Scratch grains got rained on

[chicChickChick]

Unexpected shower and 25lbs were moistened. Can they be saved? Fermented?

 

[NatJ]

You should not try to store wet grain for more than a day or two.

You can feed it to the birds immediately.
You can ferment it (feed within a few days).
You can freeze it, then pull out the right amount to feed each day.
You can sprout it, and feed the sprouts (little sprouts or big sprouts).
You can spread it out to dry, then store it again, but it will lose some amount of nutritional value. I would not recommend this if you have any other reasonable options.
You can add the wet grains to a compost pile.

Sprouting works with whole grains & seeds, but not with cracked corn. Depending on the mix you have, it may work well or may be pointless.

The best choice may be a combination of several methods. Example: give them today's portion the way it is, ferment the right amount for tomorrow and the next day, sprout some for next week, put the rest in the freezer or the compost pile. Or some other combination, depending on how many birds you have and what sounds workable to you.

 

[chicChickChick]

You should not try to store wet grain for more than a day or two.

You can feed it to the birds immediately.
You can ferment it (feed within a few days).
You can freeze it, then pull out the right amount to feed each day.
You can sprout it, and feed the sprouts (little sprouts or big sprouts).
You can spread it out to dry, then store it again, but it will lose some amount of nutritional value. I would not recommend this if you have any other reasonable options.
You can add the wet grains to a compost pile.

Sprouting works with whole grains & seeds, but not with cracked corn. Depending on the mix you have, it may work well or may be pointless.

The best choice may be a combination of several methods. Example: give them today's portion the way it is, ferment the right amount for tomorrow and the next day, sprout some for next week, put the rest in the freezer or the compost pile. Or some other combination, depending on how many birds you have and what sounds workable to you.

Thanks. Girls got to gorge today. Gave some to friend for their chickens to gorge, and froze a bunch.

For funsies I also took apart an old straw bale in layers and put l grains in the layers, tired it back up and watered it. Put it in the run and we’ll see what happens.

 

[A Justice]

Besides the other great suggestions-

If you know anybody who hunts it could be used as a pre-season deer attractant.

If you don't hunt, you could dump it out in the woods and watch the wildlife that it attracts. It would be especially neat to watch at night.

I don't see why you couldn't dump it out on a sunny day on a tarp. It should mostly dry it out, it probably wouldn't get the same shelf life as a fresh bag though, so I'd use it ASAP anyway.

I don't know if your chickens are free-ranged or not, but if they are, you could spread a substantial amount of that feed over a few acres of their "range", it would dry out so it wouldn't rot, and they would enjoy finding it over the next few days.

I'd happily pay half price for a damp bag of grains.

 

[chicChickChick]

Besides the other great suggestions-

If you know anybody who hunts it could be used as a pre-season deer attractant.

If you don't hunt, you could dump it out in the woods and watch the wildlife that it attracts. It would be especially neat to watch at night.

I don't see why you couldn't dump it out on a sunny day on a tarp. It should mostly dry it out, it probably wouldn't get the same shelf life as a fresh bag though, so I'd use it ASAP anyway.

I don't know if your chickens are free-ranged or not, but if they are, you could spread a substantial amount of that feed over a few acres of their "range", it would dry out so it wouldn't rot, and they would enjoy finding it over the next few days.

I'd happily pay half price for a damp bag of grains.

Ooh forgot about deer attraction. Honestly though we’re overrun with deer, opossum and every chipmunk this side of the Atlantic.

I wish we could free range but we’ve had a few losses lately, including dog-related, so those field trips are curtailed.

Thanks for the ideas!

 

[SourRoses]

For funsies I also took apart an old straw bale in layers and put l grains in the layers, tired it back up and watered it. Put it in the run and we’ll see what happens.

You got some great advice and it's good to hear you already handled the original lot.

I just wanted to chime in that you should be really careful with this bale experiment. It might grow and be interesting, but it will also mold. Mold in the air can be really rough on birds delicate respiratory systems.
But most concerning is that with the bale back together, mold growing inside can build up heat. Hay and straw bales have long been known to combust and cause fires, it's a big concern for farmers.
That's why a traditional design for livestock includes a separate hay barn from the animal barn, with only a moderate amount of ready-to-feed hay in the same building.
I'd suggest dragging the bale out to your garden.

 

[chicChickChick]

You got some great advice and it's good to hear you already handled the original lot.

I just wanted to chime in that you should be really careful with this bale experiment. It might grow and be interesting, but it will also mold. Mold in the air can be really rough on birds delicate respiratory systems.
But most concerning is that with the bale back together, mold growing inside can build up heat. Hay and straw bales have long been known to combust and cause fires, it's a big concern for farmers.
That's why a traditional design for livestock includes a separate hay barn from the animal barn, with only a moderate amount of ready-to-feed hay in the same building.
I'd suggest dragging the bale out to your garden.

Good news. The hens tore the entire bale apart and scattered it everywhere. Zero fire risk!