ANOTHER "OATS" QUESTION

[aggiemae]

A great question though I am not sure who you are asking. The oats I have are certified organic and they seem to be sprouting all over the yard.

 

[mainechicks]

these oats were harvested right from an oat field locally, and they sprout thick and green in the woods!

 

[Chris09]

WAIT A MINUTE!!!

What kind of oats do you have? Feed oats or forage oats? There's a difference. Feed oats are fed to animals. Often they have an fungicide on them to prevent mold. If you try to sprout them, they will mold instead of sprouting. Forage oats are oats that are planted to feed animals when they sprout. Like the Plotspike Forage Oats the hunters plant to feed deer in deer plots. These oats do not have a fungcide and will sprout successfully. Before you feed oats either raw or sprouted, contact the company on the bag and see if they have a fungicide or anything else that would interfere with chickens eating them.
Best,
Karen in western PA. Successfully feeding Plotspike Forage Oats to the chickens.

Quote: I don't know where you got the information in the second and third sentence but it is untrue.
A fungicide will not prevent germination, to prevent germination the seed would have to be treated with a anti-germinate.
In fact you will get or can get a better germination with a seed that is treated with a fungicide than one with out because the seen is less likely to rot in the soil.
Feed oats should not be treated with a fungicide and there is no reason for it to be if it dried and stored properly. (feed oats should not be treated with a anti-germinate either)

Chris

 

[pigeonguy]

I don't know where you got the information in the second and third sentence but it is untrue.
A fungicide will not prevent germination, to prevent germination the seed would have to be treated with a anti-germinate.
In fact you will get or can get a better germination with a seed that is treated with a fungicide than one with out because the seen is less likely to rot in the soil.
Feed oats should not be treated with a fungicide and there is no reason for it to be if it dried and stored properly. (feed oats should not be treated with a anti-germinate either)

Agreed
Aren't fungicides sprayed on in the field to prevent rust. Never heard of it for mold especially in feed oats.

 

[mainechicks]

Wow.. lots of info!! I majored in horticulture 30 yrs ago, I should know all this! lol! I read the label again on the 50lb bags..just says Whole Oats. and the farm. I'm going to try the sprouting in a jar method and see how it goes. My major concern was feeding them something that may be harmful.. I love the bag method too! Thanks!
MaineChicks

 

[KatGold]

The oats I have (leftover from a rescue house we were fostering)

A rescue house! That's an investment!

Aggiemae, please give more details. So, you are feeding your hens what percentage of ferminted oats/grains? What is sprouted BOSS? And what else do you feed them?

Mine have not been laying for a month now due to illness. No eggs, but plenty of appetite. Our last $30 bag of feed only lasted a week or two. I can't keep this up; I need an alternative.

 

[Chris09]

Agreed
Aren't fungicides sprayed on in the field to prevent rust. Never heard of it for mold especially in feed oats.

Fungicides like Captan are used on seeds to prevent rot and help with germination in cool/cold damp soil, I get a fungicide on most of seeds that gets direct seeded into my gardens to help with germination and to prevent seed rot, I also add a fungicide to some of the seeds that get planted in the greenhouses to prevent damping-off.
A fungicide can also be dusted on beans and other plants to prevent rust, blight and other fungus problems.

Chris

 

[pigeonguy]

Fungicides like Captan are used on seeds to prevent rot and help with germination in cool/cold damp soil, I get a fungicide on most of seeds that gets direct seeded into my gardens to help with germination and to prevent seed rot, I also add a fungicide to some of the seeds that get planted in the greenhouses to prevent damping-off.
A fungicide can also be dusted on beans and other plants to prevent rust, blight and other fungus problems.

Chris

Right but if the case is that the seeds have fungicide on them that is harmful to human or animal they have to add dye. Just like with fertilizer. That's why seed corn it reddish and grass seeds are green. There are other colors but those are common. If not colored they should be safe to eat. Not saying they don't have chemicals on them just that they won't kill you.

 

[Chris09]

Right but if the case is that the seeds have fungicide on them that is harmful to human or animal they have to add dye. Just like with fertilizer. That's why seed corn it reddish and grass seeds are green. There are other colors but those are common. If not colored they should be safe to eat. Not saying they don't have chemicals on them just that they won't kill you.

Correct.

Chris

 

[SandraB88]

I'm out on a limb here....thinking she meant "horse" lol