Greens to grow

[Benschickenfarm]

Hello I live in the northeast ohio and was looking for which type of greens to grow in flats to feed my chickens throughou the winter months?have several flats and grow light and would like to keep a steady flat rotation any ideas that would help them stay in good health in the cold months?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

The two easiest things to sprout and what I normally do are barley and sunflower seeds. You can do other things like wheat or buckwheat but buckwheat isn't their favorite.
Make sure whatever seed you use is meant for food not planting.
Seed usually has antifungals and insecticides on it.

 

[Benschickenfarm]

These are good things to know and thank you for the help!
Ben

 

[jthornton]

Wheat might be easier to find at a feed store, I've just started some and soaked it overnight then put in a tray with some holes on one end (the tray has a lip that makes it tilt a bit) and rinse a few times a day with water and watch it grow.

JT

 

[Benschickenfarm]

Thank JT
I will out this week to see what i can find in stores!

 

[lazy gardener]

I sprout during the winter. Have done wheat, barley, BOSS, millet, popcorn, and deer forage mix, including the one that is heavy on the brassicas.

My favorites are a mix of barley and BOSS.

I find it cheapest to simply buy a bag of feed grain. You need to be sure that it is not heat treated, and that it is intended for feed, not for planting.

For myself, I sprout lentils, and alfalfa or a seed mix from the health food store.

 

[jthornton]

This morning I have some green sprouts and I see now my container is overloaded once they swell up a bit lol.

JT

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Good luck. Yeah, I'm sorry I forgot to mention that you just want a layer that barely covers the bottom of the container.
These are the type of seed starting trays I use.
http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/1020-trays/flats-trays-inserts
I get mine from the local hummert's international store.
They're slotted so bigger seeds will drain and yet be retained.
I fill them till I just can't see the bottom of the tray.
They span my sink so I can rinse them in the sink.
Smaller seeds like alfalfa won't work in them but they also come in the solid bottom variety that you can use for smaller seeds by poking a couple holes in corners on one end. Or just add a little wheat or barley at the end where the holes are.

 

[Benschickenfarm]

Wow jt how long will that tray feed for?
Ben

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Well, I don't put them out all the time. I sometimes have as many as 7 flocks of chickens. When in the midst of winter and nothing is growing, I'll put one out every other day. Ten chickens will hit it pretty hard the first day but there will still be plenty to last a couple more days.

I would post a picture but the new BYC format made a bunch of my pictures disappear.