Heritage Large Fowl - Phase II

[Wisher1000]

 

[gjensen]

I believe in fresh greens for the birds. Sprouts might be a good option for some.

We have native greens most of the year, so I prefer to let them access their own. We have a short season where green feed is not in high qty. naturally. I like to have a bed planted for greens rather than sprouts, finding it much less maintenance. Once established it is simply cut and carry. I have been unable to see an advantage in the maintenance required to grow sprouts. That is not to say that this would not be different for others.

It is true that sprouts are especially nutritious and digestible. There are however, a number of options. There are several cultivars of different types developed to be especially nutritious and digestible at much later stages. Some of these plants are cut and come again. You can achieve rather large quantities in a reasonably sized planting bed, where it is even simple to install automatic irrigation to limit the labor of the plating bed's care. There are even a number of perennials that make reasonable options.

The key is that the plant is young, tender, and nutritious. They are already getting a balanced diet. We are merely supplementing that diet, and adding variety and interest. Done right, we can save a few dollars doing it. It is hard to save money with sprouts because the seed often costs as much or more than the feed.

We are all in different regions, and have different life styles etc. Sprouts may be a good option for some, but there are other way to accomplish the same thing. I do believe that it is helpful to emphasize the addition of fresh greens into their diet. I am not convinced that it is necessary with good feed, but I have been sold on it along the way.

 

[Wisher1000]

I've been thinking of planting a bed of winter rye or wheat and covering it with a 1" (+/-) frame and hardware cloth wire so that they can keep it trimmed as it grows tall enough to pass through the wire but can't be scratched up. I could plant that near the coop or even in a run and they could watch it grow for entertainment!

 

[gjensen]

I've been thinking of planting a bed of winter rye or wheat and covering it with a 1" (+/-) frame and hardware cloth wire so that they can keep it trimmed as it grows tall enough to pass through the wire but can't be scratched up. I could plant that near the coop or even in a run and they could watch it grow for entertainment!

I have done that and it works well.

Rye is a good and easy grass. There are a couple cultivars that will persist pretty late into the warm weather, and stay digestible longer. Too much rye will start tinting the egg yolks, but in a bed like you are describing it would be hard to get too much. I and the birds like wheat grass when it is young new growth. I like Oats for this to.

Like this, a little seed goes a long ways.

 

[Lacy Blues]

I've got plans for areas of green growth and its on a list of many other plans. I'm hoping I can make some headway with it next year. For now, sprouts will have to do. They really chow down on them too! It's not terribly time consuming for me as I have 4 jugs I rotate. They get rinsed once or twice a day (in summer I need to do it twice). After a few days growth, most form quite a clump in my jugs and I need to feed them out before they become impossible to disentangle. If I had a single flock or two it might be easier to just throw a clump out there for them to devour. As it is though, I have too many pens so I disentangle the roots before they get too tight and I mix them in with their fermented feed right before serving.

They really seem to like the wheat sprouts but I don't use them often... usually only when I have forgotten to start sprouts for a couple of days and the wheat sprouts quickly. It's usually ready in two days... so I get that going while the others are getting started. As long as I remember and take the time to go out and get the seed, it goes fairly smoothly.

I've tried growing fodder. It gets moldy quickly. Maybe I need to figure a new way to do it and growing short fodder might be a possibility that I can work on over the winter.

 

[3riverschick]

Hi

,
When I sprout I use Plotspike Forage Oats. They are non-GMO being created by specialized linebreeding
at Louisiana State University round the turn of the century. 24.99 buys 50 lbs. at Tractor Supply Company.
They also sell 25 lb. bag. http://www.plotspike.com/
Best,
Karen

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I don't think any oats are GMO ...

 

[gjensen]

Oats are handy for over seeding warm season grasses less centipede etc. that grows especially tight. It is a handy winter pasture if it gets cut a couple times. Here anyways.

 

[finnfur]

I don't think any oats are GMO ...

Correct - not aware of any GMO Oats - maybe Hybrid
Planting food plots for deer I and members of QDMA have found that the Deer seem to prefer the regular spring Oats over the "Buck on then bag" oats.
They are cheaper too.
Not sure if that would apply to chickens also .

 

[LindaB220]

I've been thinking of planting a bed of winter rye or wheat and covering it with a 1" (+/-) frame and hardware cloth wire so that they can keep it trimmed as it grows tall enough to pass through the wire but can't be scratched up. I could plant that near the coop or even in a run and they could watch it grow for entertainment!

A great idea isn't it. RobRoy has a good one on his youtube channel