Winter Pasture for Poultry
Jim A. Hall
(Originally written for the 2010 APA Yearbook).
Growing up on our family farm on the beautiful Lake Eufaula and North Canadian River in McIntosh County, Oklahoma, winter was always green and luscious! Folks would visit and ask, What are those cows eating in all that snow? Dad would answer, Green grass. Each fall we would broadcast a mixture of Elbon Rye and Hairy Vetch in our fields and pastures. Everywhere we could get the 8N Ford tractor between the trees, we would broadcast the seed. Dad would have me pull handfuls of green vines to feed the laying hens. The USDA has an extensive online publication on winter cover crops and a wise poultry breeder would read and study this information. We still plant Elbon Rye and Hairy Vetch each fall for a cover crop and for our livestock.
Then one fall we discovered Kale. Our hens really loved the kale. Kale is very versatile. You can cook it like spinach. Eat it raw in salads. It has a very sweet taste. Kale should be planted in your garden or flower beds in late summer or early fall. Check with your county extension service as to the correct plating dates for your area. The nutritional value of Kale is amazing. Nutritiondata.com states in each 67g of Kale there is: 2.2g of Protein; 10302 IU 206% of Vitamin A; 80.4 mg or 134% of Vitamin C; 547 mcg or 684% of Vitamin K. Kale is high in calcium and nine other minerals. Kale has absolutely no cholesterol.
Feeding either Kale or winter cover crops to your poultry will keep them healthier, happier and in better condition. Egg yolks will be richer. A healthy bird will have higher fertility. A healthy egg will have higher hatchability. A healthy bird has a better chance of bringing home those blue ribbons. But dont take our word for it. Try feeding your birds green pasture this winter. Rake that snow back, take a pair of scissors and clip your poultry some healthy and tasty greens all winter long. Just remember, if using Kale, plant enough for both your birds and yourself.
Footnotes:
1http://www.sare.org/publications/covercrops/covercrops.pdf
2 http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2461/2
Note: We use a push mower with bagger to trim the winter pasture and feed our caged birds. This will lower the feed bill some and provide much needed greens for your birds that are caged. We also use the same method to feed greens through out the year to our caged birds.
Elbon Rye from http://www.dirtdoctor.com/Elbon-Rye_vq380.htm
Jim A. Hall
(Originally written for the 2010 APA Yearbook).
Growing up on our family farm on the beautiful Lake Eufaula and North Canadian River in McIntosh County, Oklahoma, winter was always green and luscious! Folks would visit and ask, What are those cows eating in all that snow? Dad would answer, Green grass. Each fall we would broadcast a mixture of Elbon Rye and Hairy Vetch in our fields and pastures. Everywhere we could get the 8N Ford tractor between the trees, we would broadcast the seed. Dad would have me pull handfuls of green vines to feed the laying hens. The USDA has an extensive online publication on winter cover crops and a wise poultry breeder would read and study this information. We still plant Elbon Rye and Hairy Vetch each fall for a cover crop and for our livestock.
Then one fall we discovered Kale. Our hens really loved the kale. Kale is very versatile. You can cook it like spinach. Eat it raw in salads. It has a very sweet taste. Kale should be planted in your garden or flower beds in late summer or early fall. Check with your county extension service as to the correct plating dates for your area. The nutritional value of Kale is amazing. Nutritiondata.com states in each 67g of Kale there is: 2.2g of Protein; 10302 IU 206% of Vitamin A; 80.4 mg or 134% of Vitamin C; 547 mcg or 684% of Vitamin K. Kale is high in calcium and nine other minerals. Kale has absolutely no cholesterol.
Feeding either Kale or winter cover crops to your poultry will keep them healthier, happier and in better condition. Egg yolks will be richer. A healthy bird will have higher fertility. A healthy egg will have higher hatchability. A healthy bird has a better chance of bringing home those blue ribbons. But dont take our word for it. Try feeding your birds green pasture this winter. Rake that snow back, take a pair of scissors and clip your poultry some healthy and tasty greens all winter long. Just remember, if using Kale, plant enough for both your birds and yourself.
Footnotes:
1http://www.sare.org/publications/covercrops/covercrops.pdf
2 http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2461/2
Note: We use a push mower with bagger to trim the winter pasture and feed our caged birds. This will lower the feed bill some and provide much needed greens for your birds that are caged. We also use the same method to feed greens through out the year to our caged birds.
Elbon Rye from http://www.dirtdoctor.com/Elbon-Rye_vq380.htm
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