Do chickens need grass?

[mazel-bee]

I know it is a silly question, but I'll try my luck anyway.
I want a chicken. I used to have chicken which was great, now I have moved. I have some dirt, pebbles, shelter and lots of love to give. However, I don't have any grass. It could scratch around and have plenty of grubs.

[Digger-07]

Chickens do not need grass but they are "flock" birds so really do need company. They will scratch around anywhere and you could make life more interesting for them by putting down some mulch, bark chippings and straw for them to occupy their time. They will benifit from some green plant stuff but this could be hung up in the run and will help stop them pulling feathers.

[Snadger]

I know nothing at all about chickens but felt quite sorry for the ones on an allotment near me as they had bare ground to run around on and looked quite forlorn!
I intend to get some next year but will probaly opt for the movable coop & run which will at least give them a change of scenery!

[rustylady]

Trouble with chickens is that if you don't have a moveable run, even if you site it on grass, they soon destroy the grass by pecking, scratching and eating.

When we were kids, Dad used to keep 5 chickens in what was called an Ark - sort of triangle shaped effort with nest boxes at one end and a covered run at the other. The whole thing used to get moved around the garden at regular intervals. They did a good job of eating the slugs etc, and also left plenty of fertiliser.

I'm doing the same sort of thing with the guinea pigs (fertiliser and cutting the grass for me) but they don't lay eggs. (Sorry!)

[Snadger]

Trouble with chickens is that if you don't have a moveable run, even if you site it on grass, they soon destroy the grass by pecking, scratching and eating.

When we were kids, Dad used to keep 5 chickens in what was called an Ark - sort of triangle shaped effort with nest boxes at one end and a covered run at the other. The whole thing used to get moved around the garden at regular intervals. They did a good job of eating the slugs etc, and also left plenty of fertiliser.

I'm doing the same sort of thing with the guinea pigs (fertiliser and cutting the grass for me) but they don't lay eggs. (Sorry!)

The Ark is exactly what I fancy, the only problem I can see is that being transportable I would arrive one day to find it had been transported onto the back of a wagon! Could always chain it to something I suppose!

Guinea Fowl lay eggs so why not Guinea pigs? Keep me some if they do! Lol

[yoanbob]

MB you should be fine with no grass, bark chippings make fun flooring for them, also an occational lettuce would be good, but you do need 2 chooks, its quite cruel to keep just 1.
good luck.

[CountryFayre]

I think all in all, chickens would prefer woodchips with insects rather than grass. As lonf as they have somewhere dry (not a mud pit) whicj is easier said than done in this sort of weather then they are happy. Even with a moveable ark, in this weather they have to be kept on the move frequently to stop the ground being churned up, so you do need a bit of space to keep moving to. A paved area with chippings etc and a dust bath would be just as nice for them and a lot easier to keep clean

[mazel-bee]

How exciting After xmas I think I will be building a home for mrs chicken

[Snadger]

How exciting After xmas I think I will be building a home for mrs chicken

Has the poor old dear not got a home to go to now then?

[yoanbob]

dont foret mazel-bee that chooks are social animals, you will need to get at least two if you dont want to be cruel. good luck and any q's just ask.

[heidi05]

chickens and mud

hi due to the last 4 days of horrendous rain i have run out of space to put my babies, and have been reduced to scratching around on mud i have contemplated keeping them in for a couple of days but feel that they would hateme for it, all five of them are still laying every day good quality eggs, would it be better to put straw down for them to scratch or something else please advise as we are fairly new to all this and have only had them for about 4 weeks, they have a large ark and a 10 foot run at the moment, we are in the process of sorting out the back garden with a veggie patch that is totally under water at the moment i feel as though i am fighting a loosing battle at the moment with it all.

[Snadger]

hi due to the last 4 days of horrendous rain i have run out of space to put my babies, and have been reduced to scratching around on mud i have contemplated keeping them in for a couple of days but feel that they would hateme for it, all five of them are still laying every day good quality eggs, would it be better to put straw down for them to scratch or something else please advise as we are fairly new to all this and have only had them for about 4 weeks, they have a large ark and a 10 foot run at the moment, we are in the process of sorting out the back garden with a veggie patch that is totally under water at the moment i feel as though i am fighting a loosing battle at the moment with it all.

I've been very worried about my chooks (to the point of not sleeping when it's blowing a gale outside!) but have found that by installing perches in the run they spend most of there time climbing around on these rather than on the sodden woodchipped earth on the bottom.
It also means they have a lookout, being higher on the perch, and can spot me coming to feed them from 50 metres away!

The perches are made of 2 inch square timber slightly rounded on the top two edges.........a definite worthwhile investment! (even though it cost me nowt!)

[Eyren]

hi due to the last 4 days of horrendous rain i have run out of space to put my babies, and have been reduced to scratching around on mud i have contemplated keeping them in for a couple of days but feel that they would hateme for it, all five of them are still laying every day good quality eggs, would it be better to put straw down for them to scratch or something else please advise as we are fairly new to all this and have only had them for about 4 weeks, they have a large ark and a 10 foot run at the moment, we are in the process of sorting out the back garden with a veggie patch that is totally under water at the moment i feel as though i am fighting a loosing battle at the moment with it all.

You could definitely try straw to combat the mud problem - also, is there any way you could rig a "roof" over part of the run, with a tarpaulin or even just an old shower curtain and some bungees? I have a cover over mine (admittedly it's only a little eglu run) and it does make a big difference.

Secondly, don't feel bad if you do keep them in, provided they've got enough space in the ark to move around without getting in one another's way. I keep my three bantams in their covered eglu run whenever it's wet, otherwise the idiot creatures stand around in the drizzle looking wretched. Hang up a small wire bird feeder (the sort used to hold a fat block) filled with halved apple or some greens - mine adore carrot tops and chard - and they'll be quite happy. Chickens are simple creatures compared to cats and dogs, they really don't care about us except as a source of food

[di]

We cover the mud with straw also & it really does help!Word of advice would be to find a farm that sells it by the bale(we get ours for 2.50)It would cost us a fortune if we got it from petshop!

[sarflo]

We are currently building our hen hotel and are having paving at the bottom of the run covered with woodchips or something like it. We're also putting a corrugated plastic roof on-will this be enough to keep them happy? Planning to get 3 on saturday