What do you grow to feed the chickens??

PS. I'm still looking for earlier fruiting bushes or trees. July seems to be the earliest in apple pear and peach. THe rasberreis seem to be earlier if I go by the "June bearer" title.Perhaps strawberries.

One of my concerns is the modern berries vs the older types. THe bitterness has been bred out of the modern types for better flavor, but the health benefits of the bitter fuits has importan health benefits.

I'm wondering how choke cherries are propgated?? We have a few but I would like more of them. Very bitter berries but when ripe are extraordinarily sweet and make wonderful jam. Half the berrry is pit , so a large quanitity is necessary.
You can take cuttings from your plants and use a rooting hormone and start new plants.
 
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Quote: Seriously??
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I believe there is a heritage raspberry that fruits multiple times through the season.
I have been reading the descriptions from a number of nurseries-- hard to find the details. Sometimes a smaller fruit is a clue. Or that it is an old variety . . .

We are stopping by an old style feed store today-- the kind that looks like general store. Plan to look for bulk seeds and plants in the nursery just as an FYI. My kids enjoy looking at all the pecular items on the shelves. . . and so do I

Needed to go to TSC too as friend gave me a gift certificate as a thank you ( took his son camping with my boys) -- need watering cups. Will poke around for seeds too!!!
 
I have been reading the descriptions from a number of nurseries-- hard to find the details. Sometimes a smaller fruit is a clue. Or that it is an old variety . . .

We are stopping by an old style feed store today-- the kind that looks like general store. Plan to look for bulk seeds and plants in the nursery just as an FYI. My kids enjoy looking at all the pecular items on the shelves. . . and so do I

Needed to go to TSC too as friend gave me a gift certificate as a thank you ( took his son camping with my boys) -- need watering cups. Will poke around for seeds too!!!
The heritage raspberry is an old time plant. Sometimes if you just tell them you are looking for some berries that fruit multiple times a year they can tell you if they have them that way.
I hope you find lots of nice goodies today. Let me know what you find.

My cocci outbreak is over, I lost 11 birds. Could have been much worse. But still not happy about it.
 
We moved to a sub-tropical climate 4 years ago which has proved to be a challenge for me to grow things in. I've planted a tropical hardy apple tree, nashi, papaya, had a lot of success growing pineapple from heads off pineapples I've bought and a Macadamia nut tree which is native to Queensland & died within a few months.
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I've struggled with veggies & my best find has been this website http://www.gardenate.com.au/zones/Australia+-+sub-tropical which tells you what you can grow & when. I now have sunflowers coming up for the chickens, nasturtiums & have planted herbs around their run. Our biggest predators are snakes, some of which are extremely venemous so no chance of free-ranging here! I also gave up trying to get brassicas to germinate & bought seedlings, so now I have broccoli & cabbages that I'll share when they are ready.
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I'm trying to grow some plants in the run (butterfly bush and roses) but they are struggling. Every time they grow near the wire they get eaten so they are not getting enough height for me to take the fencing off. I'm thinking that I need something solid around the plants like clear corrugated roofing to get them to grow tall enough that they will survive their lower foliage being eaten off. I've also bought a grapevine, but am undecided whether to plant it inside the run or next to it. Any ideas on protecting plants in the run will be appreciated.
 
Quote: THe loss of 11 is frustrating. DId you ever figure out what started the outbreak??

We are always in a rush at that store-- drive me nuts. So I have to look quickly. I dd buy 1 pound of white clover, but don't know the varitety, and the have rebagged the 25 # bags of seed to smaller 1 and 5 # bags. BUckwheat and a few othe seed I can't remember.

I cut the seed potatos last night and the kids and I started digging a trench. HARD work. GOt 4 feet done. While these potatos are for us, the left overs always go to the chickens. lol
 
We moved to a sub-tropical climate 4 years ago which has proved to be a challenge for me to grow things in. I've planted a tropical hardy apple tree, nashi, papaya, had a lot of success growing pineapple from heads off pineapples I've bought and a Macadamia nut tree which is native to Queensland & died within a few months.
rant.gif


I've struggled with veggies & my best find has been this website http://www.gardenate.com.au/zones/Australia+-+sub-tropical which tells you what you can grow & when. I now have sunflowers coming up for the chickens, nasturtiums & have planted herbs around their run. Our biggest predators are snakes, some of which are extremely venemous so no chance of free-ranging here! I also gave up trying to get brassicas to germinate & bought seedlings, so now I have broccoli & cabbages that I'll share when they are ready.
big_smile.png
I'm trying to grow some plants in the run (butterfly bush and roses) but they are struggling. Every time they grow near the wire they get eaten so they are not getting enough height for me to take the fencing off. I'm thinking that I need something solid around the plants like clear corrugated roofing to get them to grow tall enough that they will survive their lower foliage being eaten off. I've also bought a grapevine, but am undecided whether to plant it inside the run or next to it. Any ideas on protecting plants in the run will be appreciated.
How wonderful to have a web site with the keys to sucessful planting in your area!!

I have found that the chickens will decimate everything within reach. THey really prefer the live food to the pellets. At least mine do. All the runs are essentially bare; I use deep litter in the runs to keep them busy digging and looking for goodies. OTherwise I do free range for them to get to forages. CUtting grassand tossing in chopped grass is a time killer-- but I do it occassionally.

So I would plant outside the run, perhaps plants that vine and hangover and can drop in fruit . . . . perhaps have a mobile covered pen to graze . . . .and just for the recond all my lovely flower bed have been destroyed. THey have eaten everything despite a full feeder.

Perhaps bringing them food from another garden plot would work well for you.

Keep us posted!!
 
I have a tractor coop and i usually move that once a day, which is where they do most of their scavenging but i have also been trying to plant wheat, barley, and a little sorgum for scratch
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I have a tractor coop and i usually move that once a day, which is where they do most of their scavenging but i have also been trying to plant wheat, barley, and a little sorgum for scratch
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Do you cut and thresh to store the seeds , or let the girls collect that when their tractor is moved to that location??
 

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