Pasture grass seeds

[schellie69]

I was wondering if anyone knew where I could buy some pasture grass seeds for chickens. I saw one that had flax seeds, clover and some other type of grasses for chickens. I want to make a grass box in their run and would love to plant this any help would be appreciated.

 

[ralleia]

Stock seed farms has pasture seed mixes.

www.stockseed.com

 

[schellie69]

Quote:
What you get for your chickens I guess I am not sure what to look for thanks for any help.

 

[ralleia]

What do you have in mind exactly for this "grass box?" Size? Raised bed?

If you intend for it to go into the chicken run, be aware that chickens' scratchings tend to get quite destructive to plants. Grass runs rapidly become mud runs. Unless you control their access by some kind of practice pasture management, the chickens will destroy the grass. The same thing happens with horses and cattle.

And what is the depth of the box? Different plants have different requirements for soil depth.

I can do some research--I have a book on making your own feed for chickens that is a good resource.

 

[ralleia]

Here's the "forage" mixes from Stock Seeds:

Forage base deer and turkey mix:
alfalfa, alsike clover, chicory, peas, ladino clover, oats, red clover, timothy, turnips, wheat

Upland Game Bird mix:
annual sunflower, buckwheat, millet, oats, partridgepea, milo, millet

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My book "Feeding Poultry" by G.F. Heuser talks about pasture--it says that frequent mowings are needed to keep the pasture tender and palatable. Recommended components include perennial clovers, alfalfa, perennial rye grasses, meadow grasses, fescue, bluegrass, and timothy.

Any kind of grain may also be used, but is temporary. You can also sprout grains for a yummy treat.

Since a lot of the listed grasses are pretty standard in the mixes that people use for lawns, you could probably just use some fresh grass seed from the hardware store for the bulk of your "pasture." And then supplement with a bit of something else.

 

[schellie69]

I am building a raised box that will have chicken wire on top to prevent them from scratching the grass I saw on on here that another byc member made. I just wanted to order something that will be really good for them.

 

[Sandywitch]

I would also like to find out what kind of grass would be good for chickens to eat. We plant to make a box at one end of the run and also put hardware cloth over it so that they can't scratch it up but can chew on the grass once it gets tall enough to poke through the wire. I'm in Kentucky.

 

[BrotherFrank]

I was looking for the same answer online and found this site.

http://www.groworganic.com/omega-3-chicken-forage-blend-irrigated.html

 

[Sandywitch]

I was looking for the same answer online and found this site.

http://www.groworganic.com/omega-3-chicken-forage-blend-irrigated.html

Thank you!

 

[Burkerts]

I am looking for some good kind of bushes I can plant in my pen area that my chickens can take cover under. Does anyone out there have any good suggestions?