The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

Funny you say that about spinach. So far I've never been able to get one of mine to eat any spinach. They won't eat kale during the seasons they go outside (they won't go out in the winter) but they will devour it in the winter. But not spinach. Nope.

 

[moomoodiddy]

What should I plant for my chickens and goats this fall?

 

[lazy gardener]

Winter rye? Looked into sprouts or fodder?

 

[moomoodiddy]

Winter rye? Looked into sprouts or fodder?

Ive tried growing fodder but has always ended up with mold. And ive blocked off seeded ground before but as soon as I unblock it they tear it up again.

 

[lazy gardener]

I do not raise my sprouts to the fodder state. Simply keep them close to the kitchen sink, and rinse them several times/day. They are best to be fed out before the blade of "grass" emerges. I feed mine when the sprout part is ideally less than an inch long. The day before I feed them, I set them on the window sill so they can green up.

You can put a grow frame in your run. Lay some 2 x 4's out to make a box frame, and staple some 1 x 2, or 2 x 4 welded mesh to the top of the frame. Then simply sow your grains/seeds inside the box. You don't remove the wire cover. The birds eat the emerging green growth through the wire frame. The wire stays put so the birds can't tear the plants out by the roots.

 

[moomoodiddy]

I do not raise my sprouts to the fodder state. Simply keep them close to the kitchen sink, and rinse them several times/day. They are best to be fed out before the blade of "grass" emerges. I feed mine when the sprout part is ideally less than an inch long. The day before I feed them, I set them on the window sill so they can green up.

You can put a grow frame in your run. Lay some 2 x 4's out to make a box frame, and staple some 1 x 2, or 2 x 4 welded mesh to the top of the frame. Then simply sow your grains/seeds inside the box. You don't remove the wire cover. The birds eat the emerging green growth through the wire frame. The wire stays put so the birds can't tear the plants out by the roots.

I have started some fermented feed since the weather has cooled off some and it has some seed in it and I've always wanted to do some frames but don't have that much floor space in my breeder runs. Hopefully I will expand this spring

 

[lazy gardener]

You can sprout grains and they won't take any space away from your run.

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

Anyone still doing this!

 

[slordaz]

always will Laura, did ya have a question

 

[slordaz]

Mine love spinach, garlic and all sorts if fruit and vegetables.

Cilantro seems to be their current favorite for greens, what I fo as it's easy and so prolific is do several buckets to grow inside and then cut and toss to them, that way they aren't tearing it up.

I lacto ferment 3*1 without molassass then back feed and you can keep that going for forever as long as you can keep it from freezing if your in the northern states, I feed that spring through fall here in Idaho