Planting 5 acre food plot

   / Planting 5 acre food plot #1  

npaden

Platinum Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2006
Messages
582
Location
Lubbock, Texas
Tractor
2011 LS U5030C
Okay, I've got my pond up and running and there are birds coming in for that. I've got 18 acres of CRP for cover and lots of native grasses. I want to put in a 5 acre food plot to make this a bird paradise. (Of course I have ulterior motives with a shotgun this fall)

I've read that sorghum and sunflowers are 2 of the best things to plant for birds. The 5 acres I want to plant was planted in wheat about 4 years ago and then has been left alone since then and is basically wheat grass now that never matures enough to head out.

My thoughts are to buy a disc harrow and run over it a couple times, and then plant. Do I buy a 2 or 3 row planter to plant the sorghum and sunflowers? Is this something that I should just disc it and hire someone else to come in and plant? Do I need to plow it before I disc it? Right now I only have a single subsoiler, a back blade and a rotary mower as implements but I'm all for collecting some more!

Should I just call the county extension agency and they will tell me what to do?

Thanks in advance for any input or advice.
 
   / Planting 5 acre food plot #2  
I lost you on the birds part. What type of birds are you hopeing to attract? Quail, pheasant, ducks or something else?

Each speicies has an association with all sorts of advice and tips on how to improve habitat. Groups like Quail Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited and Pheasants Forever are just a few.

Do a search online and I'm sure you will find more information than you'll need!!!

Good Luck,
Eddie
 
   / Planting 5 acre food plot
  • Thread Starter
#3  
Mainly quail and dove. I don't have any pheasants on the property yet, but I guess I might could try to bring some in. I have a couple coveys of quail already and get lots of dove flying by. With the pond in for a week I'm already noticing a big increase in the birds around. My little pond is the only water for at least a mile in every direction.

I've read a lot of the stuff on the internet about quail habitat but it doesn't really get into specifics on how to plant the food plots. I'm a city boy really and have never planted anything but a vegatable garden.
 
   / Planting 5 acre food plot #4  
yes those are good for game birds and so is buckwheat. All three of these I have planted with my grass seeder. they only need to be a half inch down or just covered with soil.

I dont see a need to buy a seeder or hire it done, just beg borrow or steal a rototiller or disk or plow and get the ground worked somehow. broadcast and cover lightly.
 
   / Planting 5 acre food plot #5  
I planted a mix of sorghum, sunflowers, millet and milo a few years ago, and the birds loved it. There was a covey of quail that took up residence there. I'd jump them almost every time I visited the field that fall/winter. I just used a disc to break the field up, broadcasted the seed, and lightly covered it with a chainlink fence drag. It germinated/grew great.

If you have a field of sorghum/sunflowers and a pond, it should make for a good dove shoot or two this fall.

Wish I could join you! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

BR
 
   / Planting 5 acre food plot #6  
I bought wild bird seed at Tractor Supply for my food plots this year. It's not certified seed but I have a friend who plants it and says it comes up well. It contains millet, milo, wheat, sunflower seeds and cracked corn. My mistake was putting buckwheat in with it. He said that is a no-no, the buckwheat comes up first and crowds out the other later emerging plants.
Live and Learn! I spread it with a fertilizer spreader that fits on the back of my tractor and runs from the PTO and then I harrow it in after I'm done with the spreading.
 
   / Planting 5 acre food plot #7  
I would plant milo. It is easy to grow here. I tried planting millett twice and could not get it to grow. The seeds are tiny tiny tiny and if you don't plant them just right it won't come up. Also our soil is bad about crusting and it makes it hard for the millett as well. Milo is fairly easy to grow. Most the farmers plant it after the coton gets hailed out. Wheat is good as well. Last year behind my house was 60 acres of winter wheat that did not get combined. They shredded it in August and it was dove central. Even had some geese out there feeding on it in late November.

By the way if you are interested in a good deal on some implements let me know. I just bought a bigger tractor and am selling most of my cat 1 stuff. I have a trailer and could deliver for you.

I have:
2 row planter
3 pt ditcher
6' tiller
6' shredder
7' chisel/ sweep plow with guage wheels
 
   / Planting 5 acre food plot
  • Thread Starter
#8  
I sent you a message on the equipment.

I think milo and sorghum are the same thing right?

I talked with a wildlife conservation guy on the phone today and he suggested a drought tolerant grain sorghum and some sunflowers and then wheat for the winter. Said that would bring a ton of birds in and the wheat would help them winter over.

He said a tandem disc would work to get the soil ready to plant and that you can get all of those planted with a drill but I'm not sure about that.

I'm going to try to talk to some local farmers at church on Sunday and see if they have any advice.

Thanks for the input so far!
 
   / Planting 5 acre food plot #9  
Plow it with those tndem discs but angle them as far in as they will go and they will really cut. Run over it a second time with the disc straightened and it will smooth it up. Just broodcast your seed and run through it with the discs straightened once again and it will be covered about right. If you are using tiny seed, mix them with fertilizer, or sand. Mix thoroughly and then broadcast. I have a pull behind spreader from LOWE'S that holds 125lbs. I pull it with my four wheeler and spread fertilizer, seed. Works good. I even use it to fertilize my corn and watermelons. I run between about every other row and you can go fairly fast, adjust the flow as needed.
 
 
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