What can you tell me about millet?

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

A friend of mine just discovered that she has a nice patch of millet growing in her yard. Millet is bird feed right? Chickens are birds..... ergo free food??

How would I harvest it? Can I just cut and dry the stalks and then put the stalks where they can peck them??

 

[karrie]

Sounds like free food to me!

 

[mrsengeseth]

i don't see why not.

cut it, dry it and let the birds have at it. I would cut off the leafy parts, just to cut down on mess while drying. Hang it upside down in a paper bag and dry.

 

[silkiechicken]

That my parakeets would gorge themselves on it if it was on the spray!

Bet the chickens would love to pick it up and gobble them down!

 

[happyhen]

My chickens love millet sprays as a special treat! I wish I had a free source.

 

[gritsar]

My chickens have been eating millet, usually once a week or so, since they were 2 or 3 weeks old. We have a garden space tagged for planting them some millet in the spring.

 

[mangled]

Our feed store will get the monster sized millet stalks in every so often, and sell them 3 for $1.00, and I usually get $5.00. I save them mostly for our cockatiel, but take 3 or 4 out for the girls.

I can offer this warning: once your girls figure out what it is, and recognize it, you are at risk of attack, as mine will jump off the ground to rip it out of my hands.

Em

 

[tinners204]

My brother-inlaw has a big millet patch. I have a 5 gallon bucket clear full of it. Just hang it in some panty hose and let it dry and they love it. And it is good for them.

 

[gritsar]

Oh I forgot to add: When mine were little, less than four months old, I always took the buds off the stalk and discarded the stalk. The reason being I had to literally pull a stalk out of one piggy's (I mean chicken's) crop. That same chicken tried to swallow a fig whole yesterday.

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

Thanks for the tip!! I'm going to hang it high and make 'em jump!