Old Garden Seeds?

[LaurieJane]

I was cleaning out the Garden Shed and found a box of old garden seeds . . . I must have purchased them and then my husband purchased more. It seems a waste to throw them away. I have a lot of seed corn from the 2022 gardening season; can I feed them to my chickens? What about other garden seeds? Are they safe to give to my flock?

Thanks!

 

[SilverBirds]

Most seeds should be safe to feed chickens. Avoid anything in the legume family and potatoes. You can do a quick search on anything else to answer if it is safe or not.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Is that seed still in the original bag or packet so you can identify it? Some seeds are treated when you buy them. Corn, for example, often is treated with a fungicide so it can wait for the ground to warm up enough to come up. I think I'd contact the company that bagged the corn and ask them how it is treated and if it is safe to eat, either you or the chickens.

It's not the seed itself that is the problem, it is the possible chemical treatment of the seed that I'd be concerned about.

 

[City farm]

Maybe think about seeing of they are viable and growing them.

 

[Altairsky]

Seeds for planting are always treated with some sort of pesticide.

 

[Seaslug]

Beans and corn are the two that I know of that are usually treated, but it would depend on the source. We purchase some seeds locally, including peas, which apparently were not treated because the field mice who came into the house last winter enjoyed those leftover seeds.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Do a germination test, warm water soaked paper towels, place a half dozen seeds on the paper towels, fold, then place in a warm place that gets a little light but isn't too cold. Check in a week to see the percentage that sprouted. When you plant, just plant that much more than usual. And Bob's your uncle.

Save them seeds! Lord knows what this country or even the world is going to look like in 2025.

 

[Ridgerunner]

place in a warm place that gets a little light but isn't too cold

I use the top of the refrigerator. Warm air rises so it is about as consistently warm a spot I have in the house.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

^^^ much wisdom in the above two posts.

 

[Al Gerhart]

I think I can speak for Ridgerunner as well, that is an honor coming from Stormcrow.

Now, if my hat still fits.....