Growing fodder for chickens

Just picked up a 50lb bag of whole wheat seed from the feed store. This will be my first attempt but I couldn't get anything smaller. It was only $16 anyway. At first I had malted Barley but a quick internet search got that returned. We'll see if it works, when I told them I was going to try and sprout it they where sure to inform me that they couldn't guarantee it would sprout. But it was all they had.

Paul

PaulRaye said:

Just picked up a 50lb bag of whole wheat seed from the feed store. This will be my first attempt but I couldn't get anything smaller. It was only $16 anyway. At first I had malted Barley but a quick internet search got that returned. We'll see if it works, when I told them I was going to try and sprout it they where sure to inform me that they couldn't guarantee it would sprout. But it was all they had.

Paul

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The wheat may have been sprayed with glyphosate in the fall which speeds the dry down process of the plant allowing for harvest. If it was sprayed it will kill the germ on those seeds and you might as well find a roller mill and either crack it or start making flour.

Well I soaked it last night for about 12 hours. I'll rinse it this morning and see how it goes. If it doesn't work I guess I'll fill up the bird feeders.

Paul

So in the fodder trays at the beginning...how thickly do you lay the seeds? Like, and inch or 2 deep?

Mahlzeit said:

I have been reading through as much of this post as I could over the last little while. I have been giving this a go but as soon as the greens start sprouting I am having a real issue with mold. I soak the wheat seeds in bleach water, wash them off really well, I have tried different containers for the seed but the white fluffy mold always appears at the same stage. I am super frustrated and any advice would be great.

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Are you rinsing several times a day? How deep is your seed layer? Are you on well water, and if so, do you have a fungus in your water? How long are you allowing your fodder to grow? Also, they need to drain well before watering each time. Try spraying them with Hydrogen Peroxide after each rinse.

Sidhe13 said:

So in the fodder trays at the beginning...how thickly do you lay the seeds? Like, and inch or 2 deep?

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No deeper than 1/4 or 1/2 inch.

Bradfordj said:

The wheat may have been sprayed with glyphosate in the fall which speeds the dry down process of the plant allowing for harvest. If it was sprayed it will kill the germ on those seeds and you might as well find a roller mill and either crack it or start making flour.

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And, if it has been sprayed it's virtually worthless, with the germ dead, as far as nutrition is concerned. Might as well compost it.

Allie3513 said:

I know this is an old post.. But I want to try this. I have a two year old so inside is not an option.
What do the temps need to be in the room it's growns in?

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We had a 12 - 124 month old foster child for a while and we put our fodder trays on a built in shelf near a window. The fodder doesn't necessarily need direct sunlight, just light. With only indoor light it will be a paler version of what you would have in sunlight. If you have room on a kitchen counter that would work well or on a table. It actually could be a learning and teaching experience for the child in growing vegetation and also as in leaving it along the rest of the time, in order to grow. The temps are best between 65-75°.

ndstructable said:

We also grow Talapia and one the things we feed them is DUCKWEED. Now that I know chickens can eat it, I am great!
To answer earlier posts about growing it- it's VERY easy. You just need a little to start. Then put it in an aquarium with lots of sunshine (no fish or they will eat before it can grow). In about a week the aquarium will be full of it. Make sure you use it regularly so it does not die off and has room to keep growing.

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We had a source, last year, for duckweed; a large pond. But, it dried up duringthe summer. The chickens loved the stuff. Would love to grow it ourselves because it is so nutritious and better than fodder. Please give instructions on how you grow it. Thanks

CATRYNA said:

And, if it has been sprayed it's virtually worthless, with the germ dead, as far as nutrition is concerned. Might as well compost it.

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That's not true at all, but I'm sure some organic website or something along that line claims it to be.

Any one know of any nutritional benefits of fodder. From what I understand.all you are doing is adding water weight. Photosynthesis doesn't start to occur until the plant begins leafing out. Which is why you don't need light to grow fodder. If you grew it longer and allowed the plant to start leafing out, which is when photosynthesis begins, then you would be adding nutritional value to the final product. Therefor all the nutrients in that plant are whatever was in the seed, and the weight difference between the seed and your fodder mat is strictly water weight. I could see that it's easier to digest and may fill them up faster, but there is no added nutritional value compared to feeding them the grain you used to grow it. Which leads me to the question, why are people bothering with this process? Am I missing something?