Fodder growing questions

[Varabtbb]

Hey there! I’m new to growing fodder and having chickens also. Our chickens are 5 weeks old and I live in Florida where the average temp outside right now is about 80 degrees.

I started growing organic wheat fodder about 5 days ago. I soaked the seeds overnight for almost 18 hours, rinsed and placed on the tray. On day 2 I placed the seed tray outside. I have the tray under a tree which gets some sun for a little part of the day. I’ve noticed after the first day of the wheat being outside, small flying bugs that resemble fruit flies are all over the grains. The grains also smell kinda like bad beer. I thought that by this point in the growing cycle, that I would have full sprouts on all the seeds. But it seems to be growing very slowly and only a few seeds have sprouted. I water in the morning, afternoon and at night with a watering can. Can you tell me if this is normal for the flys, smell and the rate of growth ? I appreciate any feedback. Thanks so much!

 

[Asya]

You should definitely have more growth than that, it sounds like they are rotting. I would suspect that either the grains you're using are not (very) viable, or you soaked them too long and drowned them. I know that many people say that you should soak them for 12 or more hours, but I have found 3 to 6 hours to be quite sufficient, I've tried longer and they always seem to drown. If I were you, I'd try a shorter soak time, and if that doesn't work, than try some grain from a different source.
Asya

 

[triciayoung]

I grow fodder. I agree with @Asya about soaking time - I only soak for 6-8 hours. After the soak (I add about 1/8 cup of ACV to the water I soak in), I dump them into a pan that has holes in it that is inside of a pan that doesn't have holes. This stops the seeds from soaking any longer. I keep my seeds covered until they sprout and only slightly spray the top of the paper that is covering it. I also keep a little bit of water in the pan that is on the bottom. After my fodder has lifted the paper, I uncover it and then spray the fodder directly. The important part is not to let the seeds or fodder soak again after it has soaked. One more thing, your layer looks a little too thick.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

1st} I have a black thumb, you should consume huge amounts of salt as you read my next statements:

Have you looked at your grain source? There are a number of treatments, including radiation, which can be done to things intended for the food supply which have the side effect of preventing sprouting. I am no fan of "organic", but when I'm buying bulk grains to sprout, I'll go organic to avoid those concerns. Poluse brand off of Amazon and Bob's Red Mill or Tony's

Two, its soak, drain, mist/wet, drain, mist/wet, drain, mist/wet, drain....

Three, it should only be a single layer or so thick

Four, no idea on the gnats/grain flies.

 

[Varabtbb]

You should definitely have more growth than that, it sounds like they are rotting. I would suspect that either the grains you're using are not (very) viable, or you soaked them too long and drowned them. I know that many people say that you should soak them for 12 or more hours, but I have found 3 to 6 hours to be quite sufficient, I've tried longer and they always seem to drown. If I were you, I'd try a shorter soak time, and if that doesn't work, than try some grain from a different source.
Asya

Thank you!

 

[Varabtbb]

I grow fodder. I agree with @Asya about soaking time - I only soak for 6-8 hours. After the soak (I add about 1/8 cup of ACV to the water I soak in), I dump them into a pan that has holes in it that is inside of a pan that doesn't have holes. This stops the seeds from soaking any longer. I keep my seeds covered until they sprout and only slightly spray the top of the paper that is covering it. I also keep a little bit of water in the pan that is on the bottom. After my fodder has lifted the paper, I uncover it and then spray the fodder directly. The important part is not to let the seeds or fodder soak again after it has soaked. One more thing, your layer looks a little too thick.

Thank you for the tips

 

[Varabtbb]

1st} I have a black thumb, you should consume huge amounts of salt as you read my next statements:

Have you looked at your grain source? There are a number of treatments, including radiation, which can be done to things intended for the food supply which have the side effect of preventing sprouting. I am no fan of "organic", but when I'm buying bulk grains to sprout, I'll go organic to avoid those concerns. Poluse brand off of Amazon and Bob's Red Mill or Tony's

Two, its soak, drain, mist/wet, drain, mist/wet, drain, mist/wet, drain....

Three, it should only be a single layer or so thick

Four, no idea on the gnats/grain flies.

Thank you for your reply. I will try these

 

[Claires Chicks]

I grow fodder. I agree with @Asya about soaking time - I only soak for 6-8 hours. After the soak (I add about 1/8 cup of ACV to the water I soak in), I dump them into a pan that has holes in it that is inside of a pan that doesn't have holes. This stops the seeds from soaking any longer. I keep my seeds covered until they sprout and only slightly spray the top of the paper that is covering it. I also keep a little bit of water in the pan that is on the bottom. After my fodder has lifted the paper, I uncover it and then spray the fodder directly. The important part is not to let the seeds or fodder soak again after it has soaked. One more thing, your layer looks a little too thick.

Do you have to use organic wheat/ barley? (I know organic is preferred) but there's only 1 feed store around me that carries conventional wheat. Wondering where you get it? I'm in San Jose, CA.

 

[gtaus]

I’m new to growing fodder and having chickens also.

I have been successfully growing fodder for 4 winters now. I live in northern Minnesota, and the only fresh greens my chickens get in the winter is the barley fodder I grow for them.

I am not saying my method is the only way to grow fodder, but I wrote an article My $10 Inexpensive DIY Fodder Tower with Dollar Tree Dish Bins which tested soak times, germination rates, and pictures of the fodder progress in the bins for the first 6 days. It also discusses how much grain I put into each bin, where the holes are drilled into the bins, and how there is a slant in the tower so that all water drains out of the bin in between the twice daily waterings.

My system takes me less than 5 minutes per day to maintain, and I have as many as 10 fodder bins growing at the same time. More importantly to you, I know my system works as I have used it for the past 4 years. I would kindly suggest you read the article to see if you can gain any information and how it might help you in your setup.

I thought that by this point in the growing cycle, that I would have full sprouts on all the seeds. But it seems to be growing very slowly and only a few seeds have sprouted.

It takes a few days for the seeds to start to germinate, and a few more days to really start seeing some growth. I suspect that if you have very little germination, that you might have over soaked the grain in the initial soaking, which would lead to drowning the seeds and reducing the chances of growing fodder.

Also, if you keep the grain wet, it can rot. In my system, I flood the tower twice a day, but all the water drains out of the bins which are on a slant in the tower. That keeps the grain moist, but not wet. You don't want the grain to dry out, either, which I find a twice daily watering sufficient, but letting the grain dry out completely may kill the fodder growing process.

In my article, I initially soaked my seeds for different times as a test and found my optimal soaking time was 12 hours. However, this initial soaking time is probably determined by the grain seed you use. I use barley, but oats and wheat might have different optimal soak times. Also, I get my grain in a feed store/elevator in 50# or 100# bags. They are not radiated. So, the seeds can germinate. If you are buying radiated seeds, I don't think any germination is possible.

I appreciate any feedback. Thanks so much!

I spent maybe a good 6 months researching and looking at various fodder growing methods before I built my fodder tower system in the article I posted. Again, I'm not saying that my method is the only way to grow fodder, but I do think that it is the easiest way to grow fodder with success. It works for me, just having pushed past 4 years now. I have not found a better fodder system - for me - so I am sticking with what I know works for me.

Again, if you are interested, I think my article might be helpful to you: My $10 Inexpensive DIY Fodder Tower with Dollar Tree Dish Bins

 

[GCrumb]

You're on your way to making beer, but alas, not good beer.

Those are probably fungus gnats, Bradysia.