Growing fodder for chickens

[hakatee]

Hey ya'll:

I am back, this time with both comments and questions.

I am trying fodder for the first time and tomorrow i will feed my first batch. I tried a 1# package of lentils from the grocery store and boy did they sprout! Now while they were sprouting i have been going to local feed stores looking for 20-50# bags of whole grain feed for fodder and none here carry anything acceptable. This time i am trying a wild bird feed mix and will post with an update in a few. So I ask you all can you give me a good website for a good fodder seed purchase of give me a list of individual seeds to buy. I really want to do this for my birds.

 

[Bassbum2]

Hey ya'll:

I am back, this time with both comments and questions.

I am trying fodder for the first time and tomorrow i will feed my first batch. I tried a 1# package of lentils from the grocery store and boy did they sprout! Now while they were sprouting i have been going to local feed stores looking for 20-50# bags of whole grain feed for fodder and none here carry anything acceptable. This time i am trying a wild bird feed mix and will post with an update in a few. So I ask you all can you give me a good website for a good fodder seed purchase of give me a list of individual seeds to buy. I really want to do this for my birds.

I tried the wild bird feed for fodder and it started to smell like crap after a couple of days so I gave up on that and am now using barley, after about 3 days I got the same smell but not as bad but even changing the water in the tank it will still stink in a day or two. Does anyone have any ideas why it smells so bad.

The wild bird seed was so bad I couldn't stand it and threw everything out. the barley at its worst in not nearly as bad as the bird seed.

Russell

 

[Don P]

Haketee Where do you live? I got a group together to chip in and we buy a ton of feed every month or so direct from a mill that grinds non-GMO grains for their own animals that they eat as well as show in fairs, and sell etc..

I sprout BOSS, Peas, barley, Triticale and wheat sometimes. But I like fermenting my grains better than Fodder.
Especially if the hens get out and get some grass, then the fodder is not as beneficial.

I make fodder for my pullets that are on all grain to grow fast and so they don't get to free pasture. Or if I get some older hens which I quarantine for a few days so they get used to the other hens through a fence and then don't fight once I let them out, they get a little fodder because they don't get pasture.

When I try to grow fodder out side the house or in my shop the temperatures vary so much they either get too hot or too cold and don't grow out well. This summer we had cold weather then weeks of 80-90s then 3 days of rain dark and 50-low 60s, then the next day 80s after. So best to do it in a controlled climate.

I recently got a batch of supposedly organic barley and wheat whole grain feed and very few of them sprout even though I soak them overnight. Not buying that brand anymore from a well known national distributor.
So some grain sprouts better than others, some may be irradiated, some may be called organic and its not. Farmers cheat. Dept of Ag and FDA don't seem to care.

When you put grain in water it begins to ferment and it can mold too

If the grain you are buying is old cheap stuff like wild bird seed especially it may have a lot of mold on the outside.

Of course you can always buy grain for humans, there is no dif except it may have been vacuumed free of rocks and dust better.
But check around for the nearest farmer or mill or distributor of non-GMO feed and see what freight costs are. You might find a barley or wheat farmer who will sell you direct whole grain.

BassBum Some people rinse their grain in H2O2 hydrogen peroxide or vinegar which is fine, others in chlorine bleach which I would recommend you don't do. But any of these helps kill off mold before the overnight soak.
Another thing is if you have a lot of chlorine in your water let it stand overnight to evaporate the chlorine off some or use water from a purifier to soak and water your sprouts.

But what you are experiencing is probably due to not getting the grains or seeds dry enough after watering so they are fermenting down in the bottom instead of just sprouting. And the mold also begins to grow because it is not air tight.

So be sure to use a screen or big strainer and get all the water out of the container you are sprouting in, after each watering. Don't leave a puddle in the corner or leave the fodder too wet because it drips off to the bottom.

And be sure not to cover them tightly you need some ventilation to help them dry off.

But don't throw out the stinky feed it is probably fine for the hens, you just did a cheap easy mild ferment job. And even just the overnight soaking of grains is good to do before feeding.

Today I got 18 eggs out of 19 hens from 6 months to 3 years old, plus I have 5 other Gold Stars in a separate pen that give me 5 eggs every day with no day off since I got them at 13 months old. I am doing nothing to push them, but we are having long days here in Wa. right now.

They love their sour mash feed way better than the same cracked grain feed dry. Its worth the smell and they do fine in the shop this time of year.

 

[evemfoster]

I tried the wild bird feed for fodder and it started to smell like crap after a couple of days so I gave up on that and am now using barley, after about 3 days I got the same smell but not as bad but even changing the water in the tank it will still stink in a day or two. Does anyone have any ideas why it smells so bad.

The wild bird seed was so bad I couldn't stand it and threw everything out. the barley at its worst in not nearly as bad as the bird seed.

Russell

I sprout people food sprouts and am planning to sprout wheat or barley this fall for the chickens. My sprouting trays for chickens won't be much larger than the trays i use for alfalfa and mung beans so I believe the rules for sprouts will transfer over well to wheat or barley. In fact i plan to look up the sprouting rules for home sprouting wheat and barley. Each type of seed needs different conditions.

When i have trouble with sprouts its because ether seeds are too old or have been stored in conditions that are too warm or damp to maintain the viability of the seed or the seeds just aren't clean enough having spores on the seeds. If its spores or dirty seeds you can wash them off and add a couple drops of bleach into the rinse water. Then rinse the bleach off the seeds before soaking.

I know the fodder growing kits you see on YouTube show them using a pump and recirculating the rinse water but i have a lot of trouble with the sprouts fermenting if the water is reused. I always use fresh water, never reusing the rinse water. If you have a spot that starts to ferment you can rinse the whole tray with fresh water extra good and you can save a batch. But if you reuse the water that has a little fermented gunk you are spreading the fermented sludge throughout all the seed trays. I recommend you only use the tank to catch the used water and dump it out after its been used only once.

 

[Smiling Angel]

I' m sprouting mostly wheat with a bit of barley mixed in. I would like to try some BOSS, but wondering where to buy that? I put in a search for it on Amazon, but will that stuff sprout? Is there a specific brand to look for, and do they sell organic BOSS?

Sorry for all the questions, but at least it's all on one topic

.

Thanks a lot!

 

[evemfoster]

I' m sprouting mostly wheat with a bit of barley mixed in. I would like to try some BOSS, but wondering where to buy that? I put in a search for it on Amazon, but will that stuff sprout? Is there a specific brand to look for, and do they sell organic BOSS?

Sorry for all the questions, but at least it's all on one topic

.

Thanks a lot!

Just about any BOSS from the bird seed section will sprout. Judging from the thick sprouts coming up where the chipmunks 'planted' them.

 

[debbiegt]

I' m sprouting mostly wheat with a bit of barley mixed in.  I would like to try some BOSS, but wondering where to buy that?  I put in a search for it on Amazon, but will that stuff sprout?  Is there a specific brand to look for, and do they sell organic BOSS?

Sorry for all the questions, but at least it's all on one topic  .

Thanks a lot!

I have great luck sprouting the BOSS I get from Walmart

 

[blackstone]

I'm new to using fodder.
After reading a lot of pages on here and other places I got started about 10 days ago.

I am using wheat that I got from a local feed store.
They say that the seed is not treated..

I have been using bleach and not seeming to have any mold or fermenting issues.
However, I may try vinegar. What kind of vinegar should I use?
White, apple cider?

I was able to feed on day 7.
Today will be the 3rd day.

It doesn't seem that my "girls" (8 hens, 2 ducks) are very thrilled with this.

They do free range during the day.
Maybe that makes a difference.
I stopped giving them any commercial feed when I started giving them the fodder.

If anyone has any suggestions, I would appreciate it.

Also, just got three little bunnies.
One is 8 weeks old and two are 4 weeks.
Does anyone know when I could start them with some?

I know that you have to supplement with rabbits.

Thank you

 

[CATRYNA]

Someone mentioned they give their chickens fodder and fermented grains. Is that fodder grains you're fermenting or are you fermenting their chicken feed?

That would be fodder grains and seeds

 

[CATRYNA]

I'm new to using fodder.
After reading a lot of pages on here and other places I got started about 10 days ago.

I am using wheat that I got from a local feed store.
They say that the seed is not treated..

I have been using bleach and not seeming to have any mold or fermenting issues.
However, I may try vinegar. What kind of vinegar should I use?
White, apple cider?

I was able to feed on day 7.
Today will be the 3rd day.

It doesn't seem that my "girls" (8 hens, 2 ducks) are very thrilled with this.

They do free range during the day.
Maybe that makes a difference.
I stopped giving them any commercial feed when I started giving them the fodder.

If anyone has any suggestions, I would appreciate it.

Also, just got three little bunnies.
One is 8 weeks old and two are 4 weeks.
Does anyone know when I could start them with some?

I know that you have to supplement with rabbits.

Thank you

I use straight H2O2 sprayed on the trays, to keep mold at bay. Works very well.