Growing fodder for chickens

[Jaydawnlove]

I'm on day 3 on my fodder. I was going to wait until winter to start but I was having a hard time finding wheat seeds to store until then. I found a bag at my favorite feed store that was $32 for a 50 lb bag. I left it sitting in my brooder room and noticed it had little weavels in it, boring out of the bag. So I opened it up and started a test run. I hate to waist money on infested seed. But after 24 hours most of the seed had roots started. Now we are getting little sprouts on day 3. I was rinsing 2-3 times a day in a little tupperwear tray. But I found this thread and at the very beginning is a link to a homestead page with you tube vedios. Its an awesome tutorial for newbies like me. I was over watering a little. Its fine because nothing was harmed. Should I put my fodder in a cooler room with ac? My brooder room stays very hot all summer long. It doesn't have ac, its kind of like a sun room. It has 2 walls of windows that face the sun. Its great for raising baby chicks without a heat lamp but not so great for mold in my roots, I'm sure. I think I will keep making fodder now since the heat has killed most of the grass outside and the girls aren't getting much greens. That and the weavles will keep eating my seed unless I use it. Sometimes bugs are annoying.

 

[chrissyr]

I'm on day 3 on my fodder. I was going to wait until winter to start but I was having a hard time finding wheat seeds to store until then. I found a bag at my favorite feed store that was $32 for a 50 lb bag. I left it sitting in my brooder room and noticed it had little weavels in it, boring out of the bag. So I opened it up and started a test run. I hate to waist money on infested seed. But after 24 hours most of the seed had roots started. Now we are getting little sprouts on day 3. I was rinsing 2-3 times a day in a little tupperwear tray. But I found this thread and at the very beginning is a link to a homestead page with you tube vedios. Its an awesome tutorial for newbies like me. I was over watering a little. Its fine because nothing was harmed. Should I put my fodder in a cooler room with ac? My brooder room stays very hot all summer long. It doesn't have ac, its kind of like a sun room. It has 2 walls of windows that face the sun. Its great for raising baby chicks without a heat lamp but not so great for mold in my roots, I'm sure. I think I will keep making fodder now since the heat has killed most of the grass outside and the girls aren't getting much greens. That and the weavles will keep eating my seed unless I use it. Sometimes bugs are annoying.

So my seed had weevils too. This was before fodder. FOOD GRADE DE got rid of them all.
I would think that it wouldn't interfere with sprouting, but haven't used it in sprouting seed. The birds can eat it.
I had weevils and red ants, sprinkled DE, and they were gone.
My seed is into garage 90+ degrees.
Fodder needs cooler temps to prevent mold(65-70)
I've had mold issues after day 4, but a fan in the area is helping with that

 

[Jaydawnlove]

Thanks for the DE idea to get rid of the weavles! If it causes the seed to not germinate, no harm done. I can still feed it to the chicks or add it to the fermented feed. If I don't get rid of the weavles they will cause my seed to not germinate either and the healthy nutrients being eaten out of the husks... No winning with keeping weavles in the seed. And they will spread to my other feed and scratch I keep in the same area... I'm glad I have DE on hand from the mite issue last week.

 

[Laurieks]

I had several batches fail to grow well, from a new sack of barley, using ACV in the soak water. I switched to a squirt of diluted bleach (probably a half ounce to a pint) I keep by the sink, no more problems. Maybe weather...

 

[roerinaci]

Hi I have a question about the fodder when you first soak your seed do you add a little bleach to the water?? I just seen this in a video but haven't seen it mentioned anywhere else..the bleach is suppose to stop mold from growing on the grain..

 

[patti17340]

Hi I have a question about the fodder when you first soak you seed to you add a little bleach to the water?? I just seen this in a video but haven't I just started setting up my shelves and trays for this year.

 

[Kassaundra]

Hi I have a question about the fodder when you first soak your seed do you add a little bleach to the water?? I just seen this in a video but haven't seen it mentioned anywhere else..the bleach is suppose to stop mold from growing on the grain..

I sprout instead of growing to fodder stage, and usually don't have issues w/ mold, except when I add non grain seeds like boss, but I have found when I do my initial soak I add a drop or two of Dawn dish soap and swish it around. It gets rinsed off at the end of the soak, and I have not had any mold issues w/ the boss since starting this.

 

[roerinaci]

Kass..Is there a reason to only go to the sprouting stage ?? Just learning here

 

[CATRYNA]

Kass..Is there a reason to only go to the sprouting stage ?? Just learning here

The sprouting stage is as far as the grain can go without being planted in the ground. Beyond that point the fodder will die, because it is no longer getting any nutrients for growth, unless you were to add some kind of nutrient that is used by those involved in Hydroponics.

 

[Kassaundra]

Kass..Is there a reason to only go to the sprouting stage ?? Just learning here

I just find the sprouting stage (day 4-5) much, much easier to do. I use sprouting bags so not all the eternal rinsing several times a day. Every time I've tried the fodder it just hasn't worked for me. Really the sprouts are just as good, maybe even slightly better for chickens then the fodder stage (depending on which study you want to believe)