Ok so we have a nice spot tucked into the holler, crossroads, bottleneck, creeks and all, Old stone cabin in Ky what are the top three things to plant, or should a protein feeder do the trick.
I would recommend a mixture of Oats, winter wheat and cereal rye with a sprinkling of ladino clover. Should just be able to scratch up the ground, throw it down and rake it in or cultipack it. A feeder is nice but you have to refill it so ultimately it will cost more. I would do both though
Does that spot get alot of sun or is it alot of shade and "some" sun? Thats will help dictate what you can plant there. For be clover would be a storng option. I am also a big fan of WTI Forage Oats.
Protein feeders should only be used as a supplement source because they have to be refilled often and are unreliable. As a food source a well managed plot is always more beneficial overall.
Thanks for all the prompt responses . To answer one question it does get sun but not all day, it's down 200 feet from hilltops so mainly midday sun, I planted something called 7 top last year it had some clover in it, so I agree. I will probably go back with clovers do maybe turnips . I would like to go with winter wheat maybe in another area, truth is I'm trying to not let anything get too tall, in a word snakes...
Eagle seed broadside (contains soybeans, wheat, radish, turnips so in theory you could just make your own mix) & add some snow peas & oats. Probably not the best to plant right now but could be planted soon. Plant 45-60 days before first frost which is probably somewhere around Oct. 1.
I subscribe to the minimum of 3 forages theory with my MIG background. Oats, wheat, rye, triticale and barley offer 25% lower protein and only 1/3 the mineral content of clovers and brassicas.. They also don't yield any higher. Their advantage is they grow under less than ideal conditions. I always tell people to at least add forage peas to their grains. My 3 forages i could never live without....winfred brassica, radish and berseem clover. The radish gives forage, loosens the ground, and uptakes nutrients and rereleases them the following spring. The berseem clover fixates a lot of nitrogen, it grows fast and the deer love it and the nutritional benefit. Winfred grows in most soils, is drought and cold tolerant and gives a lot of nutrition with high yields.