Turf

[Pony Girl]

Hello All,

Hope you and your chooks are all well.

We let our 3 bantams free-range in our small town garden. Unfortunately the grass, which was never particularly good, is now more bare earth than grass. I don't think this is all down to the chickens though because but rather more to do with a wet winter and moving around on the ground, putting up new fence and chicken house.

We are considering putting down turf but husband-2-be is concerned that the chickens will just dig it up and reduce it to mud again. What are your thoughts on this? Do you think it's worth doing?

Unfortunately it's not really practical to section the garden off and sow seed.

Pony Girl x

 

[podstable]

I bet most chicken areas are like that at the moment-.mine is! I'd wait a few weeks and see -it may recover with some rain and sun if you can keep them off it. They'd probably wreck new turf even more before it gets rooted in! Ros

 

[dominique]

Hello Pony girl,

I made a nice new run for my new growers last year, turfed it - looked lovely!
In a few weeks it had gone!
However, i did read somewhere to put plastic mesh (like flooring) over the grass - this means they can still peck, but cant scratch it up. Dont know if it helps either the chickens or the grass though...

 

[Lucylou]

Don't know if it works but how about that tuff grass that's supposed to survive drought conditions etc. Its supposed to be very tough. Don't know if its good for chooks or anything but maybe worth investigating. They might still scratch it up though!

 

[girlracer265]

i have divided and grass seeded, turf is expensive imo
too good for chooks lol