? on food growth in run?

[chris2pa]

Hello not sure how I wanted to word it above. We would like to plant some type of feed like healthy green in our run area. we would like to start before the snow comes and allow it to rest under straw with the snow on top. Because our girls do not like the snow you literally have to shovel an area for them to walk in.So come spring their will be healthy grass or food growing. They have it down to the dirt now. So what I am trying to say is something like you do for deer plots. Any ideas or info you can share would be greatly appreciated...
I hope I put this in the right thread.

 

[chris2pa]

Any ideas or suggestions?

 

[cybercat]

Winter rye or wheat would be the best. It is made to over winter just like you want. It will grow so long then stop growing for winter and restart in spring.

 

[darkmatter]

Fruit trees, like Illinois everbearing mulberry, apples, persimmons. Then plant annuals like Tomatoes in cages so as to grow up and over dropping tomatoes to the chickens. The wife grows Zucchini, which I throw to the chickens when she's not looking-----here in the Midwest no-one locks their car doors except during Zucchini season. A good combination is to have the chicken run in the orchard. Another good idea is to have twice the garden area you need divided in two with the chickens set up to use the half you're not using that year, then let them in the garden in the fall when you're done for them to weed and til the soil for a year, then switch back.

 

[chris2pa]

Thank you. I made a call to one of our feed mills and I can get oat and wheat 2 1/2lbs for a dollar each. The Rye is 79cents a pound and I can get the oats and wheat for 40cents a pound. I did not know it would be that cheap. I do not want to put them out into my garden only because it is in the opening and their coop is surrounded by trees.

 

[cybercat]

Make sure it is WINTER wheat or winter rye otherwise it will not grow in fall and winter. This would be pasture grass not feed sold buy bag. If your buy feed wheat or rye it might not grow as most are cracked and rolled before being sold. You want SEED not feed.

 

[chris2pa]

Thank you. Sorry for the late reply. Yes the girl at the mill knew what I wanted. I told her what I was doing. So all is good. I am hoping to get in by september or october.. She said that you can even use it as scratch. Not sure if that is a good idea or not. What do you guys think?

 

[JayBird+16]

I just planted winter rye, because it grows so quickly and I wanted to fill in the run, the girls ate it before it came up. So... it will work as scratch. I'm gong to try again w/ a better fence system.