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Keeping a lawn with Chickens #904763

Asked June 07, 2025, 11:30 AM EDT

I am proud that I have been able to keep a lawn on my small city property with free-ranging chickens. The birds love sitting in the grass and it keeps the property much cooler during the summer. Often when folks get chickens on a small property, it turns into a mud pit or compacted dirt in which nothing grows. I have been able to keep the birds from digging it up by having lots of other areas of dirt and compost that they can do their chicken thing and have dust baths. Additionally, I dilute the chicken poop usually daily in the summer. However, here's my question, I am adding three new birds which doubles the population. I'm getting concerned that it will be too much for the lawn to handle with that many birds. What can I add to continue to having it completely organic property and that is not harmful to the hens? I'm assuming the issue is often that the pH is too high. Is there something basic that can be added that will not harm the birds or the general environment? I'm super serious about having a healthy ecosystem with lots of resources for pollinators and whenever I add a new plant it is a native.

Multnomah County Oregon

Expert Response

How many chickens do you currently have, and how large is your lawn area (in square feet)? 

How much time do the chickens spend on the lawn each day? 

Have you performed a soil test in the past year? If so, what were the results for pH, nitrogen, and phosphorus? 

Is the whole lawn accessible at all times? 

How do you currently dilute and distribute chicken manure? 

Do you compost any of the manure, or is it all left on the lawn? 

Conduct a comprehensive soil test before adding amendments or new birds. Focus on pH, nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic matter content. This will establish a baseline and help you make informed decisions about amendments and flock management. For lowering the pH, you can use elemental sulfur, but you would have to know the baseline for the dosage. I have attached a resource for you if you want to know more about it's uses and how it works. 

Divide your lawn into at least two or three sections and rotate chickens between them every few days. This prevents overgrazing, soil compaction, and nutrient overload, allowing grass and soil to recover.

Continue daily dilution, but consider collecting some manure for composting, especially as flock size increases. Composting stabilizes nutrients and reduces the risk of nutrient overload or grass burn.

Here are a few resources for you- Raising chickens in urban environment

Poultry Resources for Small Farms


An Ask Extension Expert Replied June 11, 2025, 2:21 PM EDT

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