Bird seed food plot test

[Western]

I decided to try a random bag of bird seed from my local feed store. I figured I post it as it goes along, so we can see what happens.

1st photo : I used my small food plot that has great growth with the Oats, as you can see the deer have kept it down to less that 2-3". Matter of fact, had a yearling doe we call Louise (from a pair we named "Thelma and Louise") come to the edge to investigate. I usually throw out a coffee can of corn when I go out.

Seed had Brown Millet, White Millet,Sunflower and Milo, I could have added something else like beans, but it was what I had on hand.

2nd photo: After a light discing and broadcasting the seed. I have to pay attention to the furrows and drag marks when finished, as you may be able to tell, my land has a good slope, so I have to remember that. I also leave a 10' space here and there to help control erosion.

3rd photo: After running my home made drag over it to cover the seed and smooth the plot. I will get a photo of my "DIY" drag if anyone wants to see how simple it is. for this small tractor I use 5 tires wired together, last a LONG time, I can hit a tree cutting close and they bounce off, If some one "steals" it not big lose and in "floats" great on the soil. I have used fence panels, pipe and this works the best, should work great behind a 4 wheeler too.

All planted, we will see what happens if we don't have a drought like last years.

 

[thatguy]

im more than a little confused... Are you attempting to grow Birds?

I hate to break it to you.. they dont like being covered with dirt, it makes it hard to fly later on LOL

Brian

 

[Rford]

I'd like a picture of that drag...there are about a half dozen old rims and tires on the farm I have and I've thought about using them in this fashion....

But bottom line, is that bird seed working out? I've thought about doing the same thing...

 

[pjbci]

I planted 8 acres of mixed birdseed last year, just to see what it would do. It grew wonderfully. The different plants matured @ different times and it had plenty of deer and birds eating in it until fall. It works. FYI I planted one 40lb bag per acre.

 

[Bud Soda]

Well I planted 22 ac of alfalfa cubes and not a one ever came up

 

[Taylortractornut]

Bird seed is what we put on our slopes at the landfill mixed with a few types of winter grass and summer grass for seasonal coverage. We have a ton of deer out there to.

 

[Western]

I'd like a picture of that drag...there are about a half dozen old rims and tires on the farm I have and I've thought about using them in this fashion....

But bottom line, is that bird seed working out? I've thought about doing the same thing...

I will get a photo tomorrow, nothing special, but works fantastic. Easy to add extra tires for more weight/coverage and doesn't pull a mound of dirt.

I planted 8 acres of mixed birdseed last year, just to see what it would do. It grew wonderfully. The different plants matured @ different times and it had plenty of deer and birds eating in it until fall. It works. FYI I planted one 40lb bag per acre.

I have planted it before, and it did great, at the time though I had horses, so between them and the deer, lost the sunflowers pretty fast.

I know in the fall after I shred it, you cant hardly run the dove off

 

[Western]

Here is the photo of the tires, crude, but works fantastic. I hook it to my draw bar, the set of 2 tires closest to the rear of the tractor.

If we get the rain their predicting, I may loose allot of seed, we'll see.

 

[pacerron]

If we get the rain their predicting, I may loose allot of seed, we'll see.

Might get a fresh batch of mosquitoes in the tires though

Remember the days when they used to give you a few bucks for old tires to make retreads. Later they would take them free to grind up for pavement mix.
Later they wouldn't take them at all. And now, at least around here, the law requires them to take them and charge you $12.50 per set for disposal.
Must be the meaning of progress..

 

[grnspot110]

My only problem with using bird seed is the high Millet content of most seed mixes. We have to much Wild Millet already! ~~ grnspot

 

[forgeblast]

Watch out for bird seed with thistle having a field of that would not be fun

 

[Western]

I don't mind the Millet, but I could have blended a higher variety of different seed if I had waited. This field will have a 2 fold purpose, graze for deer and birds and then helping with erosion until the fall plot goes in.

Ron, your right on the old tires, now they almost charge for taking the old tires as much as they charge for Mount and balancing.!

Forge, I'll take the thistle over "careless weed" any day:laughing:

 

[yomax4]

Here is the photo of the tires, crude, but works fantastic. I hook it to my draw bar, the set of 2 tires closest to the rear of the tractor.

If we get the rain their predicting, I may loose allot of seed, we'll see.

I made the same tire drag a few years back. I added a hunk of Chainlink fence to the bottom. Works way too good.

 

[Western]

I made the same tire drag a few years back. I added a hunk of Chainlink fence to the bottom. Works way too good.

Thats what I also have done when the place we had, had such a high level of black clay, the wire really helps break the clods down. Where I live now it is sandy loam with deeper clay.

 

[hrcarver]

Could work for a weedy dove field, but no good for a deer plot. About any seed (sunflower, browntop, dove proso) for a proper dove field is only ~$20/acre.

 

[EddieWalker]

I tried bird seed one year and was very happy at how well it came in. Unfortunately, nothing ate any of it.

Eddie

 

[Western]

Could work for a weedy dove field, but no good for a deer plot. About any seed (sunflower, browntop, dove proso) for a proper dove field is only ~$20/acre.

Deer eat the heck out of sunflower, at least that has been the case for me. They also like the "weeds":thumbsup: Most any kind of hunting isn't very "cost" effective. Either way i get a little erosion control and can plow it in this fall.

I tried bird seed one year and was very happy at how well it came in. Unfortunately, nothing ate any of it.

Eddie

Eddie, it was up about an inch and I have deer all over it, of course I still gave great growth from the oats I left too. The last rain I got (3.8") did a number on the shoots, don't know how it will do.

 

[schoolsout]

Planted this about 5 weeks ago in a newly cleared piece of land we have. Stumps removed from part of this (planted the remainder you don't see behind me, which was a little less than an acre, yesterday) maybe 2 months ago...very little lime added and any more than a small bit of fertilizer burns it, so it looks to be a good cheap method for wildlife planting. This field will hopefully be used for a dove shoot or 3 later this year. Turkey and deer have all been milling about in it. Any sunflower we had that was growing has been eaten.



This pic is of the field when they were clearing it...file folder says 5/30/12 so the clearing was probably a few days before that. We planted around that time. I think this one shows the trees you see in the pics above. As of yesterday, the entire field (minus a road cutting through field where the planting ends that you see above) is planted.

 

[Bud Soda]

Add some "N" needs about 120lbs/ac

 

[schoolsout]

Add some "N" needs about 120lbs/ac

Haven't had time to do that, but this part of the field (the part that wasn't planted in my above post) was planted first of July. Pic was taken this past weekend. Very little 12-12-12 added as well as lime. Field was planted pines cleared earlier this year. Not too shabby, I guess