Serradella (Ornithopus sativus), also called common bird's foot, is a popular, commonly grown annual plant that belongs to the Fabaceae (legume) family. It is considered one of the most valuable pasture plants that grow well on lesser soils. The serradella plants grow quickly and are capable of growing back once after cutting. They develop slender, branched stems and rich foliage. Fodder made of bird's foot is tender and delicious, what translates into its popularity among animals. It supplies them with large amounts of easily assimilable proteins, minerals and vitamins. The serradella may also be used for feeding grazing animals directly on the pastures, as it is highly resistant to chewing and treading. It is also a valuable green fertilizer - after ploughing through it supplies the soil with large amounts of nitrogen and other nutrients so vital for plants. It also increases the content of organic matter in the soil and improves its structure. It is a melliferous plant like other related species from the bean family.

Serradella is an undemanding plant that may be grown on light, sandy soils that do not contain much nutrients and are acidic. The common bird's foot does not tolerate only extremely dry or waterlogged, nor calciferous soils. Please make sure to sow the tiny serradella seeds very shallow. The optimal sowing time for the main crops is early spring, while sowing for catch crop or ploughing (green fertilizer) may also take place in July and at the beginning of August. Mow this plant for green forage at the beginning of the flowering period. Due to the low amount of dry matter it should not be used for hay production, yet it is perfectly suited for silage preparation. Animals may graze serradella until first autumn frosts. The sowing norm for this plant is 30 - 40 kg/ha.

One package contains 1 kg of serradella (common bird's foot) seeds. The sow-by date has been printed on the package.

• Use: Fodder - pastures, silage; green fertilizer; melliferous plant
• Vegetation form: annual
• Site: light, sandy, acidic soil
• Weight: 1 kg