range around the whole garden (all 25 * 30 ft of it!) so I was also hoping that next year the new grass might live???

 

Am I expecting too much?

[kannie]

Ours is awful too! I really wish I'd kept up with the leaf fall, as Matilda just scratches any area with a covering to bits. And she has such an extremely powerful kick that she has sent half the flower beds onto the lawn too.

 

I got a garden vac to try & clear it up, but too late I fear.

 

I think all we can do now is wait till the grass starts to grow. As long as the roots are still there, there is a chance. We just need the temp to stay above 60C, at night, I believe....

 

Next year I definately won't give the lawn it's last autumn cut: the chooks will do that for me!

[Guest]

We didn't have to cut the grass once after we got the girlies, and everything was fine until the winter came and the grass stopped growing! We have decided to build them a run for next winter at one end of the garden that they can stay in through-out the colder months.

 

We still have little stubs of grass, but to be honest, we've never had the best lawn in the village! Once it gets warmer, I think we'll try some grass seed and keep the kids and chooks of it for a few weeks to give it a chance to grow!

[Guest]

I too have a mud bath for a lawn and we have our landlady coming around and she doesnt even know we are keeping chickens!! Whoops!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Cate in NZ]

Hide the chickens and tell her that you've got football playing boyfriends My lawn's actually marginally better since I changed the main function of our garden from being my son & his mates private football pitch to the chickens playground

And the chickens actually provide food to go in the fridge- not empty it

Good luck with the landlady Angelfire. Do you think she's likely to object to chickens

[Diana1]

If only they ate moss. Luckily our grass is not a mud bath. it is nice and short and the moss is revealed.

[angelfire]

Thanks for your reply alpefamily.Its really going to be hard to persuade my landlady when she sees the state of the lawn/mud. I really hope she doesnt object to them as there is no way they are going anywhere without us!!!!

[Mel (& Paul)]

Complain that her garden is waterlogged and that's why its in such a state. Say that as you are such good tenants you wont ask her to reduce the rent, but ask if she would pay to have the lawn re-turfed

[Cate in NZ]

I like it Mel

[Guest]

I too have a mud bath for a lawn and we have our landlady coming around and she doesnt even know we are keeping chickens!! Whoops!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Nip out and get some spray cans of green paint!

[Guest]

Got a friendly old fashioned green grocer with that green grass they lay the fruit and veg on.

 

 

Astro turf?

 

Don't answer the door and barricade the back gate?

 

Do a moonlight flit?

[clare*]

I hoped someone may have posted not to worry with all that poo on the grass it will come back better than ever when it starts to grow again

 

I keep telling my husband this

[angelfire]

Don't answer the door and barricade the back gate?

 

I might try this option Kooringer!! LOL

[The Dogmother]

Mine is only bald where i have been traipsing down to the Eglu, the rest is ok.

[piggyonemoon]

yep, the grass is going to be a problem for me too, soon.

 

its ok that the chickens poop where they want to, because my kids haven't played in the garden too much through the winter, but now the weather is slowly getting better, they want to go out more and more. thats great for them, but they keep walking poop into the house. they are very good really, about taking their wellies off etc, but what do i do when its really nice and they want to play on the grass and sit out there ( and i want to sunbath lying on the grass, sipping iced drinks, dreaming of val kilmer, brad pitt.... ) sorry got carried away.

 

i dont really want to have to keep them in their run, but dont really want to fence off any more garden. its a dilema

[Lesley-Jean]

i dont really want to have to keep them in their run

Children or chickens

[Guest]

yep, the grass is going to be a problem for me too, soon.

 

its ok that the chickens poop where they want to, because my kids haven't played in the garden too much through the winter, but now the weather is slowly getting better, they want to go out more and more. thats great for them, but they keep walking poop into the house. they are very good really, about taking their wellies off etc, but what do i do when its really nice and they want to play on the grass and sit out there ( and i want to sunbath lying on the grass, sipping iced drinks, dreaming of val kilmer, brad pitt.... ) sorry got carried away.

 

i dont really want to have to keep them in their run, but dont really want to fence off any more garden. its a dilema

 

You have three choices - well four really - well five!

 

1) Scoop them up - the poo not the children

2) Hose them down to get rid of them - can apply to either or all.

3)Buy a hammock for your sunbathing

4)Get rid of the children

 

 

The 5th option does not really apply - unthinkable even so won't even type it.

[The Dogmother]

I got our girls at the end of last summer, and didn't really notice too much poo then, but we only had 3 hens in those days. Having said that, bantams do smaller poos.

[Mel (& Paul)]

Well that's a relief

[Sheilaz]

I hoped someone may have posted not to worry with all that poo on the grass it will come back better than ever when it starts to grow again I keep telling my husband this

 

Don't worry, with all that poo on the grass it will come back better than ever!

PS. Was that OK Clare? That's what I tell OH too!

[Mel (& Paul)]

Nice one

[The Dogmother]

My electric scarifier is virtually redundant these days