Common seed types cont millet

Bird Feeders Brochure.com

Providing consumers with quality information about bird feeders.

Common Seed Types for Birds and Bird Feeders- The Top Eight Seed Types

Continued on Millets...

Foxtail millet - Foxtail millet is the second most widely planted species of millet. It is the most significant millet in East Asia. It is known that foxtail millet has been grown in China since sometime during the second millennium B.C, and it has the longest history of cultivation among the millets. Other common names for foxtail millet include Italian millet, German millet, Chinese millet, and Hungarian millet. Foxtail millet can reach a height of 120-200 cm and has slim, vertical, leafy stems. The seedhead is a dense, hairy cluster and is 5-30 cm long. The seeds are approximately 2 mm in diameter and are enclosed in a thin, papery hull. These are easily removed in threshing. Its seed color differentiates greatly between varieties. In China, foxtail millet is the most common millet and one of the main food crops, especially among the poor in the dry northern part of that country. In Europe and North America foxtail millet is planted for hay and fodder, and to a lesser extent, for birdseed. It is a warm season crop, and is usually planted in late spring. Harvest for hay or fodder can be made in 65-70 days (the typical yield is 15,000-20,000 kg/ha of green matter or 3,000-4,000 kg/ha of hay), and for grain in 75-90 days (typical yield is 800-900 kg/ha of grain). Its early maturity and effective use of available water make it suitable for raising in dry areas.