Good Crops to grow and feed in GA

[Luna1968]

We live in South GA, and we are just in the planning phases of chicken rearing. While we are planning out our coop, I also wanted to consider planning out feed. We will have a permanent coop and run, but I would like to use some of my yard to grow some crops for feed. What grows well that I can start late summer? (We are in zone 8). We are already starting a bed for black-eyed peas and squash. Will they enjoy the peas? What else is good to grow?

 

[Big dreams]

Mine like peas, they will eat almost anything I am pretty sure. How about lettuce? Cabbage, I here people here all the time hanging cabbage up for them to jump up and eat... for fun and entertainment, for you and your chickens...

 

[Luna1968]

I was looking up a few grain crops: rye, wheat, barley and oats.... there seem to be varieties that will grow well in this area in winter. I want to make sure their diets are balanced though. We were going to grow broad beans in our winter garden, so perhaps more of those to add some protein? I want to try and eventually avoid buying chicken feed, after we get a good self-sufficient garden going, but as we are starting out, I'm really just trying to get some basics down.

 

[jtotherow]

It depends on how many chicken you have? My eggs sales pays for hay and any cost of feed that they need other than what I throw out of my garden.

So I get $2.00 a carton and they furnish the cartons. I've been asked to put people on waiting list or pay ahead but I keep them at bay.

You advertise at the feed store or your church. My church keeps my hopping and I have to purpose to keep my own eggs.

They love just about anything. Check with you feed store believe it or not they have a lot of info. Most have their own chickens. Mine actually makes my food for me. I don't have that much tooling to make the laying feed.

 

[Luna1968]

We were planning on having about 12-15 chickens, and just gathering the eggs for ourselves, since we have a growing family. It's just really hard to find good information about chickens here, which is surprising since we are in a rural community. We live in a small town, with just one store that sells minimal feed and seed, so we might have to travel to get feed on a regular basis. It just seems so much easier to grow something in unused yard space that would supplement, so we aren't constantly running to the store.

 

[wolf1198]

chickens are like hogs they will eat almost anything u can give them even meat and they will eat it

 

[DawnCols]

Speaking more from reading than experience:

For late summer, you might try a forage crop that is cold tolerant to make it into the summer, like winter rye. I like the idea of mixing in some clover seed, both for the way that they grow well together and also to add protein to the forage.

Here's a link to the modern homestead website article "Feeding the Flock from the Homestead's Own Resources"

http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Growing-Poultry-Feeds-1.html

 

[scarletcali]

I like ammaranth beautiful huge huge more protein than corn not super easy to get going but grows like a weed drought tollerant an the tiny seeds come out eassy...therse other high protein grains i havent tried here see what the health food store has maybe in bulk
does any one know how other things grow Quinoa...