What to plant for free range chickens

[detali]

If you want to free range your chickens in your back yard and keep green stuff growing in there here is an idea. This is what I am doing.

I have my chickens in an enclosed, top covered run which is quite small, relatively speaking. That's where they get their food and water. That's where I leave them when I go away from home because I know they are safe there.

Attached to the run is a large chicken pasture, planted with a variety of grasses even wild flowers which is divided into two sections. From their covered run I have made a poop door that I can open into the section of the chicken pasture I want them to go into while the other section is blocked off, watered and fertilized until it grows back again.

I can easily rotate them from one to the other. And they will always have greens to eat.

 

[pongoid]

Well out here on the plains if its not range land that has been cleared and replanted for cattle grazing....there are alot of varied plants. Some are toxic and some are medicinal.
I will have to get out my ethnobotany book and make sure my chickens aren't exposed to some weird loco weed.

 

[pongoid]

Quote:
I was gone for a week and a relative watched my chickens. He is kind of a flock up and didn't take care of them as well as I would want but it resulted in them transitioning to grass and lettuce and other kitchen waste. Its GreaT!

 

[schellie69]

Quote:
I was gone for a week and a relative watched my chickens. He is kind of a flock up and didn't take care of them as well as I would want but it resulted in them transitioning to grass and lettuce and other kitchen waste. Its GreaT!

mine love grass, so much that they have ate it all out of my back yard lol. now they deal with clippings from the front yard weeds out of the garden and some snacks from the kitchen. I don't think you can give them potato peels not sure about cooked potato skins.

 

[chicknerd]

Quote:
Thank you for posting this.

I was just about to ask if this was obsessive or not. It seems like a great idea. I was going to use clover as they seem to really love it, but maybe I will mix rye and clover!

 

[bnentrup]

Quote:
Thank you for posting this.

I was just about to ask if this was obsessive or not. It seems like a great idea. I was going to use clover as they seem to really love it, but maybe I will mix rye and clover!

Well Guys, I was the one so emphatic with clover early in the post. Since then, I have further researched other solutions and found that BUCKWHEAT is a fantastic crop as well and has a good supply of lysine. Add that in the mix. What we are learning here is a buffet of vegetation always works the best. I think those who just say, heck- let it be natural, have a good plan too, as long as they have a variety and not just one lawn species present.