Growing fodder for chickens

[Lacy Blues]

Did you ever drink water out of a garden hose when you were a kid? Ever eat snow? Ever tasted wild clover when you didn't know what it was? Ever lick a salt block in an area that didn't look like the cows or horses had, just to see what it tasted like? Ever kiss a cat, dog or chicken or child with a dirty face?

I've done all of the above and my health has not suffered a bit.

Don't stress the small stuff.

 

[Spangled]

But now I'm starting to stress about the plastic nursery flats not being "food grade."

Oh, I hear ya'.

I even get to the point where I start thinking that I can't even be sure that food grade plastic is safe.

 

[Spangled]

Did you ever drink water out of a garden hose when you were a kid? Ever eat snow? Ever tasted wild clover when you didn't know what it was? Ever lick a salt block in an area that didn't look like the cows or horses had, just to see what it tasted like? Ever kiss a cat, dog or chicken or child with a dirty face?

I've done all of the above and my health has not suffered a bit.

Don't stress the small stuff.

I tend to agree. But have you read the warnings on the flip side of the water hose wrapper? Lead! I sometimes wonder how much lead my chickens are ingesting because I water them right out of the hose.

 

[Lacy Blues]

I know they give all those warnings but I wonder too if they're just not trying to keep us all paralyzed! I drank water out of a garden hose A LOT when I was a kid. No issues.

 

[Spangled]

I drank water out of a garden hose A LOT when I was a kid. No issues.

Me, too. All summer long. Though I'll leave it to the experts as to whether or not I have any issues.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Did you ever drink water out of a garden hose when you were a kid? Ever eat snow? Ever tasted wild clover when you didn't know what it was? Ever lick a salt block in an area that didn't look like the cows or horses had, just to see what it tasted like? Ever kiss a cat, dog or chicken or child with a dirty face?

I've done all of the above and my health has not suffered a bit.

Don't stress the small stuff.

I sometimes wish I could just switch off my brain on command.

I think there is a difference between germs and things like lead and chemicals. In fact, I believe exposing kids to germs around a farm is one of the ways to help them develop strong immune systems and not have problems with allergies. But in my head, lead and BPAs are another story. And chickens are so small, a little bit of hormone-altering chemical soup could potentially do a lot of damage.

I've spoken with some local people who sell (actually re-sale) food-grade barrels for animal feed. They explained to me the economics and trade of food-grade barrels. Long story short, it does seem Craig's List is the way to go. And for about $15, I won't be spending more for a big food-safe barrel than I would for a regular garbage can anyway. That's better than they'd charge me at Whole Foods or online for a "new" food-safe water storage barrel.

I am not sweating the dry feed I've got sitting in garbage cans. At least not yet.

 

[mzstre]

I've been reading this thread with interest since its inception and finally decided to try this on a small scale before jumping in. I recycle when I can, so I used clear take-out containers. I cut the top and bottom apart, and burned holes evenly in the larger top side for drainage.



The top side of the container is deeper and nests perfectly in the bottom section that I use for excess drainage.

I have these consecutively from right to left (I know, it's kind of backwards): soak 24 hours in the round container, then move to the to-go container with drainage holes. The next pics are days 2 and 3 (also right to left lol) in the draining trays. I am very pleased with how easy this has been. I can stack the trays double for the first 2 days, but by the 3rd day, the roots are growing pretty thickly and there isn't enough space. Now just to wait a few more days for the finished product and decide on how to proceed on a scale that is a bit larger. Thanks everyone for all the information!

 

[heidiandjeff]

I give my chickens kale, spinach or collard leaves that I grow myself. They love 'em and those leaves are very nutritious. Kale and collards are 2 of the best veggie sources of vitamins and minerals.

 

[groverlvchx]

Those are just blocks of wood that lay across the tops.

 

[groverlvchx]

Very nice and portable! I like your idea very much. What did you use to divide the trays?

Those are pieces of wood