Drought has dried up all my grass! What are you feeding?

[Miss Lydia]

I'm sure they would eat it, but it would go further if you could grow some as well. Mmmm, I love barley. Can't wait til soup season.....

I put barley in my home made soups too, so good. okay so the barley I might find in my bulk bin at the gro. store is not the same barley that would be grown for feed? I have no place to grow anything on a very big scale, [side of a mt. and lots of woods] It didn't say pearl barley all it said was organic barley.

 

[aaajjss1]

Well i grow it in flats like wheat grass and since i
only have 2 geese it's good for 1 day

 

[Cottage Rose]

I suppose there is different varieties of barley just like there's different varieties of corn (field corn, sweet corn, Indian corn etc). but if you have organic barley it would be worth trying.

 

[bluejeans]

my ducks and geese here are eating wild chimesa seed also native grasses that have gone brown for winter . such as blue grama wheat grasses and thick spike ,, i have even noticed them eating some of the leaves off newly sprouted quacking aspen that have pooped up around the place,, the ducks are still able to forage in fire ant hills when it warms up and there is even a stink bug or two they gobble up as if it was candy and it propably is to them..

 

[bluejeans]

rolled barley in moderation ...
dave holderreid says alphalfa isnt that good for poultry... i feed it to my geese and ducks but in moderation keeping into account Daves warning -------- I ALSO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT

even people have been noted to founder and die on simply water .when they gorge them selves with it.. perhaps not so much ducks and geese and goats wont water founder

Horses have done the same with water ...the Donkeys other name.

they also not so much what does that say about donkeys ducks and geese compared to us people -

 

[tillyita]

I am new to geese ownership but I grow barley grass for my horses and the geese get a biscut every day. They seem to like it - they certainly eat it and what they don't eat the chickens finish up for them. As a suggestion, I also get a big box of scraps from the local deli at work every day. They keep all of the outer leaves off the lettuce, carrot pealings ends of the tomatos etc and I pick it up as I leave every day. My animals love this and it helps the deli out as they don't have to dispose of the waste.

Oh, and to answer an earlier observation the wheet grass takes 7 days to grow and the barley grass 6.

 

[kbell]

Can some of you post pictures of your sprouting procedures, like the flats? I couldn't get the tier link to come up, would love some more info on this. It is getting cold here and need to know how to do this now with the cooler weather. Where do you all do this inside the house? Thanks so much!!!

 

[tillyita]

I have a fodder solution unit (http://www.foddersolutions.org/). It is basically a box made out of refrigeration panels that it airconditioned and has a reticulation system running through it. You seed trays at one end and pull out barley (or wheat) grass at the other.

If you want to replicate it simply I would go about it by getting some large flat plastic trays (or containers like those that slide under the bed) - you will need 6 for barley or 7 for wheat. Drill a couple of rows of holes fairly close together at one end. Prop up the end without the holes so that the water will drain towards the holes.Soak your seed overnight for best sprouting without using the unit. I use about a kilo a day. Spread it out evenly over the tray staying a couple of inches short of the predrilled holes - you don't want the seed sitting in water. Put the trays in any sheltered place so long as they are not in direct sunlight while it is hot you should still end up with grass. The ideal temperature range for growing barley is between 21 and 24 degrees Celcius. Once you have seeded your first tray you with need to spray with water (or put the tap on a timer with a sprinkler) several times a day. Use a light mist if you can and just until the water is starting to run. If you put a container under the drainage holes you will be able to reuse that water The next day at roughly the same time you start the next tray. When you run out of trays you get to harvest the following day. Feed out your grass and then give the tray a quick scrub and reseed it.

Some mould so long as it looks like cobwebs or grey fluff and is not blue or green is fine. This is the mould that will occur naturally on grass if it grows in the field/paddock. If you are worried ask your vet to test it for you (that's what I did). If it is blue or green it is more of a penicillin type mould and needs to be thrown out - I've only had this once.

Hope this helps.

T

 

[ChristineR]

You can use a tiny bit of grapefruit seed extract (GSE) to inhibit mold growth, as another option.

 

[Daisy9696]

What do you geese raiser do in the winter when it's cold?