We have a problem with Bermuda grass trying to creep into (and take over) the vegetable garden so a few years ago we cleared the grass and made a fenced run around the garden. At the time we had two white leghorn hens and some silkys who did a pretty good job of keeping the grass under control. Now we have buff orpingtons, which are wonderful, but they seem too lazy to scratch the grass up. Does anyone know what kind of chickens are good at doing some serious scratching (besides leghorns)?
What type of chicken is good at scratching?
Goldenlaced Wyandottes and Black Copper Marans
They say that larger, feather-legged breeds like Brahmas and Cochins are "gentle on grass"--which is a selling point for some people.
I think that birds like Buckeyes and Welsummers, which are said to be "good foragers" also tend to be big scratchers. Together all my regular "dual purpose heritage", breeds, which include Marans and Wyandottes, have killed every bit of bermuda in their yard.
Both my Wyandottes and Easter Eggers are good at scratching. They can clear grass from a 5 x 8 foot area in a day (the size of my chicken tractor.) They love the roots as much as the green parts of the grass and weeds.
Okay, thank you all for the helpful info! This is a good variety of choices.
Now I just need to do a little research on them and see what is available. : )
I'm sorry, as soon as I saw the title, all I could think of was one answer.......An itchy one.
I was going to say, 'a chicken with two legs'.
LOL, kenboy and jylgaskin! Both are so true! : D
However, I try to keep'em dusted so they won't be itchy. And even though all chickens scratch (especially in the garden where you just put out seedlings) I need some heavy duty scratchers to make headway against the invading monstrous Bermuda grass.
Then game chickens are #1
To tell you the truth, I have never seen any chickens dig like silkies. I'm still falling in holes.
Yep, that was our experience also jylgaskin. The silkies and the leghorns were a good team when it came to keeping the grass under control.
I don't know if it is the heat that affected them or what but my silkies always seemed too skinny even though we always gave them plenty to eat (and a wide variety.) I am an organic gardener and almost always have collards and tomatoes (which I cut up small for the chickens) in the summer, and mustard greens and lettuce in the winter along with their regular food. How do you get your silkies to plump up?
So kenboy, you are recommending game chickens as another able and willing Bermuda grass destroyer? I will add them to the list, then. Haven't had any experience with them, are they aggressive toward other breeds?
Leftover doughnuts and cinnamon buns. No seriously, they were usually close to the house so I was always tossing them things.
Golden comets are grea scratchers to.
Yes they are very aggressive.
Okay, don't need anybody that's aggressive disturbing the peace here in chicken Camelot - so nix the game chickens.
Thank you green0, I'll look into the golden comets, too.
They are not aggresive but are a little pecky
silkies and cochin are the best scratchers in my opinion
Wouldn't it be fun to have a contest to see which chickens are the "number one" scratchers? Blue ribbons for the ones that can tear up/kill a patch of Bermuda grass! They could use my yard for the contest (LOL!)