do i need to supplement fodder?

[danahud]

yes i thought about the whole glass exploding on my kitchen counter thing.... no good!

I've got it covered with an old rag at the moment.

My fodder is on day 6 and right now the real grass is just now coming out of its "sheath." That seems to be a bit slow growing comparing my fodder with other peoples pictures.... Am i doing something wrong or can I attribute the slow growth to the dreary week we've had?
Also the roots are not creating that much of a "mat." Not really concerned about that part. I've read that you should shred fodder before giving to poultry anyway so they wont eat just the seeds.

 

[petrel]

My barley starts slowly. However, once it gets green it really takes off. I read somewhere on here that the right amount of pre-soak time and correct temperature have a great deal to do with how the germination gets started. The quality and age of the seed must be a factor as well. With regard to shredding, we only break up the mat enough to spread it out into 3-6 clumps to prevent squabbling

 

[danahud]

I soaked my first batch for almost 24 hours and this last batch was just soaked over night. My temps should be ok since the fodder is currently in my kitchen. I guess it will just take some tinkering to figure out what works best. It would also be helpful if I had any patience!

 

[petrel]

We went to a shorter soak of only 6-12 hours. Seemed to get less mold and more germination with that and multiple short intervals of watering to keep the seed moist, but not waterlogged.

Being patient is especially difficult when you see other folk's photos of tightly packed, lush trays of fodder! There is a lengthy thread on this topic here somewhere.

 

[petrel]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/713334/growing-fodder-for-chickens

lots of good reading on this thread!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I saw some research with 3 batches. A 24 hour soak, a 12 hour soak and a 1 hour soak with a rinse after 12 hours. The latter 2 worked best with the shortest soak being even better.

 

[subhanalah]

Maybe that's why my years old grass sprouted! I didn't soak it long.

I've been waiting to hear...how is your FF going? Want to learn a lesson from my mistakes? Lol

My husband called it slop...is that all were doing is slopping our chickens like farmers have been doing forever?

 

[danahud]

MY FF is on day 2... i just used water with it, but there are bubbles beginning to form on the top of it.
I fed my chickens some of the fodder this morning and they gobbled it up. IM going to give them some FF in the morning after their sprouts and see how they like it.
My husband saw the giant pickle jar full of fermented feed and just kind of shook his head... lol.... he did ask to make sure it wasn't for us to eat though... Bless his heart.

 

[subhanalah]

Poor guy! Hahaha! What a good sport!

 

[danahud]

yes, between all my chicken experiments and the seeds i have started indoors our counters are covered. He knew what he was getting into when he married me

, but yes I am very fortunate to have a supportive husband..