Does anyone freeze grass?

[the1much]

i freeze mine,,,hehe,, but its not for my birds

 

[patandchickens]

In most climates you can actually harvest a modest amount of grass and other outdoor greenery through most of the winter. You need to look somewhere that has tall standing vegetation, like a meadow or fallow field or unmown roadside. Shovel away snow as needed and part the standing dead stuff with your hands and you will discover a surprising amount of relatively live, relatively green stuff down there to be picked. I excavate this for treats for the horses occasionally during the winter, and also for the chickens (although honestly my chickens mostly get produce scraps since they're so much easier to get in quantity

)

Baling grass clippings, you'd have to be real real careful. Either you're producing hay, in which case they need to be quite dry before storing and they need to STAY that way, otherwise you will get mold and respiratory disorders; or you're producing silage, which I have no idea how silage agrees with bird tummies but I would seriously worry about botulism (not an issue for ruminants, but last time I checked, poultry are not ruminants

) Heck, if you want to be feeding dried not fresh grass, just go buy a bale of good hay, that's what it is

Note that some people have had chickens get impacted crops on hay, although others haven't.

I'll stick with mostly produce scraps. Sprouting wheat and such sounds like a really good idea too, although dunno if I'll ever get round to it myself.

Pat

 

[krcote]

the1much I'm sure you do

 

[d.k]

* What about using hydro-gel medium for sprouting winter grasses for the chickees? I love that stuff, a pinch or two goes a long way, and though I haven't tried it for sprouts, I know it doesn't turn icky as fast as water. You could grow seeds, clover, bermuda, and clip the young grasses for the hens. . . .

 

[krcote]

d.k what a great idea! What's that suff made of? Safe for the girls I assume?

 

[d.k]

* I wouldn't let them eat it, from what I've read, most of it breaks down into salt. .Just clip the tops. I've used it for rooting a lot of clippings, should work great for most seeds-- just don't leave it in the sun full-time. It will grow algae eventually.

 

[henlady]

I FREEZE GRASS!! I almost want to go take a picture of my freezer

I've done it for 3 years now...before that I nearly went broke from buying kale in the grocery store. My birds crave greens so much that they'll start eating nest box hay after a while - and that can lead to an impaction. So before the first hard frost I go into the field (the second crop hay is the best) It's rich with clover too. I cut it into one ince pieces and put it in large freezer bags. Then I squeeze all the air out - I put the bag of grass under a cookie sheet and applied pressure, then sealed. Now I have 3 flat bags of grass that equals about 5 gallons of grass! Try it - it's fun! And if your spouse complains about grass taking up space in the freezer...remind him you're saving money

Have fun.

 

[ams3651]

mine are going crazy over the clover im picking from the field. I will have to try to freeze some and see how it goes.

 

[krcote]

henlady I was born and raised in NH! I've crossed over to the "Vacation Land" but my heart is still there <3. Glad to hear that some one has frozen grass and succeeded! I think I will try your method AND all of the others! They all seem so fun! I have one logical question though, aside from using a mower that would pulverize grass how do you cut it? Sheers? Scissors? Rip it out with your hands?!?! Do tell...

 

[henlady]

I take a bucket and a pair of scissors into the field - the 3 or 4 inch new growth is the best grass - not too fibrous. With my left hand I gather a clump and snip about 3 inches - leaving roots intact. Then I snip that in half and toss it in my bucket. Chickens naturally peck off the tops of grasses so I think it's best to have short pieces for them. We enjoy our trips to the field. My 'girls' follow me and stand around the bucket, eating the new pieces I throw in! I laugh

they are just so lazy. I hope your grass freezing endeavor goes well. Maine is a beautiful state. Are you from northern NH? I'm in the Peterborough area.