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My husband wants to raise some chickens this year because of the price of chicken and eggs these days, I am just wondering how badly they will hurt my lawn.

Honey said:

My husband wants to raise some chickens this year because of the price of chicken and eggs these days, I am just wondering how badly they will hurt my lawn.

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I have chickens. The answer to your question is dependent on the variables.
Good Luck

Chickens are fun ... but I don't think you are going to have them wondering at will over your lawn... you may find that you'll want to confine them to a certain area, more for their protection from your and the neighborhood pets... I'm not sure why but most dogs have the feeling that chicken tastes good... and they are fun to chase. Either will cut into your egg production...:smile:KennyV

My dad does.

He fences them in, but he moves that spot around every month or so. They raise hell with a lawn. They dig for worms, their poop, although good in smaller quantities, seem to poison the grass en masse. Their walking style, combined with their claws, literally can turn the spot they walk on to a naked spot of earth. The extent to which they do all of this depends on the agressiveness of the breed, too.

The affected areas take awhile to recover....(if you move them around). It's akin to leaving a tent set up for a month. This all is in his case. I'm sure they are not all that way.

Due to egg prices, they're worth it, tho......watch the breed.

What are some breeds to look for and what are the worst so I can avoid them. I am a newbie at this, so any information would be appreciated.

Honey said:

What are some breeds to look for and what are the worst so I can avoid them. I am a newbie at this, so any information would be appreciated.

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The two best that we had were Leghorn and Rhode Island Reds...
Both are cool looking chickens.... (if there really is such a thing)... :smile:KennyV

Honey, I don't know if you live in an urban area but if you do, you might want to check your local zoning laws -- before you invest in birds and/or equipment. Where I live most of the time (City of Atlanta) most farm animals (including chickens) are illegal to keep. Some people do it anyway but, if they get caught, the least that will happen is that they will have to get rid of their chicken operation.

I don't have any close neighbors raising chickens but the idea of having that next door to me isn't pleasant -- the smell alone would make it undesirable.

On the other hand, I think the best reason to have laying hens is for the quality and freshness of the eggs. You don't save that much money but really fresh eggs are much better than store-bought.

Two-Stroke said:

I don't have any close neighbors raising chickens but the idea of having that next door to me isn't pleasant -- the smell alone would make it undesirable.

On the other hand, I think the best reason to have laying hens is for the quality and freshness of the eggs. You don't save that much money but really fresh eggs are much better than store-bought.

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Actually a well kept chicken coop will have no smell...
A neglected coop can be brutal. If you get to have chickens, I would hope you put the work into keeping happy chicks... :smile:KennyV

Honey said:

My husband wants to raise some chickens this year because of the price of chicken and eggs these days, I am just wondering how badly they will hurt my lawn.

Click to expand...

If you eat less than 2 dozen eggs a week, Raising chickens to save money on eggs is not going to meet your financial goals for about a year maybe more if you have problems. Chickens don't really make financial sense unless you have a small flock of good laying hens and a large flock of paying customers to buy the eggs. Lets face it, eggs have gone up but they are still a pretty cheap source of good nutrition.
Yes they are easy to take care of but will require some significant up front costs as you will need a coop and probably some fencing. Depending on where you live it's most likely your biggest problem will be hawks.
If you want a hobby or enjoy animal husbandry then have at it. There are at least a hundred different breeds and crosses you can chose from and there is a lot to learn.
This is the best website I have found, it's a good one. I suggest you throughly educate yourself before you make any purchases.
Chicken Learning Center - Raise Chickens, Incubate Eggs, Hatch Chicks

As far as the grass goes, it's really hard to say without knowing where you live, how big your lawn is, what type of grass you have, how many chickens you have, and what type they are.

Hello Honey,
There is a lot more to raising chickens than you can imagine. I've raised chickens for at least 14 years and I am still learning. I have gone both routes, buying chicks and hatching my own. There a many different breeds of chickens and the personalities of the breeds, bird weights, and egg laying production will vary from breed to breed. For example, the Leghorns are flighty and not very friendly but will lay a lot of large white eggs. Because they are a small chicken, they will easily fly over a 4' high fence. On the other hand, brown egg layers like the Australorp, Brahmas, Orpingtons are heavier birds, cannot fly and are generally very friendly. I have some at this time that are about 7 years old, they stopped laying, but they will still come to me and sit on my lap from time to time.

I will tell you up front, there is nothing like a fresh egg for breakfast and if you raise your own chickens, you know what you are eating, but don't think you are going to save money raising your own. You will be lucky in the long run to break out even when you consider the feed and some meds you will need along the way. (and that doesn't include the cost of a chicken coop you may have to build). My chickens give me a lot of entertainment and I spend a lot of time with them, but now that they are older and don't produce eggs anymore, they are just pets and no egg income.

To maximize egg production, the chickens should have about 14 hours of light, either sunlight or light from a light bulb. The chickens need a shelter to protect them from the elements and to roost at night and not have to worry about raccoons, skunks, foxes, owls, oppossums, dogs, bobcats, etc.

Attached is a photo of my chicken coop which is heated in winter and has exhaust fans for cooling in the summer. The fenced-in run is protected by a 6,000 volt electric fence to ward off predators.

You can email me to get my phone number and I will give you as much info as you need to know about raising chickens. I live in Connecticut.

Rick