what do you grow for your livestock?

[ohiogoatgirl]

i'm dreaming of becoming self-sufficient and i was wondering what everyone was growing for their animals.
here's what i'm growing specifically for my animals:
indian corn
peas
mangels
parsnip

and of course they get kitchen tidbits and garden weeds and discarded plants, etc.

right now i only have two dairy goats and i'm going to pick up two angora goats in a few days. i'd like to get: meat rabbits, coturnix quail, chickens, pigs, scottish highland cattle, and a horse (or three )

so what about y'all?

 

[hiker125]

I grow lots of BOSS and swiss chard specifically for the chickens. I am going to try someother grains-amarath (sp?)

BOSS is by far their fav. I also sprout grains and legumes for them and they go nuts for it. Sprouts have higher protien so that is helpful. I also have a worm bin that I give the chickens treats from now and again.

 

[lesa]

I share all my garden goodies with the chickens...just found that they enjoy gourds. I love growing them- but they seem like a waste, since they are just for decoration. Now that I know they keep perfectly and the chickens like them, I won't feel so guilty growing them!!!

 

[oberhaslikid]

Pumpkins, squash, and cherry tomatos.The chickens and the goats like these.

 

[Greenthumb18]

I grow mainly a lot of different greens for my birds (pheasants/quails) . I think anything green they'll peck at .

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

chickens will eat practically anything you give them!

i decided that i was going to add a lot of different plants this year just for my birdies too! i have organic wheat, alfalfa, beets and i hope to get some mangels too, lots of different lettuce seeds, tons of different pumpkins mostly saved from my own seeds, squashes, melons for those hot days we occasionally get here in NH!

i also have lots of marigold seeds that work allowed me to take home from their employee planted and managed landscaping! my chickies LOVED the marigolds last year-both the plant and flowers! they also loved my tomatoes but those were not intended for them but they got the ones that went a little too ripe, bug bitten, or cracked.

i also had planted some fruit trees and grape vines last summer not just for the dh and i, but as a nice treat to them too! and this year i plan on doing a lot of sunflowers too, if i can keep the local animals from ripping them apart! :/

 

[old fashioned]

chickens will eat practically anything you give them! :/

We have two legged, feathered "pigs"

In my own quest to not to have to buy feed, I'm growing more of it myself but it's for us as well (or will be since it's still in the experimental stages). Such as....wheat, oats, barley, amaranth, quinoa, millet, rye, sunflower seeds, etc. The ingredients for most animal feed is similar to people feed.

Around here our motto is 'all for one & one for all'

 

[BetterHensandGardens]

We had extra corn that we let dry on the cobs, and the chickens went crazy for that this winter. Next year I want to grow alfalfa so we don't have to buy hay for the goats during the winter.

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

just found this website called heirloom-organics.com it has a good section on grains. it is very informative and i've been thinking about growing more stuff... so i'm in ohio and i was wondering if i could grow amaranth, quinoa, and oats... never grew any of these so it will be very experiamental.

edited to add: what about millet?

 

[Cats Critters and Garden]

I grow tomatoes and I'm trying to grow winter squash for just for my chickens.