This was once our very best pasture.
It was nearly a whole acre and had the very best grass.
Then last summer this happened. We lost about 30’ off one end for the septic system. And the water line had to be replaced right down the center of it. Wherever there is dirt, the soil is very heavily compacted.
Ideally we’d be running both cows and chickens on it. But until construction is finished, there are no cows.
The chickens started at the corner on the left. Their coop measures 12’ x 10’ and was moved every day. With 87 birds, they left a good amount of manure, and their scratching and mowing of the grass stimulated growth.
They came across the lower part of the photo, on the other side of the stake with the pink flag, starting on June 7th. They moved left to right. When they reached the right side, the whole thing was moved sideways, and they went right to left.
You can see how lush the grass is following where the birds went. In 2 weeks you won’t be able to tell where the final stopping place was. Remember, we’ve been in a drought this whole time.
We had to mow this pasture, to have the grass low enough to use the poultry netting. The grass was chopped up as much as possible and left to compost down. We are hoping between the mowing (less satisfactory than cows grazing) and the remains left, the biology will slowly move through the compacted soil and loosen it up.
With the birds doing their thing also, we hope to jump start the regeneration of this pasture this summer.
For more on pasture regeneration there’s this post.