We have 12 hens and this spring, I would like to grow as much feed as possible to supplement their diet of laying pellets and scratch grains. They already get buckets of clover and broccoli greens to eat, but I would like to grow some other feed to save money. Our soil is mostly clay, that has been supplemented with horse manure, leaves and compost. We live at 4500 feet, in Zone 8, and we have a 30 x 30 garden plot. I would like to try growing maize for feed, but have not had good luck with corn in our area, so do not know whether maize will be any more sucessful than the corn. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Chickens will eat just about anything that you put in front of their beaks ! I always gave mine table scraps, (no meat), and just about any vegetables, except potato peelings, they aren't good for them, never any spoiled food, my grandmother use to bake cornbread for hers, they love it, and just plain ole grass, it is good for them, and the more green, the better, it makes nice dark orange yolks. If they are free-range chickens, you dont have to do this, they already know whats good for them, they will also eat your garden vegetables, and especially like to sample each and every one of your tomatoes, maybe just a peck or two out of each one ! I thought that maise and corn was the same.
Sarah check with your local farm feed & supply store. There are several maise variaties that grow well at 4500ft. I'm in Idaho at 4700ft in zone 4 we grow sudan grass, tritacle a cross between rye & wheat, barley, corn, milo, sun flowers, wheat to mention the most common. Your feed supply store will have variaties that do well in your area. Or just call your county extension agent it's their job to answer these types of questions. And your tax dollars are paying him/her. Good Luck
With only 30x30' of garden space i'd say don't waste space on corn (which is the same as maize). Sunflowers may be a better seed to grow for the birds. but really the leafy greens, roots etc that you give them out of your garden should be suppliment enough for the grain you already feed.
To grow enough grains to feed your flock for a year you'd need about an acre (207'x 207') of garden space just for their grain needs (plus storage and a way to roast the soy beans or any other legumes in the mix)
Sarah, we have grown hulless oats for our chickens and lots of greens. We did grow rye one year but it was such a pain in the butt we gave it up. Ours love collard greens so we plant a lot of that over the winter for them. Good luck. Anise
We have lots of collard greens too. I also give them all of the dandelion greens I can find. How much space do you need for the oats? We have a pretty short growing season for most warm weather stuff. Anything in the cabbage family does well in our climate, which does sometimes freeze. We also feed them pears that have fallen on the ground, and squash from the garden (there is always more of that than anybody wants to eat.). It's great to be able to get ideas from others. Thank you for your suggestions. Sarah.
My chickens think Swiss Chard is candy. I'm in zone 7, with clay soil, and grow Chard in part shade and in Winter. Soybeans are good, but have to be cooked before they are used as feed. Soy is a legume used as a green manure, so plant it at the foot of corn/maize to add extra nitrogen for that heavy feeder.
I grow a lot of WEEDS! LOL And every weed I pull, I throw in the chicken pen, and my girls just love it. Also, when I let them out, they head straight for the garden and especially like the cabbage, for some reason, so I always plant a few extra for them. I ahve been known to go into the grocery store begging for produce rejects in the winter months, too. That is a free source of greens where I live. I have so many weeds because I am always installing new flower beds and it takes a few years for the weed problem to abate. Now, I could work harder at the beginning to eradicate the problem, but since I find weeding therapeutic and the chickies get a yummy snack, we are all happy. And my eggs are better, too. I keep hoping one of my neighbors will install one of those japanese beetle catching bags. When I was a child, my parents had one and would wait until it was full, soak the beetles in vegetable oil so they could not fly, and feed them to the chickens. Man, the chickens LOVED that! Unfortunately, I have read too much research about how the pheremones in the traps attract way more beetles than are trapped, so I do not have one hanging at my house. But if I ever see one in someone else's yard, you can believe I am going to stop and ask if I can take over emptying the bag.
