Before electricity chickens were a walking fresh meal, meat during the hot months was what had been canned or cured the winter before.
I know Grandma talked about Grandad killing wild rabbit during the winter and hanging them by the back feet in the chicken house and opening them up for the...
Not that I'm aware of, there are thousands of acres of sunflowers planted every year with another crop following them sometimes planted right behind the combine.
What's the weather like were your at and what farm crops are growing in your area?
Some areas are more favorable for cool season crops and some favor warm season crops is why I ask.
The old timers used a lot of root crops, anything green leafy would help, meat for protein. think beyond just grain crops. With grain crops millet would be the fastest grain crop that could be grown.
Without modern feeds egg production would become more seasonal depending on what's available...