Growing fodder for chickens

[SHRIVERFARMGIRL]

Quote: Hey Kassaundra, Yes everyone but the farm dog gets fodder. I have 25 chickens and 8 bunnies. They werent too crazy about the roots and sprouts at first, but now they are eating it all. Just taking them off their pellets now. Two feeding of fodder a day for chickens and bunnies. Chickens are still getting scratch soaked in milk but no feed pellets all week.

 

[SHRIVERFARMGIRL]

Heres the first tray that went to the birds tonight!!! They of course loved it!!!

Looking very YUMMY!!!

 

[Kassaundra]

Hey Kassaundra, Yes everyone but the farm dog gets fodder. I have 25 chickens and 8 bunnies. They werent too crazy about the roots and sprouts at first, but now they are eating it all. Just taking them off their pellets now. Two feeding of fodder a day for chickens and bunnies. Chickens are still getting scratch soaked in milk but no feed pellets all week.

Awesome I'm working on getting a meat bun set up going, still in the planning and building phase now, but was intending to feed fodder and yard/garden gleenings (working on things specifially to plant like raspberries which I already have tons of and mulberry, willow, comfrey etc....)

Sounds like your numbers are going to be real close to mine, I have 25 chickens (the number goes up in summer) and plan on having 3 breeders to start w/ the grow out meaties from both does.

 

[mickey328]

Wow, I never thought of using those plastic drawers...what a clever idea...I have 3 or 4 of them sitting around here. I might just have to mull that over

As we strolled through the building supply recycle store today I had a good hard look at shower pans and a couple of ideas popped into my head. The first was that they'd make a fine outdoor table for doing all kinds of stuff. Stick 'em up on some legs (DH is handyman extraordinaire) and use it for a potting table, or a table for mixing my grains for critter feed, or putting the scale on to weigh the bunnies...all sorts of stuff. Weather wouldn't bother it because it's fiberglas. The next thing that came to me was that it'd make an excellent rack for fodder trays! It's all slanted slightly toward the central drain hole, so you could set your trays in there with a large reservoir under the drain hole, rig up a small water fountain pump on a timer, and have it pull that water up and through some pvc into the trays where it would rinse and soak everything then drain back down into the reservoir. The shower bases were about the 3/4 size...about 4' by 3' and were priced at $40. The pump we found brand new for about $30 (bet we could find one way cheaper used somewhere), the store also had pieces of the pvc available. I'll bet it could all be put together for less that $80 or $90 and it would pretty much all be automatic. About all you'd need to do would be to get it set up and then refill your tray as you take the fodder out to feed the critters.

We only have 6 laying hens so the cost for grain for feed hasn't been bad, but we now have 3 rabbits and plan to breed for meat, so our feed costs will be rising. Time to stretch those grain dollars by sprouting 'em, I say It won't be quite so necessary during the growing season because we'll grow lots of fresh stuff for them all to eat but it'll be super great over the winter when fresh greens are so scarce.

We had been thinking of making a PVC frame to hold the trays but we'd still need to figure some way for the water to trickle down without making a mess all over my hardwood floor. I'm thinking that with the shower pan idea, we wouldn't need to stack them...with 12 sq ft available all the trays could go on the same level which would free up wall space above the unit for shelves for storage.

 

[MetallicBlue]

I love all of the ideas on how to do the fodder system. I gave my girls the rye fodder and it seemed to go over pretty well. Not as good as salami, hot dogs, sausage or bacon, but not bad either. I have some old plastic bins in my garage that I'm thinking of using for my system. They will probably work well with only 15 birds. My birds will get their crumble until they are a bit older as well as the fodder I want to put them on. Of course leftovers too. The girls are only about 4 weeks old right now, but strong, active and seemingly happy.

 

[Valntyn]

I am totally in love with this idea and finally finished reading this entire thread.

I've grown sprouts for our ducks from radish seeds (I harvested WAY too many last Summer), but fodder makes SO much sense, especially in the Winter, when they can't forage naturally for their greens. We're also adding meat rabbits this Spring and I'd love to be able to grow this for them, too. I was too excited to wait until I could get some wheat, etc., so I started a tiny bowl of bird seed with some lentils thrown in for good measure, just because I wanted to play, too. *chuckle*

Day one was soaking in water with just a driblet of bleach, day two was the first day of rest, and day three (today) showed some promise!

 

[SHRIVERFARMGIRL]

I am totally in love with this idea and finally finished reading this entire thread.

I've grown sprouts for our ducks from radish seeds (I harvested WAY too many last Summer), but fodder makes SO much sense, especially in the Winter, when they can't forage naturally for their greens. We're also adding meat rabbits this Spring and I'd love to be able to grow this for them, too. I was too excited to wait until I could get some wheat, etc., so I started a tiny bowl of bird seed with some lentils thrown in for good measure, just because I wanted to play, too. *chuckle*

Day one was soaking in water with just a driblet of bleach, day two was the first day of rest, and day three (today) showed some promise!

If you do a search on the nutriments on Barley...you will be AMAZED at the high scores it gets. Its truely a "superfood" Anyone growing this should have "Buff Bunnies" and some "Jacked up Chickens"! They wont need anything else but some calcium/oyster..and Im not so sure they would really need much of that!

I am impressed with everyones ideas they are coming up with. Ive seen fodder grown in pie pans for just a few animals.

Dont be afraid to get out there and just DO IT!

 

[SHRIVERFARMGIRL]

Wow, I never thought of using those plastic drawers...what a clever idea...I have 3 or 4 of them sitting around here. I might just have to mull that over

As we strolled through the building supply recycle store today I had a good hard look at shower pans and a couple of ideas popped into my head. The first was that they'd make a fine outdoor table for doing all kinds of stuff. Stick 'em up on some legs (DH is handyman extraordinaire) and use it for a potting table, or a table for mixing my grains for critter feed, or putting the scale on to weigh the bunnies...all sorts of stuff. Weather wouldn't bother it because it's fiberglas. The next thing that came to me was that it'd make an excellent rack for fodder trays! It's all slanted slightly toward the central drain hole, so you could set your trays in there with a large reservoir under the drain hole, rig up a small water fountain pump on a timer, and have it pull that water up and through some pvc into the trays where it would rinse and soak everything then drain back down into the reservoir. The shower bases were about the 3/4 size...about 4' by 3' and were priced at $40. The pump we found brand new for about $30 (bet we could find one way cheaper used somewhere), the store also had pieces of the pvc available. I'll bet it could all be put together for less that $80 or $90 and it would pretty much all be automatic. About all you'd need to do would be to get it set up and then refill your tray as you take the fodder out to feed the critters.

We only have 6 laying hens so the cost for grain for feed hasn't been bad, but we now have 3 rabbits and plan to breed for meat, so our feed costs will be rising. Time to stretch those grain dollars by sprouting 'em, I say It won't be quite so necessary during the growing season because we'll grow lots of fresh stuff for them all to eat but it'll be super great over the winter when fresh greens are so scarce.

We had been thinking of making a PVC frame to hold the trays but we'd still need to figure some way for the water to trickle down without making a mess all over my hardwood floor. I'm thinking that with the shower pan idea, we wouldn't need to stack them...with 12 sq ft available all the trays could go on the same level which would free up wall space above the unit for shelves for storage.

So funny when I read you comment....we were just a Lowes and they had a shower pan in the clearence area marked down to, I think $25, and we were mulling over the idea that it would make a great sink area for the fodder process (rinsing the seeds, cutting it up iinto bite size pieces) but also for the processing of the rabbits and chickens at butcher time. Didnt think of the planting part...but great addition to the usage!

Great Minds - Think Alike!

 

[SHRIVERFARMGIRL]

Quote: Is it sunflower?????

 

[mzstre]

Heres the first tray that went to the birds tonight!!! They of course loved it!!!

Looks great!