Hey Guys! Heres my Chicken cover crop mix. Thoughts?

[Maureen in Chesterton]

Can I simply broadcast seed onto a mulch layer and expect good results?

No; the mulch suppresses seed germination. I believe it's nitrogen that is tied up by the decomposition process. I did an experiment one time, put a bunch of not quite compost & wood chips on one side of a bed, not the other, then seeded both sides with quick growing greens & radishes & such. I was so expecting the plants on the side of the compost to be absolutely bursting. Instead, absolutely nothing. The seeds on the other side were ok, the ones that were a foot or so away from the mulch.

 

[Magnumchicken]

Remove the mulch layer or till it deep.

I plant roundup ready alfalfa. My chickens love it. I spray roundup for weeds then dont let them graze it for a month or so. Its jan 2 now and they went to town on it.

In summer i grow soybeans for them. Turn them loose on it once pods start to fill. They dont eat pods nor stems, but strip every leaf off.

Alfalfa and soybean leaves have like 25 or 35% protein. Much higher than grass ect.

 

[SunflowerKing]

Hey guys, I was thinking about adding another plant to my chicken forage cover crop mix.

Wild hairy tomato... what do you guys think of this plant? Will it compete in the mix?

 

[raingarden]

Amazon sells seed for a chicken forage mix. I sprouted some but do not what it grows up to be. It would be gone in thirty minutes if the chickens could get to it.

https://smile.amazon.com/Barenbrug-...250&sprefix=chicken+forage+see,aps,380&sr=8-5

 

[SunflowerKing]

Amazon sells seed for a chicken forage mix. I sprouted some but do not what it grows up to be. It would be gone in thirty minutes if the chickens could get to it.

https://smile.amazon.com/Barenbrug-25490-Premium-Forage-Mixture/dp/B07MV2D1TJ/ref=sr_1_5?crid=265J5PPR3YAZ7&keywords=chicken+forage+seed&qid=1646370250&sprefix=chicken+forage+see,aps,380&sr=8-5

Thats nice but Id prefer to make my own with plants that I also can eat and find useful. The alfalfa and clover seem good in their mix though.

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

Remove the mulch layer or till it deep.

I plant roundup ready alfalfa. My chickens love it. I spray roundup for weeds then dont let them graze it for a month or so. Its jan 2 now and they went to town on it.

In summer i grow soybeans for them. Turn them loose on it once pods start to fill. They dont eat pods nor stems, but strip every leaf off.

Alfalfa and soybean leaves have like 25 or 35% protein. Much higher than grass ect.

Maybe this is a strange question but - why not just let the chickens eat all your weeds instead of spraying roundup? I have a big interest in soil microbiome and love the interaction between chickens, no till, compost and cover crops on the way it enhances soils over time. I'm just thinking about your situation and wondering why roundup instead of weed eater chickens goin' to town on it? Thanks!

 

[Magnumchicken]

Maybe this is a strange question but - why not just let the chickens eat all your weeds instead of spraying roundup? I have a big interest in soil microbiome and love the interaction between chickens, no till, compost and cover crops on the way it enhances soils over time. I'm just thinking about your situation and wondering why roundup instead of weed eater chickens goin' to town on it? Thanks!

The reason I go for the roundup resistant alfalfa is that the chickens like the alfalfa so much more than the weeds, that they will take over completely. The alfalfa food value is so much higher with about 30%dry matter protein. Roundup being one of the safest herbicides out there makes it better than some of the others IMO.
I do get some resistant water hemp ect which I pull by hand.

I've tried conventional alfalfa and over time the chickens just pick out the alfalfa first. The only thing they like as much as alfalfa is soybean leaves. Interesting is they don't eat the pods or stems, but remove every bit of leaf.