A Silly Grass Question

[Flamestriker]

I do not have a grassy garden. It's mostly concrete, so how can I give my herd a taste of grass?

Can I cut, tear, or chop grass? There are many walks near where I live, but I don't trust the grass because people walk their dogs there

I am growing grass in trays, but that might take a bit of time before it's ready.

 

[JCJ]

My grass in trays was ready to eat suprisingly quickly. Less than two weeks I think. It grows back ready to eat again in less than a week. I used to cut grass from my local park because it has an area for children to play in where dogs are not allowed. Do you know anyone with a grassy garden who doesn't have dogs?

 

[Flamestriker]

Because we have back gardens that back on to a cycle track, I don't trust the wildlife. Now and again I see a rat (the animal, rodent type) so I don't think I fully trust any lawn.

 

[rome_italy]

My piggies are growing up with a diet based on grass; there are a lot of gardens and lawns here and we also have some rat and some cat around. But cutting grass using a knife 5 cm from the ground is safe. Also at my Nan's veg garden there were wild animals, maybe rats, moles for sure, but those vegs were healthier than the ones on sale filled with nitrogen, chemical products and dirty water; we all know the great problem with salmonella, also on fruits like melons, there is an alert in Usa and Canada, but also in Europe things don't go differently.
Of course I would not go to reserved areas for dogs, although their poo is visible, but fresh grass grows up in a night and you cannot be wrong in finding the best one for your piggie. Vegs on sale have dangerous bacteria as well and are even poor of nutrients. In your country I saw wonderful meadows and you have also the right climate for the best and softer grass. I adopted an underweight pig who doubled his weight in two months eating grass; her urine stopped having calcium residuals and both piggies were checked by the vet who was totally satisfied also for their teeth. I don't give them pellets, only hay and grass, wild herbs (chicory) and some little pepper...
Trust your wonderful lawns... surely cleaner than the ones in Rome...

 

[Tiamolly123]

I've put 2 old piggie cages outside with the wire top both of compost & turf on top & it grows really quickly

 

[*kate*]

Hettie loves the long grass that grows in the lanes around here and also at the bottom of my road, I pick great handfuls of it for her

 

[Swissgreys]

We do have a lawn, but I also collect long grass out and about for the piggies.
I try to wait until early morning after rainfall so things are freshly washed.
I avoid grass from obvious pee hot spots like the base of trees or along the edge of a path - better to take a couple of steps into a field.
I cut grass and then bring it home and hose it thoroughly in a large metal colander and then leave it to dry on the table in the garden.

At this point I am happy to feed it, as I figure it is probably no more or less 'contaminated' than the hay we buy for our pigs.

 

[chesca_27]

I'm growing the the grass trays from Zooplus at the moment for the pigs. They are very easy and can be regrown, as long as you don't cut them too short. We have a lawn, but my Mum put weed killer and grass seed down, so I'm waiting for that before they can go out on the grass again

 

[Adelle]

I actually dug up the stones from my garden at the bottom and dug it all out, soil in etc and laid turf.. iv got a wooden fence thing around the edge to keep slugs off. I dont trust grass from other places personally hence why I went to the extreme! It's not a massive area but it's enough x

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

I'm planning on getting some turf too, filling plenty of trays! Also hoping to grow wheatgrass soon for the piggies and cat, apparently it grows really quickly so fingers crossed!