What do you grow to feed the chickens??

[chickadoodles]

Lacy I did a quick google to see what wild berries would grow in your area for shade and food and found this site.

http://www.trails.com/list_5412_nevada-wild-edible-plants-berries.html

 

[Lacy Blues]

Wow, thank you very much!

 

[chickadoodles]

Your welcome.

 

[Arielle]

Lacy--cant remember if I have suggested scarlet runner beans to you. I planted them on an old woven wire fence between two old horse paddocks and boy did they take off and made a thick natural light barrier. THe chickens really liked having the shade in the heat of the day as the fence runs east to west.

I cant grow sunflowers at all; must have a black thumb for those too. lol I am trying to find plants that have edible stalks and leaves as well as the seeds. I'm ok with growing corn now as I can toss the stalks to the horses. Or the sheep. Though the latter don't eat much of the stalk but do gobble the leaves.

Three months of winter to struggle thru yet. Looking forward to the end of March!! Need to get a few seed catalogs to keep me busy!!

 

[gjensen]

Wow, thank you very much!

Lacy, have you considered or tried a white millet?

 

[Lacy Blues]

No George, I hadn't... but I will. Does it get tall too? I don't know why I didn't think of that. I'll check up on it. Thanks.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Lacy--cant remember if I have suggested scarlet runner beans to you. I planted them on an old woven wire fence between two old horse paddocks and boy did they take off and made a thick natural light barrier. THe chickens really liked having the shade in the heat of the day as the fence runs east to west.

I cant grow sunflowers at all; must have a black thumb for those too. lol I am trying to find plants that have edible stalks and leaves as well as the seeds. I'm ok with growing corn now as I can toss the stalks to the horses. Or the sheep. Though the latter don't eat much of the stalk but do gobble the leaves.

Three months of winter to struggle thru yet. Looking forward to the end of March!! Need to get a few seed catalogs to keep me busy!!

I guess I missed this post somehow. I used to be able to grow scarlet runner beans, but that was in Minnesota several years back. I bought some seeds again this summer to plant in the spring. Now all I have to do is get them planted at the right time. Right now, the weather is beautiful and reaching into the 60s! Very tempting but I know more frost is on the way!

 

[Arielle]

We did not get the January thaw that we often get. Can happen in February though. Sure hope so!! Yah given the climate of NV I wouldn't be planting yet either. lol But dreaming about it is almost as good.

The scarlet runner beans are a bit weird as beans go if you are used to the commercial types like green beans and wax beans and kidney beans and Jacob cattle. These are best described as an ancient bean with rough almost spines and the pods are very fibrous. I have come to embrace the old type plants myself and keep looking for places to plant the scarlet runners. THe beans can be eaten fresh, steamed or left to dry and then shelled. A lovely color too: many are purple -pink and brown. Color deepens as it dries.

 

[alica31]

I love scarlet runner beans for decorative value they add to old fence in my garden. It too provides shade for my chicks

 

[gjensen]

No George, I hadn't... but I will. Does it get tall too? I don't know why I didn't think of that. I'll check up on it. Thanks.

No it isn't that tall. Quick to mature to.

Not all sorghum varieties are especially tall either.

Try a white millet variety. Too much of the red varieties would not be good. You can even sow it thicker than you should and pull young plants to feed to the birds. They like the young tender leaves.
It is also easy to harvest.