Growing fodder for chickens

[LeslieDJoyce]

@ LeslieDJoyce thanks so much for your response. I am eager but very afraid to try this. I seem to kill plants easily I havent looked around to see what seeds i can find. What seem to be the easiest?

Whatever is available in your area and is intact enough to sprout. Some people get whole grains from the bulk bins at the grocery store, others buy bags of seed from the feed/farm supply store (can be feed grains or planting grains). Others order from online sources, though shipping can be a killer.

If you can speak to someone who knows something about seed and can tell you which seeds will germinate (sprout) but have NOT been treated with anything, that would be a big help. Lots of seeds are treated for one reason or another (feed and planting seeds both).

 

[Sunflowergirl]

jramirez, if you want something easy to just try out, try a 1 lb. bag of brown lentils from your local grocery store. (I can get them here for about 88 cents a bag.) Treat it the way LeslieDJoyce posted and have fun with it, getting your feet wet in sprouting!!!

@ LeslieDJoyce thanks so much for your response. I am eager but very afraid to try this. I seem to kill plants easily I havent looked around to see what seeds i can find. What seem to be the easiest?

 

[jramirez]

@ LeslieDJoyce & Sunflowergirl thanks so much. I will try the lentils. just wondering - would the grains and seeds work if i get them from chicken scratch? not using the corn though...

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

@ LeslieDJoyce & Sunflowergirl thanks so much. I will try the lentils. just wondering - would the grains and seeds work if i get them from chicken scratch? not using the corn though...

The seeds have to be intact (which is why lentils work but split peas don't) and not treated with "anti-sprouting" agents (like some feed grains are). Some commercial scratch grains are "whole" grains, others are not. I'm not sure which are treated and which are not.

Another thing birds love are Black Oil Sunflower Seeds ... lots of people sprout those. I'd be interested in sprouting some of the smaller seeds, too ... like what humans sprout for themselves.

Some people sprout beans ... but beans are trickier because of the enzymes that need to be cooked to not be toxic. I gather sprouting *helps* with that, but I heard nobody should overdue it sprouts from beans. Or at least certain kinds of beans ...

I'm wondering if the sprouted corn leaves the same biological footprint as the corn "fruit" does ... I'm on a mission to be a little less "corny" myself. And not just for the GMO reasons.

 

[All4MrD8a]

No, I haven't, but I'm continuing a line of research. I'm starting by breaking down the nutritional profile of the complete layer ration available at my local feed supplier. The details on the tag are less than.....inspiring. It reads as follows:

Grain products, processed grain byproducts, plant protein products, calcium carbonate, roughage products...and then goes down to list the various vitamins and minerals plus the binders, amino acids, and preservatives. I got to reading that one day, and I said...."What the heck am I feeding my chickens????" LOL For one thing, I know there has got to be GMO corn in there. I can see the corn flecks in the pellet and unless I pay the big bucks for certified organic feed, chances are it's GMO feed corn. The other grains and plant proteins....who knows? The tag also lists percentage levels for protein, crude fat, crude fiber, lysine, etc. I figure that there has got to be a way that I can provide what my birds need in a more natural way without all the chemicals and "mystery" grains. I'm not at the point where I can put aside the commercial feed completely, though. For example, I first have to nail down the alternative to synthetic dl-Methionine which is an amino acid that helps in the digestion of protein. From my initial research, there could be an herbal solution but one step at a time. It's on my to-do list. LOL

I believe this is just animal protein. Bugs fill this, as do worms and perhaps some meat in your freezer that has been there for a few years. Or you can get feeder goldfish or some kind of minnow (I'm planning on fathead minnows) cans of mackerel on sale... etc.

Actually it is an amino acid. Amino acids are put there to aid digestion. A fermented feed will serve the same purpose.

 

[All4MrD8a]

Quote: Thanks, pigeonguy!
1 x 30= 30 sq inches
2 x 15 = 30 sq inches
3 x 10= 30 sq inches


2 x 30= 60 sq inches.

1 x 30 x 1/2 = 15 cu inches

The math was right. The labels were wrong.

 

[Chicks Galore3]

Reading through this is getting me excited!!!!! What type of trays would one use? I have BOSS and wheat berries on hand, would this work? Aprox. how many seeds should I sprout for 12 chickens for a treat?

 

[pigeonguy]

1 x 30 x 1/2 = 15 cu inches

The math was right. The labels were wrong.

In the first part of the thread there were links posted to some studies that said to feed 1 square inch of fodder for each chicken. In that study the sprouted seed was put in the trays 1/2 inch deep.
So what we are talking about is square inches not cubic inches. Therefore the math and the labels are right.

 

[groverlvchx]

Reading through this is getting me excited!!!!! What type of trays would one use? I have BOSS and wheat berries on hand, would this work? Aprox. how many seeds should I sprout for 12 chickens for a treat?

I have no experience with BOSS but I've seen it mentioned on this thread as a good one to use. I have used wheat berries successfully--they love it! I have 15 chickens right now and every morning I bring a 13x9" pan of fodder out to them. I bought 50lbs of wheat and 50 lbs of rye from the feed & seed and alternate them for the chickens. I use six 13x9" rubbermaid type containers with holes drilled in the bottom for drainage. Day 1 spent soaking in a bucket with a splash of bleach (kills fruit flies and mold spores--don't worry, bleach is unstable and completely dissipates before the girls get to eat the fodder). Every morning after I feed the girls, I pour the bucket of seeds that have soaked for 24 hours into that tray to start over, then I start a new bucket to soak. It's a 7 day cycle. For that size tray and flock, I use less than 2 cups of seeds per day. Just enough to completely cover the bottom of the tray. By day 5 the sprouts have matted together nicely. I water my stack of trays twice daily. Here's a picture (sorry it's sideways):

the top tray is wheat berries. The second tray is rye, which has a redder grass at first and then gets green. In 2 days it'll be more green. The bottom tote is just for catching drainage. I also put a splash of bleach in that just because it smells nice to me.

 

[Chicks Galore3]

Quote: Thank you so much! I just got six free cabbages from the produce section for free (YES!) So I'd better hurry and make these before my chickens run out of greens to eat.