Sowing oats on snow ??

Dutchman · Feb 28, 2010

I was wondering if I could throw some oats on the snow ?? I have a fence in area , where the chickens go { when it gets nice } and want to get some oats going as soon as possible ... I know you can sow grass seed { I have done that } on snow and it comes up good .. don't want to spend the $$$ on grass seed ... chickens eat it down to nothing ...

Just wondering what you guys think ...

THANKS ... Mark

Nebraska Cowman · Feb 28, 2010

I'd wait til the snow melts and sow the oats in the dirt. It ain't gonna grow in the snow anyway. One thing is late spring snow after you plant oats, the old timers called it "poor man's fertilizer" What they didn't know is there is nitrogen in snow. As far as the chickens if it's a small area they will eat the oats too and all you will have is bare dirt. You just as well save your seed.

Dutchman · Feb 28, 2010

I was planning on keeping them lock-up or in another pen till the oats was 3 -6 inches tall ... that way it would last a little while ..

THANKS .. Mark

MisterT · Feb 28, 2010

Sowing on top of the snow will work just fine. You most likely will not get as good a stand as if you actually worked the seed into the ground, but I'd think at least 90% of that seed will sprout and take root.

Case e · Feb 28, 2010

Do what I do for my chikens and throw you grass clippings from the lawn to them, they love them and then I use the fertilizer on the garden or pasture. I also give our birds the vegetable peels and apple cores etc from the house.

Case e · Feb 28, 2010

Do what I do for my chikens and throw you grass clippings from the lawn to them, they love them and then I use the fertilizer on the garden or pasture. I also give our birds the vegetable peels and apple cores etc from the house.

GordoSD · Feb 28, 2010

Absolutely. It's called frost seeding Works very well for overseeding grasses into alfalfa, and also other cover crops. The expansion and shrinking of the soil as the snow melts, and you have frezzing and thawing "works" the seed into the ground. You want to wait as long as you can but still when there is a snow cover and the ground is hard if you are using a heavy tractor, Best way is an ATV with the broadcaster on the rear.
Go about 4 lbs per acre for orchard grass overseeding. Pure oats I'm thinking 10 at least. Check with the college ag boards for that.
Google up frost seeding.

Gordo

Dutchman · Feb 28, 2010

we do give them the stuff from the kitchen ... I also get some cabbage leaves and such from a store near by ... chickens like it ..

THANKS for the replys .. Mark

Anonymous-0 · Mar 1, 2010

Don't have experience with frost seeding, but I sow oats on 40 A each year. I used to use about 3.5 bushels per acre, and was stuck on 80 bushel oats. I now use 5.5 bu per acre (at least 175 lbs) and get over 100 bu oats.

Like I said, 10 lbs/A ain't nuthin'.

I can't imagine your chicken yard is very big--why not just "scratch them in" (cover them up) in a more conventional manner where nothing is left to chance and you have done it properly? I'd even roll them for a PERFECT stand.

From what I gather, frost seeding works best on meadow (forage) land, where the surface has been somewhat undisturbed and has developed surface fractures for the seed to work into. I would bet a chicken yard is hard and compacted--seems to me to be a place where frost seeding is only good in theory, not practice. I'd just do it right--till, seed, cover up, and even roll if possible.

Sowing oats on snow ??

Dutchman

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