First year of homesteading.

[Bruin50]

This is my wife and I first year of homesteading. We have 6 hens and 1 rooster. We also have 4 new zealand rabbits. One of our females just had a litter of 6. They are doing well. We planted fruit trees and started some container garden. Next year I would like to have a half acre garden. I want some of it to feed my chickens and rabbits. I would like to start laying it out on paper. Any suggestions to what type of plants should be grown for my animals? Would half acre be big enough for them and us? I have more land available if needed. Approximately 1 1/2 acres.

[anniew]

That a pretty big jump...from container garden to a half acre. I'd suggest you do a veggie garden for yourselves the first year, then gradually expand...unless you have previous experience in a decent sized garden.
For the chickens you could grow or use excess corn, sunflowers for seed, winter squash, and any greens that are from weeding and/or parts of veggie plants you don't use...wouldn't try potato or tomato greens, however. You could try grains and just cut the whole plants and dry and let them retrieve the seed part rather than trying to separate it yourself.
For rabbits, I cut greens during the growing season which I give to them, but also cut extra and dry for off-season food. Things like dandelions, plantain, strawberry leaves/stems, raspberry leaves, lemon balm, clover, comfrey, etc. You can forage a lot of all of that.

[Glacialtill]

Here's a great article about what to grow for chickens from Harvey Ussery:

http://www.themodernhomestead.us/art...y-Feeds-1.html

[mzgarden]

It's probably different if you're trying to grow all the elements for feed vs. growing extra to supplement their feed. From a veggie standpoint for our chickens, corn is candy (like it best, makes them overweight) and then they like kale and tomatoes next best. Best of luck, keep us posted.

[o&itw]

A half acre garden is a rather big project at one time, especialy if you don't have some mechanized equipment. Rather I would think of what you would like to grow, and try planting that for a year. Get a feel for what it takes, and then go from there. My garden keeps getting larger, but it didn't start out near as large. Getting the soil in condition and getting the weeds seeds worked out takes a while. Work up what you can, and plant from there. When we had children, tomatoes were our first priority, because we canned them and used them in chilli, spagetti, and a number of other things. Dig your garden first, then plant to fit.

[FarmboyBill]

#1 Tell us where you live
#2 theres a lettuce that's made for chickens. I suppose rabbits would like it too IF it didn't give them the runs.
#4 planting alfalfa patch is good for rabbits, as it stretches the feed bill.
#4 IF you want a garden to produce all your gonna eat in vegetables, then, likely a 1/2 acre will pretty much fill the bill. You WILL need tillers, walk behind tractors, with a plow, disc, cultivators, harrow. seed planters, Cyclone seeders