Fall / Winter time for my "natural free range wanna be" run?

[Yard full o' rocks]

Just my 2 cents worth here...we plant winter grains in food plots for deer hunting and it provides THICK, THICK green vegetation for the deer and other wildlife all winter. Typically we plant winter wheat (about $8/50lb bag), oats (just buy whole "feed" oats...about $9/50 lb bag) and winter rye (not rye grass as it gets tough)...and its around $18/50lb bag. Recently we have also begun planting chickory for add't protein AND it comes back each year.

BTW - a 50# bag is good for approx and acre!! SO, if you go this route, buy it and share it amongst several friends as you wont need it all.

Hope this helps some

 

[MIKE555444]

My wife already thinks I'm a nut for spending so much time with the chickens.... When I tell her I want to divide this run and plant it in grass she is gonna have me committed lol

 

[faykokoWV]

yard full of rocks, just the type of info I was looking for. Now here is my next questions, how do you keep them from eating it while its still a seed, and if it makes it to germination, how do you keep them from eating it before it grows more than an inch.

I bet Green's feed and seed sells that by the scoop so I can get a little of each and not buy a huge bag. I'll have to check into that.



Luckily, my husband has been very understanding of my most recent obsession. I think he's glad its keeping my mind off other projects that would involve him doing a lot more work. He makes it quite clear whenever i ask his opinion.. "they're YOUR chickens. you do what you want with them"

 

[MIKE555444]

Yard full o' rocks :

Just my 2 cents worth here...we plant winter grains in food plots for deer hunting and it provides THICK, THICK green vegetation for the deer and other wildlife all winter. Typically we plant winter wheat (about $8/50lb bag), oats (just buy whole "feed" oats...about $9/50 lb bag) and winter rye (not rye grass as it gets tough)...and its around $18/50lb bag. Recently we have also begun planting chickory for add't protein AND it comes back each year.

BTW - a 50# bag is good for approx and acre!! SO, if you go this route, buy it and share it amongst several friends as you wont need it all.

Hope this helps some

Great! I think I will section off my run and I will take your sugestion....

And FaykokoWV I think your right about Green Feed and Seed... I bet we can buy small amounts by the scoop

BTW FaykokoWV... did you get your new chickies yet? Think yo will need heat for them most of the winter?​

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

I think you would need to keep them out of it until it germinates and is a few inches tall. The winter grains tend to grow well when periodically "clipped off" like deer or chicken would do.

Also, IF you can scratch the ground at all to expose the seed to bare ground you will get better germination