Growing fodder for chickens

[Kassaundra]

Does anyone feed comfrey leaves to chickens? I read the leaves contain 20% protein and are used for livestock fodder.

I started comfrey last year in two places one the chickens had access to and the other not, well for an "indestructable" plant, the girls sure made short work of destroying it!!!! lol lol lol Once they found it, it didn't have a chance they LOVE it the tinyest speck of green was eaten the second it showed itself. I still have the 1/2 of the group I planted outside of their area, and I really want to get more started this year.

 

[Kassaundra]

I started growing comfrey last summer and my chickens loved it. It gets knocked down by frost but comes right back come spring. Comfrey also loves nitrogen and thrives with direct applications of urine

You can put hot chicken poop on it as a side dressing (a lot of it too) w/o any problems for the plant.

 

[Kassaundra]

I'm trying to pull together a composite list of plants to get growing this summer-- would anyone be interested in starting a list. Using copy and poast to make the list as long as we can in one post?? I don't wan t to step on toes here . . . just thought a list would be useful .

comphry
apples

It may get lost in this monster thread. Might be good to start a thread of it's own and put a link here so others that regularly post here could find it and contribute.

 

[Eva2012]

Yes, I am all for growing, that is what I am trying to set up little by little.
My chickens love in particular pomegranates and melons ;
As soon as the sprinklers are on a controller, I will get them started

 

[Arielle]

Quote: THanks Kassandra; I"ve been reading this thread for a while. Just hard to keep up a composite list of everything growing for the birds. Sorry it sounded like I was butting in . . ..

 

[Chicks Galore3]

Here is my fodder! Sunflower seeds have been soaking for 11 days... wheat berries for 12- I feed both to the chickens yesterday and today.







Whoops! Some went down the drain.

 

[Dagirls]

I just had a nice conversation with a student about protein and fodder. He was doing research on protein from fodder. Growing different things. Then I see this thread. Great. Comfrey that 20% is what they obtain from the plant leaf?

 

[Kassaundra]

THanks Kassandra; I"ve been reading this thread for a while. Just hard to keep up a composite list of everything growing for the birds. Sorry it sounded like I was butting in . . ..

Oh I didn't think it sounded like butting in, just thinking how hard it would be to find the list in this big of a thread.

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Here is my fodder! Sunflower seeds have been soaking for 11 days... wheat berries for 12- I feed both to the chickens yesterday and today.







Whoops! Some went down the drain.

Very nice! I fed my BOSS sprouts the other day. They were starting to get pretty big, several already had little hairy roots.

Question..did your fodder, and BOSS sprouts have access to sunshine? Or are the wheat berries just lighter green in coloration?

~ Aspen

 

[pysankigirl]

Just a quick note...one of my coworkers at lunch today had a healthy choice microwave meal called a «steamer« that had a nice little disposible collander and bowl assembly inside that would be perfect for growing small portions of fodder.