Does free ranging destroy lawn?

[NorthGeogia]

I have raised 4-6 hen flocks in my back yard for the past 7 or 8 years. They free range all day and hunt through the lawn, the adjacent forest, and have all the feed they want in the coop.
I've noticed that grass in my lawn is waning and being overcome by moss. Could this be caused by hens overgrazing on the grass?

 

[Chicken-lovebirdchihuahua]

I have my chickens in a fence and they have an acre to roam and I let the grass gro tall try moving there coop around if you have a small coop and enough land

 

[red horse ranch]

Yep! They will destroy a lawn by scratching and digging up the roots of the grass. They love dirt baths and will dig holes wherever they can. I finally had to put my lawn around the house off limits to chickens!

 

[NorthGeogia]

I've got two small, but solid and immovable coops.

 

[ben0125]

I have a 4 acre lawn and a 1 acre bush so I don't really have any issues.

 

[chuckachucka]

In a word, yes.

 

[chuckachucka]

Think of chickens as small, slow acting bulldozers.

 

[lazy gardener]

NO. What you are describing is not the fault of your chickens. It is the fault of poor soil management, and perhaps not enough sunlight. Are the trees that you mention shading your lawn?

Chickens will scratch up the sod. They will make dust baths here and there. They will not cause grass to be replaced by moss.

If you have a lot of shade, that may need to be fixed. I suggest that you get a soil test done. Moss is favored by a low pH. Your lawn fix may be as simple as keeping the birds off it for a while. During this time, you would adjust pH with proper application of lime, fertilizer, and over seeding with a grass mix appropriate to your micro-climate.

 

[DwayneNLiz]

i agree completely with lg, though i have found that they do like to dig in my flower gardens dust pit under my lilacs

 

[Birdinhand]

here's my long answer: yes :')