Growing fodder for chickens

[groverlvchx]

I've been pretty good about keeping up with this thread - as far as reading goes, but don't remember seeing anything about rye. I bought rye at the health food store to make bread. Don't know what I was thinking - bought about 3 lbs. I only needed enough to bake 2 loaves of bread. Anyone on here used it before? I know that there are some concerns about the mold on mature rye that can cause problems but was curious about just sprouting.

I grew fodder from a 50lb bag of rye. It wasn't as thick as wheat, but it worked fine. With both, I do a 24 hour soak initially in water with a glub of bleach to kill mold and fruit flies. The rye sprouts are red, which is kinda cool to look at.

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Pictures of the gang enjoying some fodder. Silly dog. She thought the birds were getting something better than what she gets.





Lovely pictures!! Question, in the 2nd picture, is that some sort of coop in the background?

Lovely Birds!

~ Aspen

 

[Eva2012]

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

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

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

Methinks I need to start growing comfrey for my feathered dinosaurs!

~ Aspen

 

[muckmuck]

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

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

 

[mickey328]

Our chickens love, love, love comfrey! Don't remember where, but I think I read some place that you shouldn't give them too much...but what "too much" would be, I don't know. We have 6 chickens and they get about 2 of the huge leaves every couple of days. This summer, I hope to harvest and dry some for feed over the winter.

Oh, and comfrey is an excellent compost starter too: Chop some up and put 'em in a bucket with some water in it, let it sit in the sun a couple days till it gets good and nasty smelling and dump it on the compost pile...it'll get it cooking for ya

 

[Lacy Blues]

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

Ummmm.... I guess I will commit this to memory for those days when I've been working in the barn for hours on end and suddenly realize that I might not make it back to the house!

 

[corancher]

Aspen - No it's not a coop. My husband is a collectors of whatever. It's the cooling unit for a walk in cooler.

Does it look like it's working?

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Aspen - No it's not a coop. My husband is a collectors of whatever. It's the cooling unit for a walk in cooler.

Does it look like it's working?

Oh okay, not a coop then! LOL Oh yes, it appears to be working! LOL

~ Aspen

 

[Arielle]

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