Fodder Question 2: Alfalfa seeds with a white coating, what's that?

[WannaBeHillBilly]

OMG! @gtaus we are cereal killers! ​

After soaking the oats for just two hours, the germination rate is waaaayyy up:

We simply drowned our Oats!
And with a shorter soaking time, more than one bin per day can be made with one fodder tower.

 

[gtaus]

OMG! @gtaus we are cereal killers! ​

After soaking the oats for just two hours, the germination rate is waaaayyy up:
We simply drowned our Oats!
And with a shorter soaking time, more than one bin per day can be made with one fodder tower.

I have not forgotten that I need to retry oat fodder but reduce the soaking time to 2 hours. I hope to clean out the garage over the holiday vacation and get to that bin of oats. Glad to hear that a shorter soaking time for oats seems to be the answer.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

After five days the tips of the BOSS sprouts started to dry up, even with multiple floodings during the day and a cool garage, so i decided their time is up:

Divided them between the supper-bowls for the ducks and the ducknagers added some Rye grass and cat food and served dinner.

As usual the ducknagers were hiding in their cave while i set their bowl into their house, but a few moments after i left them, loud gobbling noises could be heart…
The Duckies were over the top! They love sunflower-seeds, but sprouted SFS are good for a duck-orgasm! Blanca Duck jumped into the bowl and insisted to be carried into the duck-house while she was munching. It looked like a flock of Piranhas devouring a duck!
That's what's left in their bowl, mostly the Rye grass - which they don't like too much.
All ducks are snoring in the straw filled bedrooms, except Blanca, she is guarding the bowl!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Started a new batch with Oats today: 250 grams of dry Oats turned into 371 grams of wet Oats after a 3 hour soak. - Just to put some numbers to it.

 

[gtaus]

So, I think you are saying that BOSS is not a good fodder choice, but the BOSS sprouts are a big hit. I wonder if the ducks will get around to eating the rye grass? I know chickens will eat what they like best first, and then later will eat their second choice, third choice, etc... Success in growing fodder is finding something that grows well and the flock likes to eat. I don't have rye where I live, so that's not even an option for me.

I do hope you compile your fodder experiment results in a table and include how well your ducks liked the fodder/spouts. I started cleaning out the garage and working my way back to the bin of oats so I can try soaking them for only 2 hours and then attempt to grow oat fodder again.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Well Blanca Duck is guarding the bowl for a good reason...
Once she has digested the BOSS sprouts she will go for the Rye grass. And the other ducks too if Blanca permits.
BOSS sprouts are a huge score taste-wise, but the increase in weight is likely neglectable, just the water the seeds have soaked up, whereas Rye and Wheat have developed large root mats and long green leaves and x-tupeld their initial weight and nutrients through photosynthesis.
Alfalfa is similar to BOSS, lot's of sprouts, no greens, ducks turn into piranhas but not much gain. And Alfalfa is way too expensive.
Oats have not developed any green yet.
I have found some 1-year old bean-seeds in my garage, can ducks eat bean sprouts? They have eaten my bush-beans to the ground this year when i forgot to close a gate…

 

[gtaus]

I have not tried fermenting seeds, but I read that the process of soaking the seeds breaks down the husk and the seed in such a way that more of the grain is actually absorbed by the bird and not just run through their system and eliminated basically undigested.

I would think ducks could eat bean sprouts. I found this tidbit on feeding beans to chickens:

"When excessive amounts are fed to chickens, it can cause jaundice or anemia in your hens or even death. Dried or undercooked beans – Raw, or dry beans, contain a poison called hemaglutin which is toxic to birds. Cooking or sprouting the beans before serving them to chickens will kill this toxin."

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I have not tried fermenting seeds, but I read that the process of soaking the seeds breaks down the husk and the seed in such a way that more of the grain is actually absorbed by the bird and not just run through their system and eliminated basically undigested.

I would think ducks could eat bean sprouts. I found this tidbit on feeding beans to chickens:

"When excessive amounts are fed to chickens, it can cause jaundice or anemia in your hens or even death. Dried or undercooked beans – Raw, or dry beans, contain a poison called hemaglutin which is toxic to birds. Cooking or sprouting the beans before serving them to chickens will kill this toxin."

Thank you very much! - I will give those beans a try. If they sprout fine, if not they go into the compost bin.

 

[aart]

I have found some 1-year old bean-seeds in my garage, can ducks eat bean sprouts?

What kind of beans...like green beans?

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

What kind of beans...like green beans?

Mountaineer Half Runner and Roma II Bush Beans.
This year we had an accident while preparing a chilli con carne and i just swept up a bunch of mixed beans from the kitchen floor and dumped them outside in front of the back patio. Couple of months later there were several bean-bushes. Some time after me forgetting to close the gate there was none…