Washingtonians - Page 7005  

Has anyone planted cover crops for their flock?  We are finally, after 15 years of being on the 2-year plan, moving to our property in June.  I am able to attach the coop to the veggie garden and will rotate the flock through the beds.  Nor more hauling poo!  I love the poo, don't like to haul it.  The most I will have to do is muck out under the roosts, which, if I design it properly, will just require a scoop and plop.

So, to the point.... I'd like to plant cover crops in some sections for the flock to forage.  Does anyone here do this?  What time of year to sow?  What's good to eat?  I'd like as big a variety as possible.  

Well hello everyone from lovely Pasco, WA.

Had a great easter with all 7 of the grandkids, and the grown stepkids and spouses.  My kids loved the easter egg hunt with the grandkids.  Hubby even did great concidering his ex-wife (my fellow chicken fanatic and our good friend) His ex mom in law and her hubby and 2 of his ex brother in laws were there too.  YIKES!!!!!!  He stayed in the kitchen and helped to cook the meal so he didn't have to deal with the ex bro in laws.   No yelling or screaming so it was an awesome holiday.  Kids went back to school today after having last week as spring break. 

Today made hubby's 34 yr old agoraphobic, highly opinionated, annoying son cough up his rent money and took him to the store to get him to get food for himself so he will quit eating all of our 2 kids treats and leaving empty packages in the freezer.  Oh now that was fun

Got home, hubby went to work and 34 yo went back to his apartment/room and hid.  So me and my 2 kiddos went out to do some planting in the garden...  my 8 year old son who knows not to bother animals w/o an adult there decided to pet one of my quail.  So he opened the cage and one quail jumped out and got promptly caught by our bird dog (a brittany) who thought it was a toy to toss up in the air.  Poor quail died and now I only have the one.   Oh I was so mad.  It was my female quail who just started to build a nest type area in the cage.  Now I only have 1 boy coturnix quail.   ugh...  I did manage to not kill the dog but put him on his chain for the rest of the night.   It just makes me so mad and not sure who to be mad at... 

Realized that the dog is trained to get birds like quail and ducks  but beings there are no puncture marks on the quail I don't think he bit it to death probably just gave the poor thing a heart attack.  and the dog definately needs to have more training especially on dropping things when told... not just sit there with a dumb look on his face. 

So to get in a better mood I took my 6 mud puppies (rouen ducklings) put a lot of water in the corner tub of mine and let them swim and enjoy.   It was so much fun to watch them play in the water.  Now to just clean my tub before hubby gets home in the morning lol. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by SweetSilver 

Has anyone planted cover crops for their flock? 

So, to the point.... I'd like to plant cover crops in some sections for the flock to forage.  Does anyone here do this?  What time of year to sow?  What's good to eat?  I'd like as big a variety as possible.  

I didn't start to provide a cover crop for chickens. I have been trying to get some grass, ANY grass to grow under a huge maple tree where the dogs like to run (and dig). I started last year with a horse pasture mix I found at TSC. It was doing well with the dog traffic until the back yard flooded in a late spring rain. I'm trying again this spring by seeding every 4-5 days even though it's not penned off to the dogs. 

In the back where the grass is doing well, I use step in fence posts and plastic mesh fencing to make new runs for the chickens. When the grass starts to look kind of rough, I just move the fencing materials to a new location. The chickens don't seem to mind, I think they might even enjoy the next explorations they get every couple of weeks.

One other thing you may want to consider is native prairie grasses. 
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by SweetSilver 

Has anyone planted cover crops for their flock?  We are finally, after 15 years of being on the 2-year plan, moving to our property in June.  I am able to attach the coop to the veggie garden and will rotate the flock through the beds.  Nor more hauling poo!  I love the poo, don't like to haul it.  The most I will have to do is muck out under the roosts, which, if I design it properly, will just require a scoop and plop.

 

So, to the point.... I'd like to plant cover crops in some sections for the flock to forage.  Does anyone here do this?  What time of year to sow?  What's good to eat?  I'd like as big a variety as possible.  

I haven't planted cover crops, but I am thinking about fencing off some of my run and planting something for them asap. Even if it's just grass. I planted red clover for them last spring and they loved it. I think the best time for cover crops is like early sept?  

Quote:

Originally Posted by RaZ 

In the back where the grass is doing well, I use step in fence posts and plastic mesh fencing to make new runs for the chickens. When the grass starts to look kind of rough, I just move the fencing materials to a new location. The chickens don't seem to mind, I think they might even enjoy the next explorations they get every couple of weeks.

 

One other thing you may want to consider is native prairie grasses. 
 

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by KMHunter 

I haven't planted cover crops, but I am thinking about fencing off some of my run and planting something for them asap. Even if it's just grass. I planted red clover for them last spring and they loved it. I think the best time for cover crops is like early sept?  

 

Definitely want avoid most grasses, as this is in the vegetable beds.  I probably will eventually put some birds out to pasture one day, but I want the poo where the poo will be most useful--for fertilizer-hungry veggies.  And we have no grazing animals to grow the grass for!  It just grows and blooms and makes me miserable.  So, for now, in this spot, no grass.  One of these years I will have pastured chickens as well, but as cool as it is, I just don't like keeping the birds in small tractors.  I'll eat them, but I like them to have as fabulous a life as I can give them before--kchkcheeeechk!  When I figure out have to keep them safe and roam freely and perhaps run electricity waaaaaay out to the pasture for a fence or construct a giant ark that weights naught but ten pounds, then we'll run them on the grass.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zgoatlady 

Thank you so MUCH!

 

Cheri I am going to try & make myself 2 loaves tomorrow or the next day...so busy !!!!!!!!!!!!

I will then get the recipe to you, but do go get the various flours & mix and fresh yeast, and about 1 OZ of Xanthum gum you will need to do this bread.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SweetSilver 

Has anyone planted cover crops for their flock?  We are finally, after 15 years of being on the 2-year plan, moving to our property in June.  I am able to attach the coop to the veggie garden and will rotate the flock through the beds.  Nor more hauling poo!  I love the poo, don't like to haul it.  The most I will have to do is muck out under the roosts, which, if I design it properly, will just require a scoop and plop.

 

So, to the point.... I'd like to plant cover crops in some sections for the flock to forage.  Does anyone here do this?  What time of year to sow?  What's good to eat?  I'd like as big a variety as possible.  

All winter long, just pulling them up now & planting spring stuff~~~~~~~~

Wow so many days of SUN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I got another 5 tomatoes out of the hot frame & into the green house...............have 5 or 6 to go..............have a feed run tomorrow...............

I have decided the cutest chicks anywhere have to be, hands down, Wellsummers.............have never hatched any so far in my old   life....but these babies are so adorable, ultra fluffy, chipmunk..........and oh so quiet~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Originally Posted by FlyRobinFly 

Quote:

Originally Posted by SadieSue

Cute Greeting card!  Is this your shot with one of your chicks? 

Yep, that's one of the blue Ameraucana babies I got at the WFF show from Pips N Peeps.  Most of the eggs are from my girls, but a few are blown shells from Chickielady, Justbugged, and Totalcolour.

 

Have ya been able to make anything with the ones ya got from me?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zgoatlady 

I'm getting some chicks this weekend and I'm going to make you all wait to see what they are. Wonder if you can guess by just seeing a picture of them.. What do you think? Oh I'm making you sit on pins and needles just like me

Making sure the batteries in GPS are fresh and that the JATO bottles on the truck are filled. What time do ya go to bed?  What flavor "cookies" does yer pup like?

Yup plannin a late night shopping trip over at the corner of grab em and run!!!