I just ordered this and thought maybe someone else might want to know about it. I garden and I have chickens and I've been either giving them from our garden or giving them food scraps. So why not plant a variety just for them so we're not using what we have. Nichols Garden has a seed called Nichols Chicken Feed. It has Tyfon, Oakleaf Lettuce, Collards, Red Russian, Kale, Salad Bowl. You can either cut it to feed them or let them scratch in it. It's a new product and I think its a great ideal so I ordered it and will be planting it as soon as it comes. Here's a link: http://www.nicholsgardennursery.com/Fil … es2008.pdf

You order it from www.nicholsgardennursery.com and use the catalog number: VMX635

 Take that a step further and plant some bird seed. Let it mature and feed it to the chickens during the winter. Most of it is millet or sorghum of some kind and sunflowers. It all grows closely together with no problem. It's easy to harvest. 

Great Ideal!! And I have some too!!!

 You can take the heads and tie them upside down in the coop and let the chickens harvest the seeds for themselves. Makes life a little easier.

I'm gonna make a separate plot, just a small area where I can grow there food. I am also going to see if anything sprouts up from the birdseed. I just planted some in tiny pots to see if it grows, if so, I'll transfer it to that plot. I like the ideal of being able to separate them from the food or else I wouldn't have any-lol. I only have 5 chickens, one died, but they are very hardy eaters. Ever since we created the chicken run underneath the rabbit hutch and they can now forage for food and worms and any feed that's fallen down, they're happier and are getting bigger.

 I took about a half cup and scattered it on the ground, then covered it with soil and it's growing really good right now. I got the idea because it always grows under the bird feeder! I don't have chickens now, but I used to save tall grasses and dried grass clippings for part of their winter feed. 

I was thinking of bird seed too....maybe it's cheaper than the bought chicken feed seed?

We have a 1/4 plot planted in corn just for the animals. It was non-hybrid seed that we saved from last year and it's growing better than the bought seed! I wish I had more open space; I'd grow as much of the animals' feed as possible!

The chicken feed seed was only $3.95, so not bad. I was already using our lettuce and some store bought kale and cabbage since our cabbage is still too little to feed the chickens with so this way I can eat all of it and it won't deplete my supply. I hope the tiny plot I have for the chickens feed to grow will be enough space for all of this to grow-lol. I want to plant corn next year. Not sure where since I have a regular suburban yard to grow all of this in. But, I would love to do that. We bought them a corn cob, just one at the fruit market because we were buying corn for the 4th. We got them a separate one and they picked the fresh corn cob clean!!! So, even if it was just 5 stalks, it would help!!!

We got a tractor-pulley-driven grinder at an auction this spring, and found we can throw the whole cob in unshelled and grind it, and the chicken ate it! I can't imagine anything bad about eating the cob. So I like that it makes use of both the seed and the cob.

actually I wished i'd planted kale this year for the goats. They love, love the stuff.