Grass for Ducks

[vlapinta]

I have a raised pen and the area where my ducks are was chemically treated with weed killer a few months ago. I didn't know at the time my husband treated the lawn that I would have ducks a few months later. I e-mailed Scott company and they told me it has to be 1 year before you can allow animals to eat the grass. It is not safe for my ducks to free range, so I was thinking of planting grasses in low pots that they can eat, and I can be able place and remove from the pen.
What type of grass is good for them? Can I just buy any grass seed sold in my area? Any other suggestions of things I can plant that they can eat would be appreciated.

Vicki

 

[TennesseeTruly]

You can get a 50 lb bag of fescue for like $29. That way you can replant over and over again. Fescue usually isn't treated with anything. We buy 50 lb bags of it and plant it all the time.

Laurie

 

[vlapinta]

My husband has grass seed, but he dosen't have the bag any more. He has it in a shaker jar. Is most grass seed treated? I thought regular grass seed wasn't treated??

Vicki

 

[Amiga]

Many grass seeds are treated.

One option is getting wheat berries - wheat is a kind of grass. Also, rye is a nice, high-protein grass that grows pretty nicely. Both can be bought untreated as bulk grains in a health food store or similar store. You might be able to get untreated grass seed at a garden center - hard to say.

My ducks enjoy dandelions and chickweed and violets. I have been working to get rid of my lawn and replace it with edibles. The little grass I have is interspersed with various other plants.

For the ducks I have been considering plantings that are covered with plastic poultry fencing, so they will grow up through the fencing but the ducks won't be able to stomp it down or pull up all the roots. You may want to experiment with that.

Cress grows pretty well and quickly, and they like it.

Just some ideas.

 

[HottentotTeal]

When i was thinking of buying grass seed a few days ago, I checked the brands they sell at Lowes and it looks like most of them have a fungicide and also something else to promote quicker growth which i am sure is some kind of fertilizer.

 

[vlapinta]

I just asked my husband about the grass seed in the container and he told me where the bag he refills the container is. I looked on the bag, and it is just a combination of differant grasses. It does not mention any chemicals or fertalizer added. In fact it says to fertalize with another product. It is by Scotts, so I sent them an e-mail.

Vicki

 

[HottentotTeal]

Let me know what you find out and which bag you are using. I may see if they carry it at another store by me.

I recently fertilized my lawn, so i can't transplant any of my grass into the coop and my guess is that if i were to buy grass squares, it will probably have been grown with fertilizer as well.

 

[TennesseeTruly]

One of the things I grow for my ducks is white clover. I use different things to grow it in but basically a top soil in a contain (even some old rubbermaid) throw in some white clover seeds, water, and watch it grow! Then I lay a flat of it in their runs. They go nuts for it.

The fescue we buy isn't treated. We get it at our farmers co-op. And we buy it by the 50 lb bags. Most grass seed is treated to kill weed seeds and stuff. Thats why we buy our stuff at the farmers co-op.

Laurie

 

[Bink]

Where do you get White clover? Thanks Jim

 

[vlapinta]

Last night I realized I didn't think things through. I forgot about the soil I used to plant the grass. I went back ouside and saw on the bag of soil it says "feeds up tp 4 weeks"
the soild has fertalizer in it! So back to sqaure one. If I want to plant something for my decks to graze on what soil can I use, if the soil around me was treated and potting soil has fertalizer in it?
Any thoughts?

Vicki