Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
24
Growing Your Own Feed
NOT EVERYONE HAS THE OPPORTUNITY OR DESIRE
to raise crops as feed for their poultry.
However, if you keep your flock to less a dozen birds you can successfully grow a great
percentage of their feed. And what better way to control what your birds eat than to be
in charge of the plants they consume from seed to harvest? A modest-sized garden can
supply nutritious food for poultry to eat, either for the main course or for added treats.
Grains
It is way too labor intensive for most people to raise oats, wheat, or barley on a small
scale. They are difficult to harvest and require a great deal of time to thresh. The planting
part of a grain-growing process can be handled easily enough and without large equip-
ment by broadcasting the seed by hand, or using a small row seeder with a matching seed
plate. To plant wheat, barley, and oats, I use the seed plate labeled for popcorn planting.
But hand scything and bundling the grain at harvest is more work than most folks want to
do. At least you don't necessarily have to thresh the grain, as poultry enjoy working the
grain out of the grain heads.
