Dixie Chicks

[perchie.girl]

Also Deb, that was actually meant to cheer you up, I'm just a bit crap at paint...

gave me a giggle thanks. I have already swapped out my avatar.

Going to bed now for sure.

 

[vehve]

Deb, I was wondering about that too. My plan is to either make a system where you just pour in the top dish and it runs through the rest of them, or then I might just keep the sprouts in solid dishes and spray them with a bit of water, that usually works too.

And I see you took my masterpiece into use

 

[NotAFarm]

@vehve
This is a system that someone on this thread https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/713334/growing-fodder-for-chickens
posted a while back. I saved the photos to show my DH. If you are looking for a space saving option, this might work for you. You pour water in the top and it works its way down to the bucket. Starting one level each day would mean you'd always have fodder/sprouted grains ready to go.





I started out growing mine until it reached about three inches of green but then switched to the "just starting to show the sprout" (not to be confused with the roots which are there at 1 1/2 days) which is around 3-5 days depending on the seed.

 

[vehve]

Now that's a cool system. Although, I was thinking baskets on top of each other. That way you could have a tower of 5 baskets within each other standing on a container, pour the water from top, remove the top basket every day and feed it, fill it with seeds and place it on the bottom. It soaks in the bottom layer for a day, and then starts moving upwards.

 

[Beer can]

Does anyone know if Tractor supply whole oat feed will sprout? Or their whole corn? 50lbs of oats is $17.99. Whole corn $8.79.If it doesn't sprout they do have Plot Spike Forage Oats, for growing deer food plots, 50lb bag for $25.99. They definitely use it for poultry, here's one of the reviews:

"Love this product! Great for poultry. No chemical coating and specially line-bred, not genetically modified. Feed 1 thru 3 day old sprouts as grain feed, as part of the daily ration. Feed as green feed, one cubic inch per bird per day of 4-7 day sprouts. Green feed great for bringing hens into lay and helping roosters generate more more robust chicks."

I also plan on buying my BOSS in 50lb bags. By the way anyone ever grow BOSS? I plant a few handfuls around my mailbox every year, pretty flowers, sorta like tall black eye susans without the black eye.

They also have other food plot seed, forage soybeans, forage peas, buckwheat and sunflower on sale 20lbs$14.99.
Peas, Oats,Triticale(hybrid of wheat and rye), Clover on sale 10lbs$9.99.

 

[Beer can]

That's awesome notafarm! I can handle building one of them in my cellar!

 

[NotAFarm]

Does anyone know if Tractor supply whole oat feed will sprout? Or their whole corn? 50lbs of oats is $17.99. Whole corn $8.79.If it doesn't sprout they do have Plot Spike Forage Oats, for growing deer food plots, 50lb bag for $25.99. They definitely use it for poultry, here's one of the reviews:

"Love this product! Great for poultry. No chemical coating and specially line-bred, not genetically modified. Feed 1 thru 3 day old sprouts as grain feed, as part of the daily ration. Feed as green feed, one cubic inch per bird per day of 4-7 day sprouts. Green feed great for bringing hens into lay and helping roosters generate more more robust chicks."

I also plan on buying my BOSS in 50lb bags. By the way anyone ever grow BOSS? I plant a few handfuls around my mailbox every year, pretty flowers, sorta like tall black eye susans without the black eye.

They also have other food plot seed, forage soybeans, forage peas, buckwheat and sunflower on sale 20lbs$14.99.
Peas, Oats,Triticale(hybrid of wheat and rye), Clover on sale 10lbs$9.99.

I have read here on BYC that the Plot Spike Forage Oats at TSC are great for sprouting. I use the BOSS from TSC, Royal Wing, in the 50 lb. bag. They had them Black Friday for $13.99, limit two. I just opened my second bag this week. I sprout them and feed them as is to my flock and I have a wild bird feeder that gets them. They float in water so "soaking" them is a bit different that other grains.
Here are some just before feeding.

 

[vehve]

NAF, yeah, I would definitely use fresh water every day. But like you said, mold might be an issue. Maybe I'll just go with spraying them separately, I've grown Easter grass like that (Finnish Easter tradition).

 

[vehve]

Oh, how much light do the sprouts need?

 

[Beer can]

Darn it, I want those nipples to arrive soon so I can finish the waterer.

Beer, please do, how many you getting? How about a ff versus dry feed comparison?

I ordered 15 black langshans, 5 blue langshans, 10 white jersey giants, Sand Hills max on each breed. I wont cull any of them until after a year and will only keep the largest cockerels and pullets for breeding. I will be keeping all the blues.
From what I've read on jersey giants you don't want to select for the fastest growing, that's where hatcheries have lost their enormous size. For size the slower growing ones are the keepers that's why I'm going to wait over a year. I will be keeping tabs on cost vs. live weight etc. just out of curiosity. I will be feeding them lots of free protein to keep the cost down.
After hatching out next yr and caponizing will be the real test.