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Oh, yeah. Well, I thought free-ranging was a given. Providing the owner has land, who wouldn't want to take advantage of the food chickens can find? :idunno That and in certain areas, winters prevented chickens from finding food, but they still survived.

Hm... all those analytical links and studies makes one wonder how chickens survived on only cracked corn a few decades ago. Anyways, there's a reason folks here experiment with 3 grains. BOSS is famous for it's protein. At 26%, if I remember correctly, it is only rivaled by Flaxseed. The only...

I agree with more air circulation and fewer seeds per tray. But less water may not cover all the grains, thereby allowing any chances of mold to fester and grow instead of being washed away.

And even if it was diluted to the point of not burning, the high nitrogen content would provide a very good medium for bacteria to grow in and increase exponentially (even if it did reduce fungal growth, which I'm not so sure about either.)

I've heard once on this forum that oats cause poorer feather quality on birds, but never found any evidence or other posts to back it up, so I don't really believe that. It makes as much sense as the old wives tale about the oil in BOSS causing feathers to fall off. I have the same experience...

Oh, wow. That's a great idea, matching hot-water scarification to fodder seed! I'll have to try that my next batch.

Barley is highest in nutrition, and BOSS is highest in protein. I have no idea about wheat, expect that it's probably the most common grain, so most people start experimenting with that. A combination would cover things nicely, except that they have different soaking and sprouting times...

I don't know the logic behind covering it up, but the fodder does need light for photosynthesis. And while it isn't necessary since the grain has all the energy the sprout needs for a while, added energy is always helpful, especially when it's going to be eaten.

Very well, you got me there. I was thinking about ducks. But still if you don't feed enough, you're bound to have problems. That extra 0.1lb is a lot to a chicken. Yes, but have you considered the nutrients released by the sprouting process? The water is only an aid to this. Plus, you don't...

Both wet mash and fermented feed have a higher water content than dry feed. Neither of those cause chickens to be vitamin deficient, even when the water weight is ignored. Their statements that it isn't as nutritive are also based on the estimate that commercially, fodder is only given at 2% of...

50 lbs for $30 is 60c a lb. 1 lb of grain equals 6-7 lbs of fodder. Real cost: 9c a lb. Sounds totally reasonable to me. :hu

As far as I know wheat has gluten too, and it is a component of many chicken feeds. So while I don't know about the details of Celiac Disease, if he or she can eat store-bought eggs, then homegrown eggs should not be a problem. Apart from that, chickens assimilate the gluten in the barley, so...

The only way to be sure would be to contact them. You're welcome. :)

" In an ideal situation, what exactly is the right combination to feed your chickens?" Give them barley fodder, then offer BOSS, that way any greedier chickens won't eat all of the latter and they should get an even share. Feeding fodder is nothing like mixing dry feed. :lol: "Wheat and barley...

For 8 chickens, 2 lbs, or 1/4 lbs per chicken. Temperature fodder should be kept at around 65F Fodder doesn't need much light in the first few days of sprouting. But if you want it slightly greener, it only takes a few hours for the color to form. The try underneath does not need holes as it...

If dry or wet matter makes such a difference, then mash should never be fed to layers? I suppose if you wanted the max out of your chickens you would feed a cropful. Personally, my chickens forage 90% of their food from free-ranging during the summer giving me all the eggs I would ever want, and...

Yes, although they will need about 1/3 of a pound. A little more than that for the larger ducks like Pekins.

I've always fed by weight. 1/4 pound per chicken is standard for layer feed, so I just give them 1/4 lbs of fodder per chicken. They free-range the rest and no commercial feed is given.