How long should pasture "rest" before the next chicken tractor?

[feetsoup]

I hope this is the right section...

I think I understand the mechanics of running a chicken tractor over pasture in the ideal world where I have infinite space, but I'm having trouble figuring out how many chickens I could reasonably run in a limited space over a given period of time, basically how many chickens my lawn can support. Can anyone help me with the algebra of figuring this out? I feel like I'm doing word problems for a test I haven't studied for...

I think what it boils down to is: how long do I need to wait before I can safely move a chicken tractor over a space it's already been on again? Weeks? Months? I haven't a clue!

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

Quote:
Depends on how fast your grass grows.... If it grows back sufficiently in a week, then its a week. If it takes a month, then its a month.

 

[feetsoup]

Don't I have to worry about overloading the grass with chicken manure? I'm more concerned with sanitation/accidentally killing my grass.

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

Chicken manure is sold in 80lb bags as fertilizer, if you manage it right, it should HELP your lawn, not burn it.

 

[1birdlady]

Chicken manure is sold in 80lb bags as fertilizer, if you manage it right, it should HELP your lawn, not burn it.

But as I have understood it, "fresh" chicken manure is "hot" and has potential to burn roots/plants if too fresh?
Doesn't it need to compost for a few weeks/months?

 

[elem]

The grass re-growth is a good guideline and it will also depend on how many chickens you have in the tractor. If you have a lot of chickens in a small space they will scratch up more grass and leave more poop than if you only had a few chickens in the tractor. I have 3 chickens in a 4x8 tractor and depending on weather (more growth in summer, less in fall/winter) I can move them over the same spot in a couple weeks or it might take a month. For me, the chickens scratching up the grass is a bigger problem than excess nitrogen from the poop.