Growing fodder for chickens

[RedRidge]

That's because chickens are omnivores... they require animal protein.
I raise BSF in the summer and freeze them so that the chickens have animal protein in the winter.

I want to start my own colony of BSFL but having issues with attracting a wild colony I know there out here there just being difficult, anyway you could ship me some BSFL so I can get a colony started? If so PM me and ill give you my shipping info.

You'll probably have to wait until next spring to really be able to raise them. It's just too late in the year.
The trick to attracting them in the spring is to put bait buckets around your property. I use 5 gal buckets with about an inch of fermenting cracked corn in the bottom. Rig some wire across the bucket so that you have corrugated cardboard hanging over the fermenting corn. Then place the lid on but don't seal it, just crack it slightly.
I wouldn't bother even looking in it the first few weeks because it'll be nasty and attract the wrong kinds of bugs at first. But after the temps are consistently above 60 at night (70 is even better) you can pull out the cardboard and should find clutches of tiny yellow eggs. Several of those clutches set on top of the fermenting food in your bin and you'll have a population explosion within about 3 weeks.

 

[Steemroo]

Watch using nasty water to make sprouts (I recall a sprout-caused case of human deaths in Europe a few years ago). An earlier post said it all when they mentioned a medium. When we plant seeds in soil or a medium, they're not saturated with water, and there's a chance for all sorts of bacteria to grow in that media - so-called good ones that may fight off the ones that can kill us. The point is that in a growing medium, the seeds have a chance to find balance (in terms of moisture - also, regarding bacteria, when grown in a media, the plant grows out of it - and if it's a root crop we want, we usually peel and or cook it - see where I'm going?). Sprouting is totally different, and you should use great care - as others have said, getting the moisture level just right (not too much) is the key. Any nasty bacteria in the sprout water is going to be on the raw sprouts. Sprouting seeds are converting starch and proteins in the seed and do not need added nutrition to sprout. They need it once sprouted to grow into a plant - but not to get started - you don't need to add scunge water to sprouting seeds. Use clean water.

Not all chickens seem to eat greens. Our Leghorns, Crevecouer, and Seramas love most greens. Our Sultans tend to stick up their noses - er beaks - at greens (or anything but feed). Too long and the greens can get stuck in the crop and cause problems. I'd cut them down to less than 2 inches (one inch or less is better - like what they'd pluck off a small growing plant, which is what they tend to go after in the yard) or feed with only a small amount of green coming out of the sprouted seed. You're growing the sprouts to get them to eat greens in the winter, right? If they won't eat them, I'm not sure it's worth the money and bother. They may just need time, or they may need the sprouts to be chopped. You may need to feed them greens when they're hungry (i.e. before the grain feed). Do they like yogurt? Smear a little on the greens and see what happens. Also, feeding them sprouts with seed sections still attached - the birds may be inclined to eat that part - and they'll probably have to eat down the green part too to get the seed part.

Also, when we give (clean, non-poisoned) grass clippings, much of that goes uneaten. They pick at it and eat a fair amount - but much is left on the ground. When I toss in forbs, however (like clover), it's eaten 100%. Same with chard, kale, and lettuce - and other vegetable leaves and forbs. Grass is much harder to digest and has less protein than forbs (and veggies). If you're sprouting wheat for your birds, it's a grass. Alfalfa seeds - a forb/legume (not a grass). Still, when chickens eat grass, they want it as young as possible (and will eat it, and should eat sprouted grass). But some types are picky. I've read stories where cornish rock crosses turn up their noses at anything - even juicy bugs - except feed.

I'd use clean water only when sprouting. Once you figure it out, you'll get good results, and you'll stave off infections. From my experience, seed sprouting is purely about getting the moisture level right (and temperature - too cold and they won't sprout). That's it.

 

[TracyLovesDucks]

Hopefully all the experienced fodderers can help...

I'm getting started with fodder. I'll be using wheat. Has anyone had trouble sprouting non-organic wheat (vs. organically grown wheat)?

I'm worried about if my wheat is genetically engineered, it might carry the suicide gene or something that prevents it from sprouting -- buying organic is a guarantee that the wheat hasn't been genetically modified/engineered, but it's also more expensive. I'd prefer to buy non-organic if it sprouts fine.

Thanks for the tips!

 

[Steemroo]

I've grown 2 small patches of wheat from wheat berries that I buy in bulk from a store called Sprouts - not organic. And we've harvested it and made bread out of it, so yes, it should sprout. We've also used these wheat seeds to grow (in pots) "wheat grass" to grind up for juice (that tastes pretty bad, plain - even if it will make you live forever). Works fine - no killer genes.

We're going to grow more this winter (it's a hard red winter wheat variety).

 

[BriardChickens]

I've been growing wheat for my chickens for about 3 weeks now. They do seem to like the seed part better then the grass. However all the grass that's left after 30 minutes is usually gone the next day.

I have 3 batches on my kitchen counter, 1 is soaking and 2 are supposed to be growing. Due to my work schedule I can only rinse every 11 - 14 hrs. It's been getting colder in our area so we've had our fire place on for a few days. The last 2 batches are suffering under the dry humidity in my house. I might just have to start feeding it earlier... I'd rather not use lids and avoid the mold to keep the seed moist.

 

[lazy gardener]

I am new to fodder. Question: The green part of the fodder grows long and thin, but the root system is not very thick.. It's like almost no roots at all! What do I need to do to correct this? Less water? More seeds?

It's just that when I watch videos on growing fodder, the root system is so thick, you have to cut it with a knife! Also, I am not getting a good germination rate. I soak it for 12 -24 hours before putting into a tray. Am I soaking it too long? Help please! Thanks.

You may be soaking it too long, or your temp may be off. Try soaking it for just an hour or two, then rinsing 3 x / day. Kassaundra is having good luck putting a drop of liquid Dawn in the first rinse water, or soak water... i forget which.

Hopefully all the experienced fodderers can help...

I'm getting started with fodder. I'll be using wheat. Has anyone had trouble sprouting non-organic wheat (vs. organically grown wheat)?

I'm worried about if my wheat is genetically engineered, it might carry the suicide gene or something that prevents it from sprouting -- buying organic is a guarantee that the wheat hasn't been genetically modified/engineered, but it's also more expensive. I'd prefer to buy non-organic if it sprouts fine.

Thanks for the tips!

I think that most GMO is to make it "round up" tolerant.

 

[LindaB220]

Newbie here... I normally grind, mix and ferment my own feed (along with BSF in the winter).
However, I'm feeding fodder (mostly barley) to my rabbits and am wondering about supplementing the chickens over the winter with some fodder since I have would only have to increase my fodder process slightly.
My question is... for supplementing over the winter approximately how much fodder by weight are folks feeding per head?

Chickens don't care a whole lot about long fodder. They LOVE 4 day sprouts. Still have a ton of nutrients and I just use it as scratch. Throw out a few handfuls a day in the morning along with the fermented feed I give in the evening.

 

[Chris09]

I am new to fodder. Question: The green part of the fodder grows long and thin, but the root system is not very thick.. It's like almost no roots at all! What do I need to do to correct this? Less water? More seeds?

It's just that when I watch videos on growing fodder, the root system is so thick, you have to cut it with a knife! Also, I am not getting a good germination rate. I soak it for 12 -24 hours before putting into a tray. Am I soaking it too long? Help please! Thanks.

Three things come to mind, either the plants are stretching for light, it's too hot where there growing, irregular watering or a combination of all three.
Don't let them dry out but don't over water them, give them more light and keep them at or around 65 to 70 degrees F.

Bad germination can be a number of things, seeds drying out, junk seeds, wrong temperature etc.

You want good root growth of fodder because that is where most of the nutrition is at.

 

[LindaB220]

Hopefully all the experienced fodderers can help...

I'm getting started with fodder. I'll be using wheat. Has anyone had trouble sprouting non-organic wheat (vs. organically grown wheat)?

I'm worried about if my wheat is genetically engineered, it might carry the suicide gene or something that prevents it from sprouting -- buying organic is a guarantee that the wheat hasn't been genetically modified/engineered, but it's also more expensive. I'd prefer to buy non-organic if it sprouts fine.

Thanks for the tips!

Good news. Wheat is not a GMO. Here's a site that lists all of them.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/201787-what-grains-are-not-gmo/

 

[Steemroo]

We've had this discussion before, but depending on how we define GMO, you and I are GMO's!

In the past our ancestors influenced directly and indirectly the people their children would marry, which modifies genes.

A lot of people say that GMO means only modern, lab-modified organisms, but that's like saying "when I say chemicals are bad, I don't mean water - I mean the bad chemicals." I've yet to see where it's carved in stone that GMO only means lab modification and not good, old-fashioned selective breeding (which, for example, produced the infamous Cornish-Rock cross - can't tell you how many times I've had to tell people they're not made by laboratory genetic modification).

With that said, yes, a lot of plants are being modified to be, for example, herbicide tolerant. And yes, we don't know the long term consequences of this. Short term, it means several companies and possibly a lot of farmers make more profits.

Earlier, I made a mistake in that I thought we were discussing sprouting - it's been a while since I've been in this thread - and it's fodder you're after, which is a stage after sprouting. I'd still be wary of using murky water.