garden help! growing food for chickens

[CatInTheHenHouse]

I knew they were tiny and so needed to be under almost nothing, but I still lightly covered them. oh how many seeds i have waisted.

I really wish more seed packets would spell out mint’s planting needs and why!

 

[jxp]

Since I have such a curious mind, I thought I'd try this idea I had. In the Mexican food aisle of so many groceries around here they have cello packs of spices for relatively cheep. I picked up a packet of chamomile (manzanella) which had, I'm guessing, between 1-2 tablespoons of flowerheads. The cost was about half that of a seed pack containing around a quarter teaspoon. I gently rubbed the seedheads between my fingers to break them apart and scattered them in the chickens green patch in their run (a 6x8 sq ft area covered with sturdy wire mesh) to see if anything came of it. That was late last summer. Sure enough, there's some chams growing down in there along with all the other seeds I've thought they might enjoy.

 

[Sequoia Raven Bird Farms]

I've grown them a few times. You could probably make them more productive with a bit more care but I like them for the fact that they can be pretty much left to do their own thing.

Sounds like they’re a plant for me then!

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

Hi all!
I'm a persistently failing gardener lol. I've tried on/off for years with minimal success, but I'm determined! We've got 3 acres and the majority of it is cleared, usable land. Seems silly not to produce more than eggs with that space! Last year we fenced in a 20' x 50' garden. (We live in the woods of Pennsylvania with very high activity of deer, racoons, rabbits, etc) I planted a few things but it was mostly left empty and filled up with weeds. This year I'm determined to grow more food!
However... I'm 85% carnivore. Meaning, I eat very little plant foods. I will still grow the basic tomatoes and peppers for cooking, and I'll do pumpkins for fall. I planted some new elderberry shrubs last year and I hope to expand those.
What would you grow specifically for feeding chickens? We have a flock of 10 hens right now and I would like to use the garden to supplement their feed.
(I'm zone 6B and because our property is a clearing in old tall woods, our direct sunlight hours are kinda short.)

Zone 6a here. Please grow sunflowers and corn for your girls Kale is also forgiving

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

I'm good! My chamomile is growing like weeds I already have to repot them lol

View attachment 4298916

Awww Look at all the babies!

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

I really wish more seed packets would spell out mint’s planting needs and why!

If you know anyone that has an established plant, you can take a cut, place it in water and it will root. After 3 weeks you can take it and shove it in some fertile soil and forget about it. Mint grows like weeds here. It's unstoppable and will spread like crazy!

 

[FernwoodHollow]

Awww Look at all the babies!

There basically a chamomile carpet now

 

[Tahai]

Hi all!
I'm a persistently failing gardener lol. I've tried on/off for years with minimal success, but I'm determined! We've got 3 acres and the majority of it is cleared, usable land. Seems silly not to produce more than eggs with that space! Last year we fenced in a 20' x 50' garden. (We live in the woods of Pennsylvania with very high activity of deer, racoons, rabbits, etc) I planted a few things but it was mostly left empty and filled up with weeds. This year I'm determined to grow more food!
However... I'm 85% carnivore. Meaning, I eat very little plant foods. I will still grow the basic tomatoes and peppers for cooking, and I'll do pumpkins for fall. I planted some new elderberry shrubs last year and I hope to expand those.
What would you grow specifically for feeding chickens? We have a flock of 10 hens right now and I would like to use the garden to supplement their feed.
(I'm zone 6B and because our property is a clearing in old tall woods, our direct sunlight hours are kinda short.)

I'm also ketovore and in north-central PA (5a). I'm growing potatoes, carrots, onions, and peppers for my mother. For the rabbits and chickens, I'm growing cabbage, winter squash, sunflowers, Moringa (in pots, bring in for winter, leaves are a complete protein source), Marigolds (rabbit LOVE the flowers), dandelion, kale and parsely. I'm growing a couple of mini-food plots to put up hay and grains for the winter, so mixed clover, alfalfa, timothy, then a plot each of winter rye, winter wheat, and oats. Also a stand of field corn. I want to grow fodder inside in the winter, so am hoping to get enough seed of my own from my crops.