Chickens Hard at Work

I want to build a chicken yard adjacent to the chicken room, so the chickens can walk down a ladder to play in the grass. I have a layer of hay in their room for them to dig in, but it's not the same as green grass. Grass is very good for them, and makes their eggs taste even better. It's lovely to see a chicken gracefully run her beak along a blade of grass and slide the seeds off. And they eat any insect or grub they can find. I often wondered how greatly improved the world would be if people let chickens free range on their lawns instead of pouring tons and tons of pesticides on them. All those chemicals kill our dogs and cats, and the run off gets into the water table and eventually kills us. I lived in a fancy development and put absolutely nothing on my lawn. Neighbors had teams and teams of landscapers in regularly to pour everything imaginable on their lawns. Mine looked just as good, only mine occasionally sprouted a pretty little flower. My next door neighbor had a pesticide truck come in with a powerful sprayer to reach the tops of the trees. I had nesting cardinals in my yard. Big mistake. I "persuaded" the truck to leave and called Trenton, N.J.'s state capital. I learned that they could do whatever they wanted in their yard, but it is incumbent upon the neighbor to prevent one drop of chemical from floating over to my yard. I explained that to them and the homeowner was not happy...but that was to be expected. I was very misunderstood in those days. I am in a much better place now.