Rotating chickens preserves forage

I was forced to keep our brooder-raised australorps separate from our laying flock since the older hens started chasing the chicks away from food when the latter were a  month old.  At three months, though, the australorps had nearly caught up to their flockmates in size and were able to nibble around the edges of the kitchen scraps that I dumped in each morning.  Finally --- flock merger!

While I was at it, I went ahead and turned the broody hen and her month old chicks into the same pasture as everyone else.  There was no danger of her chicks going hungry...although everyone else started looking a little thinner as they scurried away from the broody hen's ready beak.  Scattering feed in several different locations down the entire length of the pasture made sure everyone got fed.

These flock mergers happened just in time because the old hens' pasture was getting worn and starting to smell.  I turned them all into the mother hen's L-shaped pasture first, and our four hens, nine pullets, and nine chicks ate that down to nubbins in just a week.  Halfway through their foray in the forest pasture (next in the rotation), I'm glad to see that the most worn down pasture is already rebounding and nearly ready to be grazed again.  Rotation definitely does make sense for keeping succulent young growth available for your flock.