Growing fodder for chickens

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

well, lets see...

I started out with a 5 gallon bucket, added several glugs of unprocessed ACV and the whole grains I can get here. I have since graduated to two 5 gallon buckets. In the morning mix, I have oats and wheat. In the evening mix I have milo and barley. I feed out of each one at the appointed time and bring more back in to add back into the bucket. In the evening feed, I add sprouts if I have them ready, as well as any meat I may have prepared (canned mackerel, diced fried liver, drippings from frying hamburgers, scrambled eggs whatever I have whenever I have it). I try to make their evening meal more interesting because I don't want them to go to bed at night only half satisfied. I want them to stuff themselves so they'll be nice and toasty warm til morning.

That's about it.

That sounds great! Thanks for sharing your feeding process! I'm gonna have to start that today. How many days does it take until your FF is done?

~ Aspen

 

[groverlvchx]

That sounds great! Thanks for sharing your feeding process! I'm gonna have to start that today. How many days does it take until your FF is done?

~ Aspen

Aspen, I do FF as well as fodder, too. (and I throw out scratch for them because it's just so darn fun) My FF is in 1 five-gallon bucket. I started with half layer pellets and half scratch and 1/2 cup UP/ACV and filled with water to cover by a couple inches. The pellets soak up lots. I stirred 2-3 times daily with an extra long paint stick and kept it by the furnace with a dish towel over the top, adding more water when it became too thick. My chickens like it as thick as oatmeal. It took about 5 days to start smelling ferment. It almost smelled like beer to me. It doesn't hurt to feed them wet feed if it isn't fermented yet, but given time it will culture so long as you keep it wet and feed it more grain and/or pellets every couple days. I only stir once daily now. I still keep it by the furnace. If I accidentally get it too runny so they aren't diving in to eat it I just sprinkle some layer pellets into their dish to thicken up like soup is thickend in your bowl by crackers. They are happy to eat it then. I was having trouble with it freezing solid before they could eat it all because I feed once daily, so I have two heated doggie dishes for them now and it works great. Hope this helps.
I just checked your location--I'm thinking the freezing won't be an issue for you like it is here (LUCKY!)

 

[Chicks Galore3]

Fed my fodder to them today! Well, more like "advanced sprouts." They were taking a long time to grow so I just gave them what was there so far an will start another batch tomorow. They ate the small sprouts first, and then ate the taller ones. They weren't quite sure what to think!

 

[Lacy Blues]

Lacy, when do you feed out the second feeding? I never seem to get home in time before they're all roosting so I feed it all in the morning. They're up and roosting for bed at about 3:30 or 4!

Right now I'm feeding out my second feeding around 3-3:30. You're a bit further north than I am and not being home to give the evening feed would be best served as you are doing it. Our sunsets are hitting us right now around 4:30 - 5:00 an my Andalusians are always first to go to bed. They don't wait around til its too dark to see.

That sounds great! Thanks for sharing your feeding process! I'm gonna have to start that today. How many days does it take until your FF is done?

~ Aspen

Aspen, I do FF as well as fodder, too. (and I throw out scratch for them because it's just so darn fun) My FF is in 1 five-gallon bucket. I started with half layer pellets and half scratch and 1/2 cup UP/ACV and filled with water to cover by a couple inches. The pellets soak up lots. I stirred 2-3 times daily with an extra long paint stick and kept it by the furnace with a dish towel over the top, adding more water when it became too thick. My chickens like it as thick as oatmeal. It took about 5 days to start smelling ferment. It almost smelled like beer to me. It doesn't hurt to feed them wet feed if it isn't fermented yet, but given time it will culture so long as you keep it wet and feed it more grain and/or pellets every couple days. I only stir once daily now. I still keep it by the furnace. If I accidentally get it too runny so they aren't diving in to eat it I just sprinkle some layer pellets into their dish to thicken up like soup is thickend in your bowl by crackers. They are happy to eat it then. I was having trouble with it freezing solid before they could eat it all because I feed once daily, so I have two heated doggie dishes for them now and it works great. Hope this helps.
I just checked your location--I'm thinking the freezing won't be an issue for you like it is here (LUCKY!)

Like he/she said.

 

[Lacy Blues]

I AM SUCH A DOLT!

I took a picture last night of the bucket of feed I took out to my birds and I was getting ready to share it on here so y'all could see it! It looked particularly lovely last night. I am severely technologically challenged and guess what happened? I somehow deleted everything on the blasted camera!

 

[refamat]

are you using any medium to put the seeds on or are they just sprouting like you would want for eating sprouts?

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Aspen, I do FF as well as fodder, too. (and I throw out scratch for them because it's just so darn fun) My FF is in 1 five-gallon bucket. I started with half layer pellets and half scratch and 1/2 cup UP/ACV and filled with water to cover by a couple inches. The pellets soak up lots. I stirred 2-3 times daily with an extra long paint stick and kept it by the furnace with a dish towel over the top, adding more water when it became too thick. My chickens like it as thick as oatmeal. It took about 5 days to start smelling ferment. It almost smelled like beer to me. It doesn't hurt to feed them wet feed if it isn't fermented yet, but given time it will culture so long as you keep it wet and feed it more grain and/or pellets every couple days. I only stir once daily now. I still keep it by the furnace. If I accidentally get it too runny so they aren't diving in to eat it I just sprinkle some layer pellets into their dish to thicken up like soup is thickend in your bowl by crackers. They are happy to eat it then. I was having trouble with it freezing solid before they could eat it all because I feed once daily, so I have two heated doggie dishes for them now and it works great. Hope this helps.
I just checked your location--I'm thinking the freezing won't be an issue for you like it is here (LUCKY!)

We have had some pretty darn cold weather here too...but probably not as cold as you!

Fed my fodder to them today! Well, more like "advanced sprouts." They were taking a long time to grow so I just gave them what was there so far an will start another batch tomorow. They ate the small sprouts first, and then ate the taller ones. They weren't quite sure what to think!

Awesome!! My BOSS sprouts are starting to green up, and their tails are much longer now. Some are about twice the length of the seed.

~ Aspen

 

[Sunflowergirl]

You got the answer!

Sprouting like people do for eating the sprouts.

are you using any medium to put the seeds on or are they just sprouting like you would want for eating sprouts?

 

[SarahMelisse]

I'm sorry if this has been asked already and I just missed it in the thread, but....

Can "recleaned" barley be used for sprouting fodder?

 

[refamat]

Thanks much, I'll set some seed to soaking!