My barn sits on a hill, at the bottom of which is a wet meadow that leads into a small pond. The barnyard, with chickens, ducks, and geese is on the hill. The waterfowl parade to the pond a couple times a week, in good weather.

When the snow melts, I'm looking forward to bare spots and mud.

My plan is to rotate various parts of the barnyard for the birds' use, while other areas heal/grow up.

So, here's the question. What sort of natives (mostly grass, likely, but wildflowers too if they make sense) should I try to grow, here? They should be durable, fast growing, nutritious for birds, thrive in a heavy nitrogen environment, and able to stand wet feet (their own and the birds trampling!).

Sources of seed would also be appreciated. The area is about 2500 square feet.

I'm zone 5, central MA.

--Jonathan

Aruncus-Goats Beard
Aster-New England
Boltonia asteroids
Eupatorium(Joe Pye Weed)
Iris siberiaca
Helenium-Sneezeweed
Helianthus maximilliani
Hibiscus moschatus
Rudbeckia-Black eyed susan

and I'm sure there are more. These all are growing in my Z4a Mn wet spot so are quite hardy.
Don't try to just scatter seeds and expect them to grow in place of weeds. You will need to set up a nursery and germinate the seeds, then pamper them until they are large enough to fight on their own.

After some more research, I can be more specific. I want a sod type grass with deep roots, that grows fast enough and is hardy enough to stand the trampling of poultry. It should do well in a heavily nitrogen environment.

Red fescue might fit this, though I'm not sure if it is vigorous enough.

Prices that I've found for native wetland grass/wildflower seed mixes are astronomical ($125/lb), so I'm interested in economical ideas and sources.

Thank you,

--Jonathan