While there's no such thing as "grass-fed poultry," there is such a thing as chickens that feed on grass. More specifically, chickens feed on the seeds, grubs and insects they find in the grass, but they do consume a bit of the grass itself, too. (A quick chicken anatomy lesson: These birds are monogastric, meaning they have one stomach that is not designed to ferment and digest forages the way ruminants, such as cattle and sheep, are able to.)
“Poultry will consume up to 30% of their body weight in forage when it is available,” according to the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture, based in Oklahoma. Knowing what the chickens are really after in their forages helps you to plant forage types that are most beneficial to them.
Try out some of these grasses and legumes for your pasture-raised poultry flock.
1. KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS
WHAT IT IS: A cool-season, perennial grass that grows well in the central and northern U.S.
WHY IT’S GOOD FOR CHICKENS: “Kentucky in managed pastures,” according to the PennState Extension, meaning it’s at prime chicken height.
この記事は Hobby Farms の March - April 2025 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
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この記事は Hobby Farms の March - April 2025 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
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Soil Testing
Whether you are new to farming altogether or you are leasing your farmland to a producer who is unfamiliar with the practice, becoming knowledgeable about the acts of soil testing and them applying recommended soil amendments based on soil test results provides tremendous advantages to the soil, plants, and your pocketbook.
Small-But-Mighty Hot Peppers
You don’t have to have a lot of garden space or an especially long growing season to succeed with hot peppers.
French Intensive Gardening
This permaculture system relies on soil improvement, raised beds, close spacing, companion planting, succession planting and crop rotation. Oui, oui!
FORAGE FOR FOWL
Consider these three cool-season forages as you plant your pasture with free-range poultry in mind.
Cut-And-Come Lettuce
Maximize your profits while minimizing time to grow and seed costs with this easy cut-and-come approach to growing lettuce salad mix.
Laying AN EGG
Maintaining correct male-to-female ratios and keeping flocks of younger breeding fowl will help ensure higher fertility and hatching rates.
20 COOP CONSIDERATIONS
Keep these 20 things in mind when designing a home for your chickens.
Get LOW in Spring
There comes a time when we all just want to start planting in our gardens again, and a low tunnel provides an earlier-is-better option.
Seed-Starting Soil Temps
Don't miss out on growing time by focusing only on the air temperature.
