Don't tell the wife, I'm growing fodder in the 2nd bathroom!

[Aggies100]

Female here. First, I have not read all 340 comments so, forgive the redundancy if already mentioned!

Second, this is meant to be just as FUNNY as the original post - and hopefully put the problem - if you will - into perspective...

My husband LOVES to hunt deer. After we bought our own ranch, he was out there day and night, every free minute. When I complained he said this:

DEAR,

I am out chasing 4 legged DEER at our place. I could be out chasing 2 legged DEAR at any body’s place...

Which would you prefer?

I sighed and walked way.

Now, I pack up and go with him to the ranch EVERY CHANCE I get because, I know his statement could be true however, he loves me AND the DEER!

So, to turn it around... here is my #5 reason...

“Dear, So, I like to chase chicks in our own backyard / barnyard but, I could spend my time chasing other types of chicks in someone else backyard / barnyard (or even a bar)?

Which would you prefer?

She’ll get the message and hopefully, walk away smiling like I did!

And maybe she will even join you on your next chick project!?

Everybody deserves a hobby of some type! Yours just happens to be a little messy...

Some of you may remember that this summer I experimented with growing barley fodder for my chickens (My $10 Inexpensive DIY Fodder Tower with Dollar Tree Dish Bins). My fodder tower was in my garage at that time. That was a successful experiment and I stated that I wanted to try growing fodder in the house this winter.

Well, it's October in Minnesota and the fresh green grass is no longer growing. Today I snuck in my fodder tower while the wife was in town. I put the fodder tower in the bathtub of our second (mostly unused) bathroom. I pulled the shower curtain across the rod so she cannot see the fodder tower if she walks past the second bathroom. Problem is, sooner or later, I know my wife will find out.

So, if anyone wants to offer a list of excuses I can use on that occasion, I'd like to hear your suggestions so I can keep peace in the family. I am kicking around a few ideas, but don't know how well they will go over when I get found out.

1) Fodder tower? What fodder tower? I don't see no fodder tower.

2) Oh yeah, I meant to tell you about that, but you were so busy that I just didn't want to bother you at the time and then I just forgot about it, I guess.

3) The chickens seemed less happy and a little less perky without fresh grass to eat, so I thought I would grow some fresh greens in the other bathroom, which we really don't use much, and you probably won't even think about it, really.

4) I got a request from the good people at BYC forums to update my article on the fodder tower and they wanted to know if I was having any success growing fodder in the house during the winter.

Any help in advance appreciated. Obviously, this is a limited time request.....

BTW, first batch of barley seeds is soaking in the first bin tonight. So I am already committed.

 

[Papa John59]

 

[Coopscraft]

After 300+ posts on this thread, it's hard to keep things on the initial topic. But let me try bringing it back to my fodder experiment.

My little experiment in growing fodder was to see if I could do it, how much time and effort it would take, and was there enough benefit for me to continue growing fodder. Of course, I do not have access to a lab in my house, so I am just going by observation of my process.

What I found out is that it is very easy to grow fodder, it takes me less than 5 minutes total per day with the fodder tower I built, and I am able to convert 1 pound of dry grain into about 5 pounds of fresh green fodder. My chickens eat every part of the fodder from the top of the blade to the bottom of the root mat. Nothing goes to waste. From a return perspective, I can convert a 50 pound bag of barley seed for only $8.00 and turn it into about 250 pounds of fresh green feed for $8.00. That is worth my time and effort.

Do the extra lbs of fodder contain extra lbs of nutrition or just extra lbs of water. Perhaps I am confused, but I though there is no soil or sunlight in fodder, just seeds and water. So other than a change in appearance, what is actually being created. What nutrient does fodder have that the seed and water do not?

 

[gtaus]

Do the extra lbs of fodder contain extra lbs of nutrition or just extra lbs of water. Perhaps I am confused, but I though there is no soil or sunlight in fodder, just seeds and water. So other than a change in appearance, what is actually being created. What nutrient does fodder have that the seed and water do not?

Good questions. I will only tell you what I have read and heard from others about growing fodder and the benefits of fodder over dry grains. I won't pretend to know the exact science behind everything. The short answer is that fodder contains extra nutrition (or unlocks the nutrition in the seed), not just extra lbs of water.

I start with dry grain seeds, in my example, barley seeds. You first soak the seeds overnight which breaks down the outer coating and lets the seeds sprout. That takes a few days. Then the grain continues to grow a long grass like blade. At the end of about 8 days, I have grass about 9 inches tall and the root mat is comprised of the grain shells and roots.

All that growth is new food and nutrients, not just water. From what I have read, growing fodder unlocks nutrients in the dry grain seed. Chickens only digest about 30% of the dry grain and the rest is expelled as poo. Chickens are able to digest about 80% of the fresh green fodder, plus the fodder has a lot more nutrients available to the chicken. So, not only do you convert 1 pound of dry grain into 5 pounds of green fodder, but the chickens are able to digest 80% of the fodder compared to only 30% of the dry grain.

I don't know exactly what nutrients are unlocked during the growing of fodder, you would have to look that up somewhere else. So I can't explain the science behind it in any depth. I just got interested in this process because others feed fodder to their animals and it works well for them. Also, living in northern Minnesota where the winters are long, I was looking for an affordable way to provide my chickens some fresh greens to supplement their commercial feed.

 

[Kiki]

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0377840185900227

 

[Coopscraft]

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0377840185900227

That’s what I thought. The sprout uses the nutrients stored in the seed to produce the structure of the sprout. The longer the sprout is allowed to grow, the more nutrients are used. Now, if these sprouts were produced in soil and exposed to daylight, they might begin to produce nutrients as they grow.

 

[Kiwibird]

They are exposed to light, or they would not turn green.

 

[gtaus]

Well, here's this to ponder Sprouted Barley Fodder Fact Sheet

And this from a dairy producers newsletter “Sprouted Barley Fodder” Dr. Silvia Abel-Caines, article begins on page 6.

I found this under Nutritional Benefits

Positive nutritional changes occur to the grain during sprouting. Complex compounds breakdown into simpler forms and transformation into essential elements. Energy is the main reason cows eat grain. When the grain seed sprouts, starch converts into sugar, which is better utilized by the rumen. Analysis comparing sprouted versus un-sprouted organic barley showed no increase in starch, but the total starch broke down into more sugars.

Although total energy did not increase, when the rumen receives different types of carbohydrates it reacts differently. So for the health of the rumen, sprouted barley presents a much better composition than un-sprouted barley.

Mineral and vitamin levels in hydroponically-sprouted barley are significantly increased over those in grain; in addition, they are absorbed more efficiently due to the lack of enzyme inhibitors present in sprouted grain. Sprouts provide a good supply of vitamins A, E, C and B complex. Like enzymes, vitamins serve as bioactive catalysts to assist in the digestion and metabolization of feeds and the release of energy. They are also essential for healing and repairing cells. However, vitamins are very perishable and, in general, the fresher the feeds eaten, the higher the vitamin content. The vitamin content of some seeds can increase by up to 20 times their original value within several days of sprouting. These nutrients could result in enhanced microbial activity and growth in the rumen and, consequently, better than expected utilization of poor-quality hay.

 

[gtaus]

They are exposed to light, or they would not turn green.

When I grew my barley fodder in the garage, my bins were not exposed to direct sunlight. The barley grass was deep green for the first 8 days, then started to yellow about day 9. There was some light from the garage door being open during the day, but never direct sunlight falling on the fodder bins. I had the same experience with growing barely in the bathroom, no direct sunlight, but there is a skylight in the bathroom providing light during the day, but not direct unfiltered sunlight on the bins.

 

[gtaus]

The longer the sprout is allowed to grow, the more nutrients are used.

From what I understand, some dry grain nutrients are used up in the growing process but others are dramatically increased. The articles I have read seem to indicate that fodder is converted by the animal much better than the dry grain. So, I wonder if the dry grain nutrients lost in the growth process are more than balanced out by the increased conversion of the nutrients in the fodder.

I don't claim to know all the science behind fodder, only that the articles I have read are proponents for the process.