Growing fodder for chickens

[jphendrix]

Fancychooklady, Thanks for your reply and warm welcome. I want to completely ween my chicks off of pellets and only feed them fodder year round. As I reduce the pellets I get a more aggressive bunch of fodder eaters. Anyone out there ONLY feed fodder to their chicks?

Not yet, but I am planning to do the same thing! I love saving money, and if it works out I will save loads!!!! My concern at the moment is keeping the mold out of it, especially when it warms up, it gets really hot down here in SE GA, so does anyone have any tricks on how to do it in the summer and keep the mold out? I have mine in a green house and when it gets warm I open the door and will probably keep it open night and day in the summer so that it won't get to hot!

 

[kile529]

Ok. I'm on my second mini-tray. The first one went almost 2 weeks with 5-6 seeds having green sprouted from them. I was wondering if it wasn't draining enough? My holes are just the size smaller than the seeds....so that's good I guess.

 

[ChickInnKeaper]

I beleive it's more about 70 degree room temp, than water draining.

 

[jime]

just posting some this I found my my system:
I can not tell about how much I feed jet because I ma just starting, but i have the long big trays (pacapride style), I start with a system like theirs (draining thingies) and did not work well so now I made small holes in one side of the trays, works lots better.
The pump thing did not work for me I guess you have to have room just for that to work so now I water with a hose.
I soak the barley seeds overnight, next day I put them in a bucket with holes and place a cover on them (day1) the next day I put them again in the bucket with holes and is cover by the fallowing day seeds with bucket (day 2) then this one will be really nice long roots so I place them on the trays and leave them there for one more day cover with other tray, ( day 3) next the trays go to the rack and get waterer twice a day.After the morning watering I leave the trays just like that, they will drain flat but the afternoon/middle of day I came and tilt the trays to get all the water out by the night I water again and tilt them to drain , next morning I do the same again so basically water two times full and and middle of the day.I have not have hold issue the harder part for me was to get the right amount of grain (this i fix putting spurted gains so the roots will hold better that way I have not seeds floating,witch end in a really poor matt for me and the chickens did not like at all.

If the matt is really tide they will eat everything, but when is not they will leave all the barley seeds.

I do feed fodder, sprouts and a dry mix with 19.7 something % that I mix.
They eat less of the dry mix but I still give it to them because I just want to make sure they are full.Tey fallow me all over like if they were never fed.

 

[kile529]

Ok thanks. So far I must just be having bad luck. I'll keep working at it.

 

[kile529]

This is on day 4....in a 72 degree house....and it's my 3rd batch. lol
Sooo frustrated! Any chance them being ruined from being in sub-zero
temps at the feed & seed? They're supposed to be seed that the farmers
will plant this year. I had them inside for about a week before I soaked them
and even then, there were bubbles and it looked like it had fermented in the
24 hours with all the bubbles....ugh....suggestions??

 

[NotAFarm]

This has worked for me...
1) When I soak seeds, I use barely warm water and I change the water a couple of times during the soak. For example, I start soaking when I get home at 5ish. I drain and change the water twice before bed at 10. I drain and change the water in the morning before work. When I get home from work, I rinse and drain and place the seeds in a container with enough holes that water does not stand and start the next round of seeds.
2) I place a second container that fits down into the one that holds the soaked seeds that I just spread out and put a towel in the container to add weight. You could use anything inside the top container, ex: other dry seeds, beans, a small can/jar of veggies or jam, etc., anything to add a bit of weight on top of the soaked seeds.
3) The next morning, while rinsing the soaked seeds from the night before, I take the top container off and rinse the seeds from batch 1 and replace the container on top.
4) That evening, I take the top container off and rinse the seeds and replace the top container.
5) The next morning I take the top container off, check for roots.....good root growth means rinsing and leaving the top container off.....slow root growth means I rinse and return the top container, then I check it again upon returning in the evening...good growth = rinsing and leaving top container off...poor growth means rinsing and return top container. If you don't have good growth by morning, I'd have to say the seeds could be the problem.

Others will, without a doubt, chime in and say you don't have to go to all the trouble I go to....that is fine....I am just letting you know what works for me in case you'd like to try it.

 

[NotAFarm]

Switched to Chrome to add these pictures of "equipment" I use......
Shoe box size clear plastic container with holes drilled with electric drill...


Container (actually I have two in this pic) with towel inside container with soaked seeds...



What I use to soak......a Tupperware strainer (7 inches across) that has smaller holes in the bottom than the top I got at a garage sale for .25 cents..........



Strainer fits inside this glass Pyrex dish......another garage sale find......



This is a different strainer (6 inches across and another garage sale find) that I use for seeds that are too small for the Tupperware one......



BOSS that I am getting ready to take out to the flock..........

 

[nguyenkinhphuc2]

I just started with growing fodder! Here are some photos of what I have going.

 

[JamesLewis]

I started doing fodder about 2 weeks ago. Im using a standard finch and cardinal bird seed mix with feed corn and rye grass seed. The bird seed mix has two types of milo, wheat and sunflower seeds. Ive been soaking them in a 16oz cup with tap water with a cap full of bleach added to it. I let it set for 24 hours then put them in some aluminum cooking dishes that come with plastic coverings. I water them 3 times a day using a garden pump sprayer. (For now). I add kelp meal extract and coco coir extract (has anti fungal properties) with a cap full of bleach added to the pre nutrient mix (i make the extracts at home by boiling them in water) i use about 4 cups worth of the nutrient mix in the water solution. The kelp adds a huge boost to the trace mineral content, enzymes and growth rate of the fodder (i also add a spoon full of molasses to the nutrient mix acts as a chelating agent for tbe plants and encourages the birds to eat it. I have been feeding the fodder to my week old chicks as well (red broilers, silkies and top hats). At first i steamed the fodder for 30the minutes then squeezed out the extra fluids and cut it up finely with a pair of scissors. Now i simply cut it up finely. No choking or compacted crops to speak of and they choose it over the commercial feed every time.