Growing fodder for chickens

[Flowerbh]

your seeds look good, so only three reasons I can think of - 1, room temp low, 2. seed quality, 3, not rinsing enough??...

I agree. Probably not good seed quality. I bought some wheat from a local feedstore. Got the cheaper one. It does not sprout nearly as well as the barley I got from a different source. I have to throw away a lot of the floating debris and the rinse water is nasty. The barley is so clean, nothing floats and the rinse water is clear from the get-go. The barley grows nice and thick. My wheat does not have a good germination rate. I will not use that brand of wheat next time. I also like to change things up sometimes and use wild bird seed (with lots of Black Oiled Sunflower seeds) The chickens seem to love that, too!

I would also like to say, my chickens seem to love love love the wheat seeds that don't germinate as much as they do the green that does grow!

 

[kada6305]

ugh woke up this morning to some mold on my newer batch...I picked all the mold out, what can I do to try to kill any existing mold spores that I can't see? peroxide? bleach? A friend told me to freeze the next batch for 48 hrs, its kills any bugs or anything that may be hiding. she didnt get mold or anything and had a nice thick grow at 5 days!

 

[kada6305]

here it is this morning, 12 hours can make the difference. beginning of day 9.



Just to compare this is what it looked 12 hrs ago:

 

[missbecky]

Lentils for my chickies.

 

[Flowerbh]

Lentils for my chickies.

yummy! I want some!

 

[missbecky]

yummy!  I want some!

We shared them, and they were delicious! They too a few days to sprout but it was worth the wait. I've made salads of of them, and even added to a stirfry.

Korean sprouts: (some for the chikies, and then prepare these for you)

"Ingredients:
Mild:
1 pound kongnamul (soybean sprouts)
1 scallion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon garlic
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
salt (about 1 teaspoon) and pepper to taste

Spicy:
1 pound kongnamul (soybean sprouts)
1 scallion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon garlic
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 – 2 teaspoons gochugaru (red chili pepper flakes)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
salt (about 1/2 teaspoon) and pepper to taste


Rinse the soybean sprouts twice in cold water, discarding any rotten beans or skins floating. It’s not necessary to snip off the roots, but you can if you want. Place 1 cup of water in a medium size pot with a teaspoon of salt. Add the bean sprouts. Cover and cook over high heat for about 7 minutes. (Do not open the lid until the sprouts are cooked, or the raw bean smell will linger even after cooked.)


Drain quickly. Let cool. (You can shock the sprouts in cold water to stop the cooking for an extra crunch.) Toss with the remaining ingredients. Taste a little and add more salt to your taste if needed."

 

[konachicks]

I only soak for 12 hours. Mine didn't grow well soaking for 24. Here is my first tester after only 3 days

 

[kada6305]

I only soak for 12 hours. Mine didn't grow well soaking for 24. Here is my first tester after only 3 days

I had same results. my 12 hr soak didn't grow so well didn't feed until day 9. 24 hr soak I was feeding at day 5.

 

[Don P]

What happened if you soak for 24 hours?
Less sprouted? That looks pretty thin there. Lots of seeds still not sprouted.
How deep did you make seed bed? 1/2 " should be plenty more wastes so many seeds.
Of course they love eating the seeds too

 

[kada6305]

I juat realized I read your post wrong! lol
I had the opposite results. thicker, quicker growth with 24 hr soak. I also freeze my seeds for 48 hrs prior to soaking so that may have something to do with it and spread seeds fairly thin.