What should I grow in a "chicken garden"?

[skunknchatter]

ditto on they'll eat anything. We feed them the ears of corn that have earwigs (yummy protein), watermelon rinds (they pick 'em clean), actually we feed them left overs too. What they don't want they leave and we clean it up the next day.

 

[Zoomom]

So pole beans would be a good disguise for the pen, plus they can eat what is on the inside and we can eat the beans on the outside..

 

[Zoomom]

my biggest issue is hiding the hens from the neighbors so disguise is good.

 

[DottieMarie]

On this same subject, what can we grow that will actually have enough nutrients so we can cut down on the regular feed? Or is this something we shouldn't consider?

 

[digitS']

One tough nut to crack with growing food for our laying hens is providing them with enough protein. It won't help their diets much to decrease their protein ration by upping high-calorie starches. Yes, vitamins are important but if we want productive birds, it is essential that they get enough protein.

Not even the cereal grains have enough protein to match their required 16% commercial rations. So, one way that I get around this is buying 20% protein feed for the hens and limiting the veggies and such from the garden.

Farms in this area do not grow soybeans. The season is too short for the commercial varieties but I'm supposed to be getting some short-season soy in the mail soon. I've already received adzuki beans. These are small and should be of good size for the birds.

They may be a source of high-protein but legumes like soy and adzuki require heat treatment to reduce their anti-nutrients. I have always cooked a little of what the chickens eat and maybe this won't be too much of a bother.

The pastured poultry folks say that feed can be reduced 30% with pasturing chickens on legume/grass forage. Seems to me that this is just about as much as we could hope for from the garden without really, really knowing what we are doing with formulating feed. Supplementing animal protein may be another option.

Steve

 

[lalaland]

Peaceful Valley has a great seed mix of grasses and legumes that increase the omega 3's in the eggs - haven't tried it, but it is supposed to make for great foraging for the chickens. You can find them online, they are a great resource for gardeners, too

 

[Indiana hens]

Top of my list: Jerusalem Artichokes(diabetic potato) has bushy sunflowers atop, makes great cover!(chickens won't eat the roots). 2nd Cannas Japanese beetles love em, they land on the edge of the leaves and chciken pick them right off. Also beetles leave most other plants alone! Hope this helps.

 

[warmfuzzies]

I was wondering about jerusalem artichokes for a fence cover, they are a spreading perennial. Also, beans are good, you could do runner beans, they have great flowers and still produce edible beans. I would think you could try sunflowers, cucumbers, tomatoes, or sweet potatoes. (Which may have poisinous plants, I am not sure. They are in the ipomea family, and I have heard you should not feed morning glories to bunnies, but I really diddnt think they were poisinous.)

As far as favorite foods, ours love any of the squashes, they dont like greens as much as I thought they would. They love tomatoes, (and tomatoe hornworms

)

I am going to grow them broomcorn this year, which is a sorghum like milo. I am also going to devote as much space to corn as I can. Mine will eat whole corn, as long as they can get plenty of grit. I am going to do a lot of winter squash to store for them, as squash is probably the thing that grows best here.

Sorry for the long post!

 

[digitS']

Quote:
And, why aren't you suggesting winter squash as a fence cover? Haven't tried it but it looks like a good choice. Be advised that the vines are edible, in fact, they are quite tasty!

My neighbor 25 years ago had Jerusalem artichokes growing along a wall and every year he would fight to keep them close to that wall and out of his garden. I enjoyed digging a few and eating them raw. Always reminded me of Brazil nuts.

I drove by the old place a few days ago. The neighbor is long gone and a bulldozer was removing the house next to the Jerusalem artichokes. I'm sure those roots are just biding their time until spring warmth allows them to send shoots above ground. Once you've got those plants, they will always be there, for better or worse.

Steve

 

[warmfuzzies]

I thought about winter squash, but it gets pretty heavy, so I guess it would just depend on what kind of fence you had. I dont think you would want it on chicken wire.