How to Grow Grains for Chicken Poultry

Growing your own livestock feed and allowing your chickens to free-range is essential to keeping your overhead low and ensuring you know exactly what goes into your food. Free-range chickens will eat less grain, so most of it can be stored for winter when forage is hard to find. According to studies gathered by "Mother Earth News," free-range chickens produce eggs with less cholesterol and saturated fat. The free-range eggs also contained up to seven times more vitamin E, two times more omega-3 and two-thirds more vitamin A. For whatever reason you choose to, growing your own grains can be fun and fulfilling.

Tiller
Rake
Grain seeds
Compost
Mulch
Full sun

Instructions

- 1
  Broadcast a 2-inch layer or more of organic compost across the planting area. The compost breaks down slowly as it feeds the plants and holds moisture.
- 2
  Till the compost inches deep into the soil. Loose soil makes it easy for young grain to grow.
- 3
  Broadcast the recommended amount of grain across the planting area. Spacing will vary by species. Most grain does fine when cast out in an even layer.
- 4
  Rake the seeds so they're covered with soil. You do not have to cover every seed, just do the best you can.
- 5
  Spread well-rotted compost over the seeds. A thin layer is adequate.
- 6
  Water the seeds until the soil is saturated. Be careful the seeds don't wash away.
- 7
  Allow the grains to grow several inches tall. Do not let them dry out before they become established.
- 8
  Top-dress the plants with organic compost from time to time. Composted chicken manure and hay work well as an organic fertilizer.
- 9
  Harvest the grains when they have matured. Store grains in a dark, dry place away from pests. Try storing excess grains in lidded garbage cans or vacuum seal them for pantry storage.
- 10
  Allow your chickens to graze the mature grains as an alternative. Watch them carefully in small plots, as chickens will scratch plants to death.

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