Advanced Grass Farming for Open Rearing Chickens and Semi-intensive System Chickens

Grass farming or stage development can also be done to feed birds like New Hampshire, Ostrich, Broiler (Croiler), Ostrich, Turkey, Duck etc. It can also reduce the cost of producing meat and eggs. In the case of layered chicken grains, the cost of grains can be reduced by using up to 5 percent of the dried leaves of some legumes (such as almonds, apples, joint veggies, etc.).

Here are some of the grasses that are suitable for chickens:

1. Almond Grass
2. Joint Vetch
3. Greenleaf Desmodium
4. White Clover
5. Barley Grass
6. Annual Bluegrass

1. Almond Grass :- Almond grass is also suitable for both chickens reared in loose and semi-dense systems inside the cage. But it tends to be a little less productive than others. This grass is planted in Terai and Central Hills in June and July. It grows well even in slightly acidic red soils and shady soils.

This grass contains more than 19 percent protein and is also digestible. Although, it is difficult to be established in the beginning, once it is established, it does not rot. When enough manure and moisture is available, it comes out as thick as a carpet. Otherwise, it stays thin but usually does not wear out. This grass, which looks like edible almonds and has yellow flowers and this, should be planted with 10 to 20 kg of cells per hectare. But it can also be planted as a seed by separating the stalks (like small waves) that have eyes hanging on the grass. There are varieties of this grass called Amarillo, Golden Glogi, Velamont, Vra etc. The grass does not contain toxins like EPEPIL and can tolerate cold and frost. With good drainage, 50 to 60 metric tons of fresh green grass can be produced at the rate of per hectare. This grass needs relatively more moisture. This grass can also be planted in orchards and community forests.

2. Joint vetch :- This grass is known as both perennial and perennial Joint is a grassy crop that grows directly above the ground in hot and temperate climates. It is rich in nutrients. This grass soothes the soil by drawing nitrogen from the air. This grass is eaten by chickens, sheep, goats and cattle with great relish. It grows up to 2 meters in height and is a multi-seeded variety. A joint is an annual or perennial herbaceous weed. When it is planted, seeds should be sown from the last week of April to the month of July but for seed production, joint vetch should be sown in June. It can be cultivated successfully up to an altitude of 1200 meters above sea level. Generally suitable for areas with annual rainfall of 400 to 1500 mm It can be cultivated successfully at a temperature of 20 to 45 degrees Celsius.

If you want to cultivate, the land should grazing while preparing the land and have to sow the seeds by plowing or digging a little. But it is better to cultivate it in the cultivated area and seed production can be taken Lee (Perennial) and Glen (Aquarius) varieties of this grass are famous.  Glen is suitable for seeds and Lee and Glen are suitable for grass. Therefore, if it is to be planted in grazing area, Lee caste is suitable.  But Glenn is the one who gives more grass 10 to 15 kg seed per hectare is required for sowing with husk, but 5 kg seed per hectare should be sown in moist soil after the onset of rains.

This grass does not need much manure.  But for higher yield, it is generally advisable to apply 25:60:40 kg nitrogen, phosphorus and potash per hectare of land. The same amount of fertilizer should be used for seed production.  In clean farming, seeds should be sown in a line spacing of 75 cm. Seeds are planted at a depth of 2 cm and 4 cm. should be lined up at a distance of Weeds, overgrown grasses and other plants between the two lines should be uprooted and discarded as needed.

For commercial seed production, weeds should be sprayed by Trifluralin in the field immediately after sowing seeds. Grass can be cut 75 days after sowing.  It can then be harvested 2-3 times every one month and produce 35 to 40 tons of green grass per hectare.

When the seed is ripe, its leaves fall off, but the seed is sown in the plant. After the seeds are ripe, the plant should be cut, dried, beaten and run. Seed production on a small scale seems to be more fruitful.  If it is of Glen variety, seed production can be taken from 600 to 1500 kg per hectare. Hardness of seeds can be destroyed by drying in the sun. It is suitable for storing seeds with 8-10% moisture content. Dried seeds can be easily stored in gather bags for up to 6 months. Before sowing, the seed is rubbed from scratch and scarred and then sown.

3. Greenleaf Desmodium :- In Terai and Mid hill, this Greenleaf desmodium will grow as perennial grassland. In our country Nepal, 2-3 types of desmodium grasses are founded.  It is mainly used in pasture areas but can also be collected by cutting green grass from pasture areas. This grass can survive drought. It can also be preserved as hey and silos. By planting this crop, the micro-organisms from the atmosphere in the field produce 900 kg per hectare per year. Till nitrogen can be deposited in the soil which is the highest of all cell crops. This can be done successfully in hot and temperate climates (up to 2000 m altitude).  The pH of the soil must be between 6 and 7.6.  When planted as a single crop or in combination with other acacia crops, the best time to sow the seeds is Jeth or Asar (i.e. June or July) 2-3 kg per hectare. If seed is required, it is required to apply 10,000 slips per hectare when applied from a piece of Desmodium branch. Its seeds germinate when treated with Rhizobium It can produce 40-50 MT of green grass per hectare and up to 600 kg of seed per hectare.

4. White clover :- It is the first grass to be introduced in Nepal for pasture development. It is also claimed that it was first introduced to Nepal by Rana Prime minister “Jung Bahadur Rana” during his visit to Europe. This grass seems to be very suitable in the pastures of the northern part of Nepal because even in the case of a lot of grazing, this grass can grow quickly. White clover is a very popular perennial licorice grass. It can be mounted up to 4000 meters. After the snow melts, the seeds are sown well in Chaitra-Baishakh or before the snow falls in Asoj-Kartik and in Jeth-Asar in the lower part.

This grass can be planted in orchards, plantation areas, ditches and landslides or in areas covered with new soil. Since the Seeds (4-5 kg) are fine, they should be mixed with dust, sand or ash so that they can be spread everywhere in per hectare. Green grass can be fed for the first time after 4 months of sowing in the mid-hills. Then in about 35 days the grass can be cut or grazed again. But the first year of sowing white clover in high mountains should not be grazed.

Nitrogen, Phosphorus should be sprayed in the ratio of 25-50 in compost. When white clover is sown for the first time, the seeds should be treated with rhizobai. Grass can be produced up to 40 tons per hectare and 400 kg. Seeds can be produced at same time. This grass is mixed with Wray to develop pastures.

5. Barley Grass :- It is a snowy grass that can be grown in the middle hills, lowlands and even in some parts of the high hills. This grass can be planted from October to November. As it contains high amount of nitrogen, young grass should not be fed too much to the animal, otherwise it becomes poisonous. For this, barley grass can be planted in loamy, irrigated and well drained soils. Soil pH of 6 to 6.5 is suitable for seed production. When selecting land for seed production, it is advisable to select land that has adopted rotational cropping system. The land where barley grass was cultivated last year should not be chosen to produce barley grass seeds. To cultivate barley grass, the soil should be well prepared Depending on the variety of grass; 10 to 100 kg seed is required per hectare.

Large quantities of grass and seed can be produced by using manure. Amount of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potash: 80:50:30 kg. Per hectare is suitable.  But in places where there is no irrigation facility, even this amount is not required. Nitrogen source urea manure should be applied in three or four parts at the time of first soil preparation, after 20-20 days of irrigation and each time by cutting the grass and irrigating the urea manure. Since nitrogen containing urea manure is released into the air, urea manure should be applied only after the seedlings have grown. The manure can be absorbed by the roots of the plant after dissolving in the water, so it is very important that the soil is moist after we apply the manure to the soil. The amount of manure varies according to the fertility of the soil, so it is advisable to use chemical fertilizers as recommended after checking the soil if possible. In places where there is no irrigation facility, using chemical fertilizers is not as beneficial as expected Irrigation should be done once in 20 days considering the soil moisture condition Urea fertilizer should be applied after irrigation. The barley grass grows faster when irrigated with urea fertilizer every time it is harvested.

It is recommended that mowing the grass when more than half of the plants have flowers show the highest yields and nutrients available from the grass. But since it is practically difficult to mow the grass in this way, we can mow the grass by paying attention to our needs. Grass should be cut only once for seed production. Grass for seed production should not be treated with urea fertilizer. Urea fertilizer should be used only considering the greenness of the leaves of the plant.  Excessive use of urinal can lead to overgrowth of grass, delay in sowing and fighting for height or low seed. The planting distance of barley of another variety should be three meters away from the barley planted for seed production. But if there is an outbreak of disease like loose smut, this distance needs to be 150 meters. When the barley grass seeds are ripe, it is easy to cut them, dry them in the sun and have a thresher for walking. Then the fallen seed should be thoroughly examined, sifted and husk removed.

Seeds with a moisture content of 12% dried in the sun should be stored in a dry, non-rat infested, gather bag or seed-bin in a cool room. If there is too much moisture, the seeds will rot and will not last long. Barley grass can produce 50 MT per hectare of green grass.

6. Annual Bluegrass :- It is also a grass of choice that can be planted in the winter months and used to feed chickens. This grass can be grown in the mid hills and lowlands of our country and it is also very popular here. But since it can’t be produce seeds in the mid hills, it can be used only for grass production only. This grass can be planted from last September or Kartik. This grass is also known as the king of grasses due to its nutritional value, liking nature and productivity. This grass contains about 22 percent protein. For annual cultivation, the soil should be finely mined by breaking the lumps. This grass seed doesn’t germinate in lumpy soil as it is fine. The seeds used for seed production are procured from reliable sources. When sowing, seed quantity of 1 kg requires per Hector. In addition to this, the seeds should be treated with bacterial fertilizer and sown only after treating the weeds in the new soil. Since annual grasses have the ability to absorb nitrogen from the air, it is not necessary to apply nitrogen (urea fertilizer) but it is better to apply urea fertilizer once to ensure rapid growth of the plant when it is young. Phosphorus fertilizer should always be sprayed while preparing the soil and urea should be sprayed with water after germination. In order to make the annual seed production more effective, the nutrients should be sprayed from time to time.

In places, where there are no moisture or irrigation facilities, there is no good production of annual grass. Considering the moisture content of the soil, if there is not enough moisture in the soil, the grass will grow faster after watering every time the grass is cut. This grass can be cut for the first time in two months after sowing and for the second and third time in 35-40 days. Once the grass grows and can be held by hand, it is cut once, irrigated and urea fertilizer is applied.

The seedlings planted for seed production should be stopped after cutting once or twice. Weeds that grow along with annual grass should be removed from time to time. Since it is plagued by weeds of Chicory and Veta species, wildflowers should be controlled while producing seeds. Since this grass is cross pollinated, the distance should be maintained from one plot to another to produce pure seed is 400 m if the original seed and 100 m if the certified seed.

Seed production is done by removing other wildflowers so that the seed of the grass is not to be sown and that process is called seed rouging. Rouging should be done during plant growth, before flowering and before cell maturation and at other times as required. When rouging, the seedlings should be uprooted and removed. Two-thirds of the seed cells can be cut when they turn brown. After cutting, it should be dried in 3-4 days in sun. Dried seeds can be pruned or threshed with a stick. The fallen dried seeds should keep in sun, examine them and store them after 8% moisture. This grass has been found to produce 80 MT of green grass per hectare if given suitable environment. Seed production per hectare can also be taken at same time. In Gaughat Farm of Banke district, Sarlahi, Dhanusha district and in places with similar wind and water, good seeds of this gifted variety of grass are being produced. Research has shown that in the districts east of the Koshi River, it is not possible to produce annual grass seeds due to the geographical conditions.