what to grow....

[micareli]

I have between 1/2 to 3/4 acre plot, what to grow....
all corn would give us a max of 100 bushels, approx 5000 pounds of corn
too late for wheat this year
just wildflowers for the bugs....

planting season is upon us..... any advice

 

[A.T. Hagan]

What are you wanting to grow FOR? Poultry feed? Poultry forage?

There's nothing like a good grass mix for forage for your birds. Exactly what that would be would depend on where in in the country you are. Seed it, grow it out, and when it's tall and lush turn the birds onto it.

If you're wanting to have some winter feed then maybe plant half of it to something like wheat or oats. No need to thresh it. Just feed it stalks and all and the birds will do the work with the straw providing bedding.

 

[Den in Penn]

How many chickens you planning to feed? That amount of corn would feed between 40 and 50 birds as their sole food. not a balanced diet though. Splitting it into different crops is a decent idea. Spreads the work out too. Pasturing is also good.

 

[deek]

If you're wanting to have some winter feed then maybe plant half of it to something like wheat or oats. No need to thresh it. Just feed it stalks and all and the birds will do the work with the straw providing bedding.

how much do you suggest planting for 10 hens?

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I like sunflower seed for winter treats. High in fat to keep them warm and a good 14% + source of protein. We save some from the feed bag for planting in late spring. The flower type in our black oil bags is a medium to large head with multiple flowers per plant. I only have side garden space enough for a 5' X 20' patch but would plant 5 or more times that size for enough winter feed treat for 10 birds. Easy to grow and harvest and looks good to boot, excellent as a boarder. Plain pasture land for remainder area chickens would love all summer. Bugs and greens to forage though I'd mow at as high a setting now and then to keep tender new shoots coming in. If we had the land for something like that I'd have more chickens than we currently do.

 

[micareli]

we have 39 birds.... 10 pullets Cinnamon Queen with 2 roos. then 22 pullets and 5 roos in Silver Wyandottes

i wasnt sure if i wanted to try to grow their winter feed or supplement it with sunflower seeds, if we raise forage, then i can plat out a 50x50 plat and rotate it every week or so

so what would be best to forage... is there a sack of forage seed for chicks such as I see for Deer to broadcast and grow

 

[micareli]

i found this recipe but forgot to write down the site.... forage for chickens was the search topic ....now to see if this will grow


2 oz of Trucker's Yellow Dent Corn. Perfect for cracked or whole corn. An excellent storage corn that produces loads of high protein kernels. The staple of any scratch recipe. No farm is without corn or any modern homesteader for that matter.

6 grams of Ford Hook Chard A fast growing, huge chard perfect for poultry greens which are absolutely vital to good growth, egg production, chick development and health.

4 grams of Connecticut Field Pumpkin Most farms have forgotten to use pumpkins for their poultry. They are perfect because the abundant harvest of huge, nutrient rich flesh that stores easily through the winter when it is hard to find good feed. Pumpkin will give you the deepest, most delicious orange/yellow egg yolks. My egg customers always rave about my eggs when I'm feeding pumpkin.

4 oz of White Proso Millet The staple in any bird feed. Grows fast and produces huge sprays of heads loaded with seeds your birds will gobble up.

4 oz of Dundale Peas Browsing forage is a staple for all Turkeys and makes up a large part of their diet. They relish peas as will the chickens and ducks. Dundale will provide a quick fast forage for your birds on the ground or harvest for easy dry storage.

2 oz of Montezuma Oats Oats are an important source of energy when fall weather sets in. We start using more oats in our mix as soon as the cool weather settles in and the birds need the extra carbohydrates to keep warm.

2 oz of Golden Flax You've heard all the good news about how heart health Omega 3 is, but find it hard to swallow flax every morning? Feed it to your chickens! We use flax to produce the most nutrient dense omega 3 eggs that our customers go crazy for!

4 oz Red Grain Sorghum This is a standard in all scratch mixes. Grows a lot like corn, but is more drought tolerant. Your poultry will devour the seed and the goats/horses/cows will appreciate the leafy stalks.

1 pkg of Tobacco Historically many homesteaders would soak tobacco leaves in water and even boil the mixture down. They would take this and spray/paint it in the coops to kill mites, lice and all manner of bugs. Care must be taken not to get it on your skin, so wearing gloves is always a good idea. Homesteaders would also dry the leaves, then grind them into a powder and dust poultry during mite season. They also put it in the next boxes for the same reason. Again, wearing a face mask when dusting your chickens is a must. Obviously you do not want to get it in the chickens eyes or mouth no matter what you use.

 

[deek]

What an interesting list. Thanks for sharing. The tobacco seems like an organic substitute for mite control.

 

[bbdarryl]

Corn is cheaper to buy than to grow. 100 bushels on less than an acre? You might get 20 and then you have to shell and grind it.