What do you grow to feed the chickens??

[Heron's Nest Farm]

I'm here in Oregon. I feed it to my hens because I have to tear it out all over. It's a bit of a nuisance actually. Now I feel blessed reading your posts. Throw some wood ash out here.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Instead of tearing it out, why not manage it and harvest leaves for your birds? I wish I had more. I've got 3 plants that I've managed to keep alive.

 

[lazy gardener]

I ordered some late last summer. The cultivar that I ordered is sterile, so no propagation from seed. 10 crown cuttings, and 3 extra root cuttings thrown in for good measure. Had to heel some of it into the garden in pots b/c I didn't have a permanent spot ready. Hope it survived, as those pots went through several freeze/thaw cycles before I got them mulched in to the ground. Maybe this will be the year that I get my solar dryer made.

 

[Bean789]

I have comfrey EVERYWHERE. I can't imagine ordering it. My chickens love it. I am sure yours will too.

Well. then....maybe you could ship me some? Just go out there and snip, snip, snip, wet the ends and douse quickly with root grow, wrap ends in very wet paper towels, and place ends only in a zip lock bag. Package them, not too tightly in shredded paper, and rush them my way???? I just got my Comfrey seeds in them mail. It will be a while before I see much progress.

How about it? Hmmm?? Maybe?? Possibly??

 

[Heron's Nest Farm]

Well. then....maybe you could ship me some? Just go out there and snip, snip, snip, wet the ends and douse quickly with root grow, wrap ends in very wet paper towels, and place ends only in a zip lock bag. Package them, not too tightly in shredded paper, and rush them my way???? I just got my Comfrey seeds in them mail. It will be a while before I see much progress.

How about it? Hmmm?? Maybe?? Possibly??

LOL! I wonder if that were really possible? This could be my next cottage industry!

I am growing pepitas this year. Anyone else do this for chicken feed?

 

[Heron's Nest Farm]

Instead of tearing it out, why not manage it and harvest leaves for your birds? I wish I had more. I've got 3 plants that I've managed to keep alive.

I am not sure you can imagine what I am talking about. Do you have something invasive there? Comfrey are like blackberries here! You tractor them back away from the fields to keep your land! I am intrigued about this in my pasture? Maybe. I do take all my weeding to the deep litter, so the birds in there get it.

Bought meal worms for meal worm farm! Maybe I will freeze dry them too!

Also, I am developing a chicken supplement I will be selling. Stay tuned! It will control parasites and help boost egg production.

 

[dg14]

I gave my chickens mint when they were younger and now they absolutely love it!

 

[Bean789]

I gave my chickens mint when they were younger and now they absolutely love it!

I have seen where people recommend mint to give to them and to grow around the coop to help with flies, etc. I plan to plant mint and spearmint in borders around their coop, with wire over them so they don't decimate them completely.

I was planning on mint, spearmint, comfrey, marigolds, lavender, and maybe some citronella (for mosquitoes). Gotta look into the citronella plants first though.

 

[Lacy Blues]

I am not sure you can imagine what I am talking about. Do you have something invasive there? Comfrey are like blackberries here! You tractor them back away from the fields to keep your land! I am intrigued about this in my pasture? Maybe. I do take all my weeding to the deep litter, so the birds in there get it.

Bought meal worms for meal worm farm! Maybe I will freeze dry them too!

Also, I am developing a chicken supplement I will be selling. Stay tuned! It will control parasites and help boost egg production.

The only thing invasive that I can see is scorpions that get into the house. I've heard people talk about snakes getting into their house but we haven't experienced that.

You could include dried comfrey in your mix of what you plan to sell. It is really good for the birds and they love it. Of course I haven't tried drying it but cutting it fresh and into strips for each pen at feed time.

You could dig up and send part of a root. That's how I got mine. A very nice lady in Idaho dug some roots up for me in the fall or winter a couple years ago. She packed them in shavings that were very slightly moistened and put them in a priority mail box..."If it fits, it ships." I do need more though.

 

[Arielle]

I prefer shorter plants too. But, I tell you, seeing that Sorghum stretch up into the sky was an impressive sight. Will be doing a dedicated area of sorghum and sunflowers this spring, just for the glory of it.

LG, where are you buying your seed??

I mentioned this before, but I want to mention this again. If there is any rotation with managing the birds, sometimes tiling a section in their pasture, is beneficial. If there is a variety of native plants in the pasture, it would not be as helpful. In some pastures, their is a shortage of diversity. Sometimes just tilling a section brings a variety of native seeds to the surface where they sprout and grow. Left alone for a time, the insects will colonize it. I have found that in my circumstances, it is a cheap and effective way to improve the birds forage. A simple grass lawn is beneficial, but not as beneficial as it could be.

The more plant diversity, the more insects. A variation of short and tall thick forage aids the insect population, and still provides the birds access.

I have trees and leaf litter as part of my poultry pens. In the rotation, I maintain it as I do the green forage. I will add a layer of fallen limbs from the trees in order to discourage their scratching, in some places for a time. The sticks break down in time.
To keep it simple, left alone, the insects are allowed to reproduce in the leaf litter, and become food for the birds. It does not cost any money. It only costs time.

Another variation of this is to have a pen where leaves, clippings, straw, etc. can be accumulated. In different seasons, or at different times, the birds can be allowed access to harvest the invertebrates, weed seeds etc.

Simply planting bird seed works, and is cheaper than buying seed when you get it on sale. Most mixes contain red millet, but the red millets are not a problem as a supplement. Allowing it to set seed, and then cutting to let the birds harvest it themselves works, in a rotation.

I like ideas that are cost effective, and labor friendly. I do not want to spend more on the supplement than I do the feed.

I love the idea of cost effective!! THe best variety of seed I have found locally is about 40 minutes away, and going that direction is sporatic. So will look for any wild bird food at the local stores.

Quote: Most people would be surprized at how many "food" issues folks have. We have cut grain consumption, and sugar consumption considerably. . . .I'm betting we are at 25%. SO many interesting grains and vegies available now. AND we bake less-- mostly becuase that is where all the sugars and flours live with the fats. A really really bad combination. lol I love the gluten free recipes because they use the unusual grains.

Quote: I just looked at my invinsible mint. . . and dont see even one shoot. THe chickens decimated it. It was a 20 year plot. GOod thing my mother has more.

Cant have iced tea without mint!!