Anyone ever plant Mangels for chickens???

[saym]

I just read about these giant Beet-like vegetables that Backyard Poultry recommends growing for chickens..however they are an old, old time vintage crop so I am having a little trouble getting info on them..just thought I would shoot this out to you people and see what kind of response I get!
I am in Elko NV where gardening is not very recreational...it's very difficult at times, so I try to research what I can on new stuff!

Has anyone tried to grow them or even heard of them? I will be paying attention! Presently we are in the deep freeze for another 6months....ugh!

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

i knew when i saw that word earlier tonight on ebay it would come in handy! they are a type of beet that is orange and not as sweet as red beets but still tasty i guess? i have yet to try them but since it is an heirloom i may keep it on my radar to eventually try them!

check on ebay for 'mangel seeds' and it should come up with some different sellers of it! also check on the Seed Savers website since most unusual types of plants and seeds are usually found for sale on their site too!

 

[hoodat]

Mangles are not usually grpwn for human consumption although I guess they would be edibe. We used to grow them for the cows and they loved them. It seems to me they would be tough for chickens unless they were chopped up or cooked.

 

[saym]

Thank you for the info...I already checked with Johnny's Seeds..they sell by the pound!!! In this article I read, they say the red ones are best for chickens,,,and they are also known as fodder beets...
You want some seeds if I buy a pound? it's 15$ for a pound..I just don't know what else I would do with them, as I only have about 1/4 acre plantable! I may concede and buy the seeds for the yellow ones..that's 3$ for 50 seeds. But let me know if you want some..I will send you some free!
I used to have a garden center so it doesn't bother me to buy a pound of seeds.
Are you getting down in the single digits there? Has your weather been as bad as the rest of the east? it has been really mild here, the girls have been having it easy these days, but it should be dropping into the negative numbers here by friday...
Anyway,,,Thanks again and Happy New Year!

 

[freemotion]

I grew them for my goats but the chickens steal chunks and run around with them like they are a juicy grub. Thanks for the reminder, I think I'll put a mangel in the coop today.

I got my info here: http://www.sheepmagazine.com/issues/25/25-3/Nathan_Griffith.html And you can get a packet of seeds from Baker's Creek. An ounce will grow a LOT of mangels. I am on my third year from the same packet.

 

[saym]

Thank you so much for the info..I am assuming that these guys are easy to grow.
But then again..here..nothing is easy!

 

[digitS']

. . . it's 15$ for a pound..I just don't know what else I would do with them, as I only have about 1/4 acre plantable! I may concede and buy the seeds for the yellow ones..that's 3$ for 50 seeds. . . .

R.H. Shumway has mangel seed (click). You can type "mangel" into their quick search. Try "sugar beet" also.

1 ounce for $2.45.

Chickens really like cooked carrots and beets but they make for a technicolor coop.

Steve

edited to change to singular: NOT mangels or beets. Try the singular.

 

[seedcorn]

My question is why grow something that only chickens like? I grow what I like, then chickens get what I don't eat. Just about everything I like, so do they.

 

[saym]

That's a good question! Here in elko there is no excess anything as far as agriculture goes...so everything your horse eats, your cow eats or your chicken eats comes out of your pocket. Whatever I can grow to feed sheep, chickens, whatever..I am going to try it!
I eat everything off my plate and can/freeze what I can't eat right away. Especially, I am looking for stuff that stores well without freezing,,My potatos usually last me through jan/feb, and i don't feed those to the girls, anyway unless they are cooked..I heard that these mangels store really well..
I based my whole market niche on trying new, differant and old things to grow whenI had my business..it worked fror me and I still have that sense of adventure.
I am really happy and surprised that there has been such a good response to this posting. I am encouraging the garden club members here to at least check this out
Thanks to everybody

 

[freemotion]

Mangels are grown specifically as a livestock feed because the yield per acre is enormous....even though they are an heirloom and no one has messed with their genes! That article in the sheep journal was enough for me, with the obvious health benefits to those sheep. My critters get all our leftovers and most of the neighbor's leftovers and the leftovers from a couple of nearby farms....but I like to put variety into their diet and mangels will keep in the cellar long after everything else fresh is long gone. I'm just finishing up the last of the gleaned pumpkins and starting to transition to mangels. I usually can go into Feb with pumpkins and squash, but it was a bad year for the good, long-keeping varieties for my nearby farmers. I mostly had field pumpkins. I will be out of pumpkins in six days.

I feed the mangel's greens to the goats a bit at a time around the time of the first fall frosts. The chickens range in the pasture and won't bother so much with the produce until they can't pick their own grass and weeds. Then I pull the roots and store them in the cellar, going through them about once every week or two just in case.