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Old Cobblers Farm™ Wicked Tuff Turf Grazing Lawn Mix
Dual-purpose lawn and forage blend with Festulolium. Feed chickens, rabbits, and small livestock while maintaining an attractive lawn. USDA Zones 4-7.
Old Cobblers Farm™ Wicked Tuff Turf Grazing Lawn Mix
A dual-purpose blend that functions as an attractive lawn while providing nutritious forage for small livestock, poultry, and rabbits under rotational grazing. The key innovation is Duo Festulolium—a hybrid grass combining Italian Ryegrass palatability with Meadow Fescue persistence, creating a species that animals love to eat and that recovers quickly from grazing pressure. Whether you're running chickens through your yard or maintaining pasture for small ruminants, this blend serves both purposes.
Category
Mix
Type
Lawn Mix
Scientific Name
Multi-species blend (×Festulolium dominant)
Zones
4-7
Brand
Wicked Tuff Turf
What Is It ?
A dual-purpose blend that functions as an attractive lawn while providing nutritious forage for small livestock, poultry, and rabbits under rotational grazing. The key innovation is Duo Festulolium—a hybrid grass combining Italian Ryegrass palatability with Meadow Fescue persistence, creating a species that animals love to eat and that recovers quickly from grazing pressure. Whether you're running chickens through your yard or maintaining pasture for small ruminants, this blend serves both purposes.
How to Apply ?
Step 1
Test pH (5.8-7.0) and loosen top 1-2" soil
Step 2
Apply starter fertilizer
Step 3
Spread seed (6-8 lbs/1k sq ft new; 3-4 lbs overseed)
Step 4
Rake lightly and roll for contact
Step 5
Water 2-3 times daily
Step 6
No animals for 8-10 weeks; graze when mature
Best For
Homesteads integrating poultry into yard management|Hobby farms with small livestock|Rabbit keepers wanting natural forage|Permaculture properties using animals for lawn maintenance|Properties where children and animals share outdoor space
FAQs
1.
What is the Grazing Lawn Mix?
The Grazing Lawn Mix (Horse Lawn) contains 40% Duo Festulolium, 25% creeping red fescue, 20% Kentucky bluegrass, 10% Feast II Annual Tetraploid Ryegrass, and 5% Highland bentgrass. It is the only mix in the lineup designed to serve dual purpose as both an attractive lawn and nutritious forage for small livestock and poultry. The key innovation is Duo Festulolium—a hybrid grass combining Italian ryegrass palatability with meadow fescue persistence.
2.
What does 85/80 Kentucky bluegrass mean in this mix?
The Grazing Lawn Mix is designed for chickens and poultry (excellent), rabbits (excellent), ducks and geese (good), small goats (moderate with rotation), and sheep (moderate with rotation). It is not designed for continuous grazing by horses or cattle—those animals require larger pasture acreage and produce too much compaction for a lawn setting. The mix's high sugar content (from Festulolium and tetraploid ryegrass) makes it highly preferred by animals over standard lawn grasses.
3.
How much clover is in the All Purpose Lawn Mix and will it be visible?
Feast II is an annual ryegrass variety with double the normal chromosome count (tetraploid vs. standard diploid). This doubled chromosome count produces larger cells, larger leaves, higher sugar content, more digestible fiber, and faster growth—all of which make it preferred by livestock over standard ryegrass. Feast II provides fast initial coverage while permanent species establish. As an annual, it dies after one growing season and is replaced by the permanent species.
4.
How should I manage rotational grazing on the Grazing Lawn?
Allow grass to reach 4-6 inches before introducing animals. Remove animals when grazed to 2-3 inches to prevent overgrazing. Rest each grazed area for 14-21 days before the next grazing cycle. Divide the lawn into multiple zones with temporary fencing and rotate animals through them. Approximate stocking rates: chickens at 25-50 birds per 1,000 sq ft in rotation, rabbits at 2-4 per 100 sq ft for temporary grazing, small ruminants at 1-2 per 1,000 sq ft with careful rotation.
5.
What is the seeding rate for the Grazing Lawn Mix?
The All Purpose Mix performs in 3-8+ hours of direct sunlight. Optimal performance is at 4-6 hours. In shadier spots (3-4 hours), creeping red fescue carries the stand. In full sun (8+ hours), tall fescue tends to dominate over time. For less than 3 hours of direct sun, the Sun & Shade Mix is a better choice with its 65% fine fescue content designed specifically for heavy shade. The All Purpose is best described as a moderate-shade-tolerant blend.
6.
What fertilizer program does the All Purpose Lawn Mix need?
Apply 2-3 lbs nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft annually, with the white clover component providing an additional 0.5-1 lb N through biological fixation. Fall fertilization (September-October in zones 4-6) produces the best results. A simple program: 1 lb N per 1,000 sq ft in September, 1 lb in late October, and optionally 0.5-1 lb in late May. Avoid heavy spring nitrogen which promotes disease and weed pressure. Slow-release or organic fertilizers complement the clover's natural fertility contribution.
7
Does the Grazing Lawn Mix need more fertilizer because animals graze it?
Grazing animals return nutrients via manure, which partially offsets fertilizer needs. However, the Grazing Lawn's high-palatability species (Festulolium, tetraploid ryegrass) are moderate to heavy feeders requiring 2-4 lbs nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft annually for maximum forage production. In practice, chicken and rabbit manure from grazing reduces this to 1-3 lbs N of supplemental fertilizer. Monitor grass color and growth rate—pale or slow-growing areas indicate nitrogen deficiency requiring supplemental application.