Growing fodder for chickens

[Papas Chickens]

are you sure the "mold" you are seeing isn't actually the fuzzy little root fibers? they look a lot like mold but are actually part of the plant. if you look closely the root fibers rather evenly coat each larger root strand, whereas mold will be clumpy and uneven.  it can be really hard to tell.

Ya it was fuzzy white mold not alot but some, I took it apart to look closer. But I read that mold wont harm your chickens si I wasnt ti worried.

 

[Flowerbh]

Hi. I am new to fodder. I have been looking for a source of barley, but haven't found anything local. My friend just brought me some she found while traveling to see her mom. Problem is, it says Barley Seed on the front and then on the back it says it is treated and not for feed. So, I take it, I should not use it, right?

What exactly will I be looking for when I look for wheat? Wheat seed? Wheat grass? Wheat feed? It is kind of confusing. And, I notice from the thread, that you all do this inside. What is the reason not to grow the fodder outside? Thanks.

 

[Kassaundra]

Hi. I am new to fodder. I have been looking for a source of barley, but haven't found anything local. My friend just brought me some she found while traveling to see her mom. Problem is, it says Barley Seed on the front and then on the back it says it is treated and not for feed. So, I take it, I should not use it, right?

What exactly will I be looking for when I look for wheat? Wheat seed? Wheat grass? Wheat feed? It is kind of confusing. And, I notice from the thread, that you all do this inside. What is the reason not to grow the fodder outside? Thanks.

I would not use treated seed to feed as fodder.

I get just regular feed grain from the feed store. Just make sure it hasn't been crimped, rolled, steamed, cut, chopped etc....

Most of us grow inside b/c we don't have weather conditions to grow outside.

 

[tacopaco]

hi im new to sprouting and was wondering if its possible to over rinse them? if its not, would it be okay to divert a pump's flow of water from my fish tank into the drawers im using to grow them in and re divert it back into the fish tank once its reached the bottom drawer after rinsing through all the drawers?

hope that makes sense

 

[tacopaco]

also would they grow better with colder water rinsing through them or would warm water not make a difference?
what about the room temp?

 

[Kassaundra]

hi im new to sprouting and was wondering if its possible to over rinse them? if its not, would it be okay to divert a pump's flow of water from my fish tank into the drawers im using to grow them in and re divert it back into the fish tank once its reached the bottom drawer after rinsing through all the drawers?

hope that makes sense

Using it as an aquaponics type set up would be a great idea I think.

 

[Papas Chickens]

I would not use treated seed to feed as fodder.

I get just regular feed grain from the feed store.  Just make sure it hasn't been crimped, rolled, steamed, cut, chopped etc....

Most of us grow inside b/c we don't have weather conditions to grow outside.

X2 I grow mine inside because I live in AZ and they need temps of 60-75 to grow good sprouts and fodder. Im on my second batch after making some modifications to my set up, I added more drain holes for better drainage and airflow and flood them for five minutes three times a day instead of one minute three times a day after the fourth day I cut back to three minutes three times a day, my first try I got 70% growth im shooting for 90% or more this batch. You should use cold water because warm or hot water will cause mold to grow faster then with cold I put a few ice cubes in my water to cool it down more because in AZ there is no such thing as cold water this time of the year lol.

 

[tacopaco]

Thanks for the Input both of you!

 

[CATRYNA]

Using it as an aquaponics type set up would be a great idea I think.

hi im new to sprouting and was wondering if its possible to over rinse them? if its not, would it be okay to divert a pump's flow of water from my fish tank into the drawers im using to grow them in and re divert it back into the fish tank once its reached the bottom drawer after rinsing through all the drawers?

hope that makes sense

You are making sense, it what you are referring to is a semi-aquaponics set up. But, in growing fodder this would not be a good idea as you would contaminate your grains from your "fish water", which would contain fish urine and feces. This is fine in an aquaponics set up, but not in fodder growing. The water you use must be fresh and clean or you will end up with a mess.

 

[tacopaco]

Okay thanks! Good thing I didn't get to trying it out yet.
Would the water be considered clean enough if it passed through the filter media first? Or is it still a no go? I'm thinking it'll be a nice way to conserve water if it ends up working somehow.