Sprouting makes the nutrients in the seeds more available by removing the enzyme inhibitors. I think that much of the analysis available on fodder is skewed because of the water content and loss of dry matter. All in all, in my opinion greens are good for chickens so mine get a fodder mix as...
Would you happen to know the nutritional value of earth worms? My husband wants to put worm beds under the rabbit cages.......so this is a very possible solution if the worms would be good for my chickens to eat.
For now, I'm basing the value of non-commercial feed supplements (including fodder) on how much it stretches my commercial feed amounts, cost savings, and the health/happiness of my birds. I have A LOT of birds so if I can save some money here and there it makes a huge difference. Since I...
Keep in mind that the extra bulk will help fill them up and stretch your feed costs a bit for that reason, but the actual calorie requirements still apply and it would take some research to get the same nutrient ratios available in commercial or properly formulated whole grain diets. Fodder...
I think it's a matter of nutrient quality vs dry matter density. By sprouting grains, the inhibitors are removed. This makes the food more bio-available and is living as apposed to a dead dry meal. That being said, the overall calorie requirements need to be met as well and it's not always...
I think most folks feed a portion of commercial feed in addition to fodder. My adult birds get commercial feed, poultry wheat, a special bread that I make for them, and fodder. The babies get only commercial feed because their gizzards need to work up to being able to handle food that takes more...
I can so relate! I do that all the time. It's terrible when I have something I need to research and our internet is down. When I gotta know........I gotta know NOW!!
I've found that sometimes seed sprout better if they are pressed a bit like they would be if planted in soil. It also helps keep some moisture in. I don't press the seed for more than a day or two. The root mat gets super thick if the seeds can't easily send green shoots up. I mix BOSS into my...
Your temps look okay. Try this: Soak overnight. Spread out in your tray and put another tray on top of it to put some weight on the seed for a day or so. Barley is more likely to mold than wheat, so rinse your tray very well everyday. If that doesn't work, maybe the seed was heat treated?
GMO is different from selective breeding. GMO seed has been genetically modified with the DNA sequences of bacteria, viruses, or other DNA material foreign to the organisms natural genome. It's kinda like sci-fi gene splicing to create a seed with un-natural properties. Unless it has been...
I feed my chickens, ducks, turkeys, sheep, and rabbits the same mix. I let the fodder grow a bit taller for the sheep and rabbits. I use a mix of wheat, black oil sunflower seeds, and lentils. I also buy taller grown barley fodder for my horses. I tried growing my own barley fodder for my horses...
Has anybody tried sprouting in a fridge? We have an old fridge in the garage that I can adjust the temp up a bit and take the switch out so the light stays on. Thoughts?? In theory some of the mold issues could be controlled by keeping the temps in the ideal range during warmer weather seasons.
Barley is used because of the nutritional value for cattle/horses,etc. The big fodder systems use barley. Personally, I like using wheat. It is less likely to mold and the nutrition is better suited to birds than barley.
A study was done that determined that swine put weight on better with ground feed as opposed to greens high in fiber (fodder). I would consider green feed as a supplement for growing out pigs.
Fodder isn't a total replacement, but it can cut the amount of processed feed you have to use. Processed feed usually has soy and corn in it which is GMO and not good for any living creature in my opinion. Anything which allows me to cut back on GMO's and gives my birds some added entertainment...