Planting Millet for Farm Ducks? HELP!!!!

[Moocowman123]

we recently got back into raising muscovy ducks. We leave them out on the pond, but provide a house and food. I was wanting to plant some millet on the pond bank, I have heard that this is a good food source for them. Would muscovy ducks eat this? When should I plant? And I would like to collect some seed for planting the following year if it works out, how would I do that ??! Any other information about millet and ducks would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Moocowman123]

Also I for got one thing....are there any other plants I should plant? Plants that they can forage from themselves perferably.

 

[DucksAndGardens]

Fescues, orchard grasses, red and white clover, wheat grass, rye grass, there are a bunch of foraging plants that come in grazing seed packs that ducks will eat. Also they like dandelions and plantains (not the bannana plantains but the weed).

 

[Amiga]

Helianthus tuberosus, sun root (often called Jerusalem artichoke, but they are not from Jerusalem and they are nothing like artichokes, though the story behind the name is a long and fascinating one).

Anyway, you plant the tubers in the spring, they grow into tall sunflowers, and produce more tubers for fall. I have them in several areas where my ducks can dig them up for themselves, or I will dig up a few and toss them into the pen.

Millet likes it on the warm side, so you need to plant it after the soil has warmed up some. Try Baker Creek's catalog to see if they have advice on growing it.

To harvest, I believe all you need to do is cut off the seed heads (before the ripe seeds all fall out), and hang them to dry. I have heard some folks put them top-down into a paper bag and then hang them upside down to finish drying.

I like the taste of millet, myself - cook hulled millet like oatmeal.