Forage oats are best for sprouting. They are the oats that farmers seed their fields with for livestock grazing and hunter seed plots with for wild game like deer.
Feed oats are the seeds you buy to feed your horse in the stable. Often feed oats are sprayed with a chemical to prevent mold. That's fine but when one tries to sprout them, they mold instead of sprouting. I use Plotspike Forage Oats for sprouting. ( 20.-25. a 50 lb. sack at Tractor Supply Company)
http://www.plotspike.com/forageoats.htm They were created by specialized line breeding at Louisiana State University circa 2002. They are not Genetically Modified Organisms we are so often warned about. PFO sprout vigorously and fast. I have less than 22 chickens at a time so I use the
glass jar and water method (pgs. 24 thru 29). It works well and doesn't take up too much space. Untreated burlap is 1-2. a yd. at JoAnns Fabric (use as a single layer, toss old piece when making a new crop of sprouts.) . I use leftover mason and food jars. Rubber bands are always hanging around. I use regular tap water to wash the sprouts. in the jar. Feed birds one cubic inch per bird per day or feed to bowl tolerance. If poops get soft, just back off the amount a bit and they will firm up again. I feed my sprouts as green feed, not grain feed.
