What to plant for winter food plot?

[sbrown]

I am starting to think ahead for winter and ideas for a food plot. I let my chickens free range around our yard and home almost every other day at least. I think they are spoiled cause I have a yard full of grass and some areas with clover mixed in that they hardly touch, at least when Im watching. Thinking of planting some of my garden area with something they can graze on come winter time. What will they eat and last through most of winter? Wheat? Oats? Rye?

 

[Kelsie2290]

I've never planted a winter cover crop on a garden specifically for the chickens, but that sounds like a really good idea. Winter wheat or winter rye sound like obvious choices, they like sprouted wheat in the summer so would think they will graze on it in the winter, never really tried feeding them rye or rye grass, but again would think they eat it. Might not be a bad idea to plant some of them early and see what they think of it, before committing the whole garden to it.

 

[SunnySkies]

My Pet Chicken had packets of seeds specifically for chicken gardens than are fairly cold-hardy. I think, IIRC, chard, turnips and the like were in it. I have a packet, and once the sunflowers are done, I will have a space free and can plant it, along with some cover crops I bought for the chickens, like winter peas.

 

[bstone026]

Lets see winter grain, Rye Wheat Barley all good grains. Wheat has about 12% protein the most of the three. You could consider planting something like Pumpkins as chickens love the seeds and they can be planted late summer.