Growing fodder for chickens

[michaelf]

Thank you! I was actually growing to grow the flax seed...

Sweet! let us know how it goes. I might try that myself. I am always looking for stuff/ things to help me to improve the variation of feed for my chickens.

 

[MaPa26]

Hello everybody
I am trying my hand at fodder as well, I did it last year in the summer and was ok, this year I just started yesterday were my first trays still have a bit of changes to do.
I am doing barley fodder for my chickens , ducks and horses (the first 2 trays at day 7 were not so even I put too much seeds on the trays)
The ducks like it better than the chickens,but the chickens will eat them just not as fast as the ducks.
Besides that I sprout (barley oats wheat lentils and sunflower seeds) about 15.% protein dry so sprouted should be a bit better.
I ferment oats.
And they get a 20% grain mix I made for them.
Must seem like lots of work but my chickens are happy and my wallet as well.
Now I just need a better weather.

Please share with me the way that you ferment your oats AND grow them as fodder. Oats is the only grain I can find (aside from corn) at my local farm supply store (Atwoods). These are in the horse feed area. They are whole oats. They sell crimped oats, too. I suppose I can ferment those, but I am leery of buying a fifty pound bag of anything unless I know I am going to have some success in preparing them. I only have six chickens, and I don't want to waste a bunch of food. Right now I am just fermenting their regular laying pellets and they enjoy them. Still have a lot of cold weather ahead of us so I WOULD still like to get some fodder growing.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Please share with me the way that you ferment your oats AND grow them as fodder. Oats is the only grain I can find (aside from corn) at my local farm supply store (Atwoods). These are in the horse feed area. They are whole oats. They sell crimped oats, too. I suppose I can ferment those, but I am leery of buying a fifty pound bag of anything unless I know I am going to have some success in preparing them. I only have six chickens, and I don't want to waste a bunch of food. Right now I am just fermenting their regular laying pellets and they enjoy them. Still have a lot of cold weather ahead of us so I WOULD still like to get some fodder growing.

I use whole oats in my fermented feed I mix my feed for fermenting at 70% Flock raiser crumbles to 20%whole oats and 10% 7way scratch. I would like to know the same since I was told whole oats don't grow very well. So I just use them in FF.

 

[Kassaundra]

@Miss Lydia , I am just catching up (or trying to) anyway yes I do use burlap sacs, but I don't grow to fodder stage, I sprout to 4 days and feed out at that point.

 

[dolfi]

My girls still not eating all the fodder. This is day 4 and they pick on it and wait for the food all day.

 

[Miss Lydia]

@Miss Lydia , I am just catching up (or trying to) anyway yes I do use burlap sacs, but I don't grow to fodder stage, I sprout to 4 days and feed out at that point.

Thank you for that info Kassaundra I have a burlap bag that rice came in and was wondering if I could use it.

 

[MaPa26]

Quote: "OTHER people's experience"----not just yours. Just clarifying. You were clear. Guess you thought I was referring to you, alone.

 

[dolfi]

"OTHER people's experience"----not just yours.  Just clarifying.  You were clear.  Guess you thought I was referring to you, alone.

OK so what you guys are saying is that I can feed the fodder only to my flock and they don't need the pellets. Also I can only find wheat not red wheat, just plain wheat. Is this enough for food?

 

[MaPa26]

I use fodder during the winter months because there is no forage for them to eat when they are out free ranging. I noticed that my birds always eat the newly sprouted weeds/grass before scratching in the bushes for bugs and worms. I do ferment feed (scratch and feed wheat) I also add rooster booster to my water that is used to ferment my feed. It has vitamins, minerals and probiotics that I want to make sure my chickens get. I also use Layena omega-3 layer feed in hanging feeders . My point is I try to give my chickens as much as the dietary needs they would find themselves naturally. I have some of the healthiest birds I have ever owned. I found this thread looking for ways to get the green stuff my chickens wanted in their diet. I probably will quit growing fodder this spring while the plants are sprouting and growing. I might, depends on our summer, grow it again while the green forage is dormant again because of the heat. After all we all are trying to replicate what is found naturally in our birds diet! By doing so we get the added benefits of healthy, non sick, chickens and a ton of eggs that is better for us than store bought. There are many ways,good fellow chicken lovers have found and shared with us, by their own experience, different ways to provide for your birds.( and other animals) That is what BYC Is about community of chickenholics sharing there knowledge and wisdom with people like me to learn and grow. A chance for us to share our experiences and what works best for us with each other. It's about working together, learning, sharing, growing and living with the added benefits of being able to do so socially via the great World Wide Web! With that said I hope everyone has an awesome day!

Thank you michaelf for a Voice of Reason. After reading a TON of the posts in this thread, I have come to this conclusionNOT looking for a debate, just sayin' my own opinion.) Fodder for replacing the greens that they cannot obtain during the winter. If I do keep seed around after Winter, it will be for soaking or, perhaps, fermenting. They will have plenty of "greens" once Spring is finally here. I would not rely of fodder as a main source of nutrition. It will be, for my use, a supplement. I'll continue to buy laying pellets. If some people want to be entirely self-sufficient and not use store-bought feeds, that is their choice. I cannot rely on table scraps, either. We just have that many.

I'll give treats, but not too many. I'll give extra calories (cracked corn, scratch, Flock Block, some occasional suet for REALLY cold weather) to help them keep warm on cold nights and days.

I watch my girls forage all summer and they eat some grass, leaves and LOTS and LOTS of any seed heads that have formed. The seed HEADS are their favorite. I think they should know. THEY are the REAL experts. I will pick them up on a regular basis to make sure they are not underweight and check their breasts for lost muscle making sure that their breast bone isn't too prominent. I will keep them supplied with plenty of feed; my usual routine being two feedings per day of moistened pellets or fermented pellets, one meal having a bit of yogurt added.

My girls will be really happy when the insect population comes back and we get enough warmth and rain for a new hatch of baby frogs and toads. LOL! I suspect they are catching the occasional mouse that tries to steal their food.

 

[MaPa26]

Quote: and Laurieks said she only soaks oats, two days, and then feeds them. Someone had said that oats are difficult to sprout. So I was leery of buying such a huge bag, though they only cost
about $12 a bag, here. Is there a difference between the stuff sold by pet stores for sprouting and growing that they call "SWEET OAT GRASS"? I thought I could try that with the oats
but I'd have to grow it in the tray with a medium like potting soil. THEN I would put the tray under one of my "dropping boards" (I think it is just the right height) so the hens would only have access to the grass itself and not be pulling the seeds and roots out. They would, to some extent, but if I don't cover it with the wire, they'll just scratch out the entire contents of the tray. I have very large flower pots that are now empty because they get into them and scratch scratch scratch until the contents are all over my porch. ALSO- storing fifty pounds of oats might be a problem for me. I don't want to have them ruined with weevils. (or whatever those little moth worms are)

I suspect they are OCD with my flower pots (just dirt, no plants right now) because they started in on them during the warm months and would find grubs, worms, spiders and the occasional toad hiding in them. Now they'll dig out the dirt until they empty the pot, just looking for a "treat". They're not doing it for dust baths---although I think that is what they were doing at first, last year. They have a few other areas where they take their "baths".