While the chickens pace back and forth and beg in their native chicken tongue for me to "let my people go" I know I am doing right by not letting them free range. It breaks my heart to literally coop them up, but we have had a wild ride in this, the first early spring that I have lived with my chickens. Last year at this time they were fluffy balls of down sitting in a box in my family room. This year they are full grown and have showed me the full super powers of their grazing abilities.
When winter passed so early here in the north the chickens were grateful, and I was happy that they could get out and dig around for early bugs, but what I wasn't banking on was the destruction they were doing to our lawn. Every time a blade of grass would try to green up it was gobbled up by the chickens, desperate for those spring greens. The yard didn't stand a chance against the league of 9 ravaging it! It had gotten to the point where we had just a barren patch of earth with dust and mud. They ate it all and what they didn't eat, they dug out! I guess that is something you have to learn the hard way. No one ever tells you about that. So, a little advice from one newb to the next, be careful about letting them onto your lawn before the lawn is established or it will be destroyed!
We have since planted seed and it is slowly coming in, but we are a long way from anything I would consider lush.
When winter passed so early here in the north the chickens were grateful, and I was happy that they could get out and dig around for early bugs, but what I wasn't banking on was the destruction they were doing to our lawn. Every time a blade of grass would try to green up it was gobbled up by the chickens, desperate for those spring greens. The yard didn't stand a chance against the league of 9 ravaging it! It had gotten to the point where we had just a barren patch of earth with dust and mud. They ate it all and what they didn't eat, they dug out! I guess that is something you have to learn the hard way. No one ever tells you about that. So, a little advice from one newb to the next, be careful about letting them onto your lawn before the lawn is established or it will be destroyed!
We have since planted seed and it is slowly coming in, but we are a long way from anything I would consider lush.
Another issue we have been dealing with is that there is a healthy hawk population in our area all of a sudden. I don't know if their presence has anything to do with the plotting of a hen heist or what? One afternoon there were 15 hawk doing circles over our yard! It was crazy, I have never seen anything like it! They often do a slow "drive by" very low over the yard and scope out the situation, see if the hens are out. The hens had stopped laying almost completely and I read that the stress of having predators constantly around makes their production really low.
Since we have cooped them up they have begun laying again, so although they are stuck in their run all day and can't roam free, I know they are safe and we are getting eggs. In the future we will be looking to extend the run so they have a little more space. As a chicken farmer, their safety and egg production is my main priority.
Since we have cooped them up they have begun laying again, so although they are stuck in their run all day and can't roam free, I know they are safe and we are getting eggs. In the future we will be looking to extend the run so they have a little more space. As a chicken farmer, their safety and egg production is my main priority.
"CLUCK! FREE THE BIRDS! CLUCK!"