I want to grow grass/grain in part of my chicken coop,
and cover it so the chickens can't eat it until its about 1' tall. I can use chicken scratch unless someone knows of a better product for chickens.

I thought I would cover with something about 1/3 of the coop, and move it once a month.
So, I'm asking if someone can suggest a grain that is nutritious, and grows fast. Or, if the idea won't work as they will eat it down to nothing in a day. The area to be covered is 4x8, and I have 40 hens.

If you're inclined to experiment, "Tyfon" or "Holland Greens" are a very-fast-growing , high-yield-per-square-foot forage crop that is good for "cut-and-come-again". You could expose it to the chickens every 30 days or so.

You could also let it grow large (up to 60 days) and then cut and haul leaves to feed them.

It is VERY cold-hardy once established, like down to 10 F.

Who sells it?

Plain ol' grass would also work, as it recovers quickly and you would avoid reseeding. Or any mixture of greens (lettuce, kale, collards, even dandelion which they really like) You may also want to plant some things outside your pen that the chickens can reach through to get at - comfrey is pretty tough and the chickens like it - when it flops you can cut it back to 3" or so and toss the spent leaves to the hens. If you have any nettles (standard field weed for me), they are very nutritious but the birds won't touch them unless you cut them (they lose their sting once the drying process begins). Sounds like a good plan, let us know how it works out.

texaskitty111 said:Who sells it?

I've found it at these two places:


Pinetree # W336

http://www.superseeds.com/holl...

Nichols # VGR472

https://www.nicholsgardennurse...

Praise:
http://blueboathome.com/blogs/...

ATP Plant Database:
Holland Greens (Brassica rapa 'Tyfon')

I thought Territorial and maybe Baker Creek USED TO carry it, but I guess no longer.

Wouldn't 40 chickens in 32 square feet just flatten it the first day?

The coop is 128sf, but the area to be rotated is 1/3 that. They probably will tear up the whole pen in one day.

I was looking into building a 'fresh grass/greens feed plot' and there are excellent photos about 1/3 down the page on this link:
http://www.backyardchickens.co...

The chickens have limited access and no harm comes to the growing grass/greens.

THAT'S a chicken yard???? I've seen preschools not as pretty. They do have an excellent point, however, of only letting the chickens eat the grass that grows thru the wire. Then, they can't dig it up. I'm going to do that. Won't have to rotate it then.

Yikes - those are some serious chicken folk! Initially wondered how they kept the gravel alleys clean and not pitted out (as chickens will do) but then I saw the various chairs inside the yard and got my answer. Clearly the hens who won the chicken-lottery!