Harvesting "weeds" for winter?

[ears73]

I have a rampant weed called 'Japanese Stilt Grass' that we let grow in a small field. The chickens love it, but it is starting to dry out a little with the change of seasons... I was hoping to pull a bunch of it and store it for the winter, but I am unsure of how exactly to do this...

What do people do with hay or straw (or any grain for that matter) to keep it from getting moldy over the winter? I wanted to stuff a bag or two full of this stuff which is like tall grass but I don't know if there is a better way.

Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[crtrlovr]

can you cut it and bundle it together w/ rubber bands or twist ties and hang it to dry like herbs or catnip? (that's the way I do green catnip and it dries beautifully w/o mold). Just a suggestion... I don't know how much you're talking about, so I don't know if that would be feasible.

 

[banter]

That is such a great idea! I want to dig and store dandelion roots to force in the winter for the geese and chickens-like you do Belgium endive.

 

[yellowdragon]

What else can you do. I never thought about harvasting greens. can you get more details.
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[bearz]

Can you chop it into manageable bundles and freeze it? Hay (alfalfa) is dried in the field for a few days and the baled. It can be stored like that for the winter and my rabbit will eat it but I'm thinking the chickens might like it better frozen and thawed.

Just a thought.

 

[ears73]

awesome, thanks all for the suggestions - I will try them out!!

 

[banter]

Eliot Coleman has a book called "Four Season Harvest" which explains how to extend your harvest (and most importantly what type of greens and veggies you can grow into winter in cold climates) using cold frames and plastic tunnels. The book has great instructions on how to bring in hardy green roots for forcing. I got the book at the library and was impressed enough to buy a copy. So far his advice has worked amazingly well for me.




http://www.fourseasonfarm.com/index.html

 

[mikeksfarmer]

I am amazed at how much grass my chickens eat daily. Green leafy vegies are great source of CA. In any case I wanted to encourage them to eat more greens in the winter here. I am thinking about a green house like tunnel made out of PVC and plastic sheeting. I want to put it on runners so I can move it around. Though dried grasses are a nice thought, I feel that the chickens wont eat much. Thats my idea for winter chicken greens.