Winter Forage

[StrawberryMoon]

Hi! I wonder if there is any good cold weather forage that I could plant in my runs. Is anyone doing this? Something that would stay green longer into the winter than grass does, or that would begin greening before the grass in spring?

 

[Crazy for Chickens!]

Pay attention to what stays green longer, or gets green sooner, in your area. Most likely if you bought some fancy plant, it wouldn't stay alive in your climate. Plus, the chickens may or. Ay not eat it, since a lot of things that stay green, are tough and brittle. Also, if they did go crazy for it, they would most likely kill it, because it wouldn't have a chance to grow.....

An idea to give them something to do in the winter, is put some soil in there that has decaying leaves, etc. they love to scratch through it. Of course, you would have to do this on a warmer day, when the ground wasn't freezi, which may not be possible. We let our chickens free range all year round. I think it helps with feed costs.

 

[Aceoky]

I have oats , winter wheat, clover planted not only in the lot (2500 sq ft) but also around the perimeter between the electric fence and the chicken's fence. I mow that area with a bagged mower so they get the goodies all mulched up ready for them.

 

[aart]

Hi! I wonder if there is any good cold weather forage that I could plant in my runs. Is anyone doing this? Something that would stay green longer into the winter than grass does, or that would begin greening before the grass in spring?

Adding your location to your profile would help you get more suggestions
It's easy to do, then it's always there!

 

[glib]

I have oats , winter wheat, clover planted not only in the lot (2500 sq ft) but also around the perimeter between the electric fence and the chicken's fence. I mow that area with a bagged mower so they get the goodies all mulched up ready for them.

concur with the winter wheat, and add triticale and rye as some of the hardiest grasses. if you can find it, I would also try camelina. Now, if you can switch to vegetables, the champs are collards and kale, but you would need to fence off the area until it is cold.

 

[ngennetta]

We grow a seed mix in the Spring-Fall. During the winter we grow the seed mix indoors, in a planter or tray. We trim the tops and feed it to the birds, and the mix just keeps growing!

https://shop.heritageacresmarket.co...ers-1/products/essential-nutrients-seed-blend