Developing the grass in your yard for increasing free ranging nutrition

[lazy gardener]

I'm going to plant a bed of sunflowers, sorghum, comfrey, (and thanks Fentress for the millet suggestion. Will have to add that.)

 

[LindaB220]

I'm going to plant a bed of sunflowers, sorghum, comfrey, (and thanks Fentress for the millet suggestion. Will have to add that.)

I'm loving this idea!!!

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I found a stash of very old garden seeds I'll mix in to whatever we plant during the pasture renovations. I think it was Beekissed that made that suggestion. Could be fun treasure hunting for the girls. If I sow sunflower seeds will the field mice get them all before they sprout? I think we had some sprout this year due to throwing it out as scratch ages ago ... Birds didn't seem very interested ...

 

[Daisy8s]

I'm not a fan.

Wondering why? Harvey Ussery advocates a homestead lifestyle that seems in line with what you support.

 

[lazy gardener]

I'm researching feeding for hatch-ability right now. Please post a link to the thread if you start it.

Unless things change a whole lot, I'm not planning to do any hatching this spring. I don't have a rooster anyways, so any hatching I did do if I did hatch would have to be someone else's eggs.

 

[Beekissed]

Wondering why? Harvey Ussery advocates a homestead lifestyle that seems in line with what you support.

It seems to be...doesn't it? But, if you've ever really homesteaded and then you read his articles you can tell the man is more of a writer than a homesteader, but he's giving homesteading advice~some of it very impractical and useless for true homesteading. Much like the more popular chicken book wherein the author doesn't know much about chickens but is good at paraphrasing data from various sites, articles and books but doesn't have much practical, usable information to relate because she has no hands on experience with chickens.

 

[Daisy8s]

Having not put into practice very many of his practices I guess I cannot say whether they're actually practical or not. I do think a big factor is climate--I live in a more similar climate to his than, I believe, you do so what he recommends seems common sense to me.

I have done a vermicomposting bin in the floor of my greenhouse (as he does) and found it was wonderful. I also use my greenhouse as winter quarters for my flock as he does for some of his, along with a winter run/compost yard like he describes. I built my winter run and greenhouse after reading his book and was glad I had his tips to go by. Two winters now with these additions and I'm glad for them.

I've also begun seeing my land as he describes (using what I can grow to feed my animals, using every portion meaningfully, utilizing cover crops, planting some things for long-term soil health, etc) and I feel I've increased the production of my land greatly (which is also why I clicked on this thread!)

In his book he describes how much his land produces and it seems to go pretty far towards making him and his wife self-sustainable. Provided he isn't lying, I thought his techniques seemed to be working for him.

Anyway, thanks for explaining your thoughts!

 

[Clay Mudd]

Having not put into practice very many of his practices I guess I cannot say whether they're actually practical or not. I do think a big factor is climate--I live in a more similar climate to his than, I believe, you do so what he recommends seems common sense to me.

I've gotten good results with a lot of ideas from his book. He'd probably find a great deal about my little farmlet familiar. I might disagree with him about a few things, but then, I'm a disagreeable person.

And, not that it matters, but if I'm remembering right, Bee and Harvey don't live all that far apart. I'm thinking they're both somewhere in the Virginias.

Couple of sidenotes about practices:

1. Pretty much every famous agricultural guru sooner or later says something that makes me think, "Well, that might work where YOU live..."
2. At least once a month, I read on the internet that something that I've had success with won't ever work at all.

 

[lazy gardener]

I have to say that I am impressed with Ussery's book. He covers all topics well, has good photographs, as well as documentation of the source of all of his "facts" quoted. I especially like the fact that he references the responsibility of the flockster to not only take care of their birds, but to take care of their property, as well as their neighbors property through good soil management practices especially related to ground water pollution and excess nutrient build up when manure is not properly handled. As the chicken keeper becomes more educated, they will find that most poultry "how to" books are very basic. But, the beginner has to start somewhere. I've found his book to provide more "food for thought" than any other poultry keeping book I've reviewed.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Here is a link to Ussery being very rude to someone ... http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/1-4/harvey_ussery/

Reading that the first time actually made me cry. Maybe it is a regionalism thing, or maybe he thinks his "frankness" is edgy and smart like Salatin comes across. But that article is written in a tone I just can't process well.

I think that was the first time I encountered Ussery. It is when I decided to not give him any of my money if I could help it

That said, I'm perfectly happy to let other people enjoy him. I just wanted to explain how it might be possible for a reasonable person not to.

Then there was also the deaths of birds related to one of his suggestions ... http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/feeding-chickens-maggots.html

Bah ... I don't want to bash him ... but I don't feel up to trying to figure out the value of his written advice, either.