Growing fodder for chickens

[yyz0yyz0]

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!

I would not worry about the mold spores you can't see, they are always there. Mold spores exist on almost every surface, it's the correct conditions that allow them to grow beyond the spore stage.

Last winter I had a lot of problems with mold. This year I'm only watering my trays twice a day with no other watering and I've not had any mold so far. I also do not reuse the rinse water, once through then down the drain.

 

[konachicks]

I think my tester tray was too deep. So I'm now looking for shallow ones. Then I'll try again the chicks however loved it

 

[escape]

I grow fodder for my girls (and my horses) every winter. At first it was an experiment, but all the animals loved it and I saw benefits within a few weeks. Chickens were laying more eggs and the yolks were beautiful! Horses were calmer and their coats were shinier.

What turned the corner for me was an ebook at amazon that showed each step. It also told where to find supplies including barley seed. I'll grab the link.

http://www.amazon.com/Fast-Easy-DIY-Fodder-System-ebook/dp/B00HT59G0E/

Good luck!

 

[konachicks]

I grow fodder for my girls (and my horses) every winter. At first it was an experiment, but all the animals loved it and I saw benefits within a few weeks. Chickens were laying more eggs and the yolks were beautiful! Horses were calmer and their coats were shinier.

What turned the corner for me was an ebook at amazon that showed each step. It also told where to find supplies including barley seed. I'll grab the link.

http://www.amazon.com/Fast-Easy-DIY-Fodder-System-ebook/dp/B00HT59G0E/


Good luck!

Thanks so much for the link! I was able to get for free because I have kindle unlimited

 

[escape]

I got the book free from amazon prime

 

[momofthehouse]

FYI you should only "sprout" for chickens... Giving the full grown fodder will impact their crop and kill them. I learned the hard way. Fodder is great for rabbits though.

 

[CATRYNA]

FYI you should only "sprout" for chickens... Giving the full grown fodder will impact their crop and kill them. I learned the hard way. Fodder is great for rabbits though.

I wondered about that at first, but after witnessing some of the stuff my free ranging chickens stuffed down, I didn't worry so much, after that. But, case in point, mine do like their fodder much better, if it's no longer than 4" in length.

 

[momofthehouse]

You don't realize it til one does which I had one die cause I went with what people said instead of really researching it. I processed him and that was the culprit. Mine all seemed fine too.sprouts are where the nutrients are not the blade of grass so why risk it cause "they seem fine" I spent a whole day researching about fodder and sprouting. Take the knowledge for what it's worth but also take what I experienced. I lost my top roo to consumption of fodder. Just a warning of the con to fodder vs sprouting for chickens.

 

[CATRYNA]

You don't realize it til one does which I had one die cause I went with what people said instead of really researching it. I processed him and that was the culprit. Mine all seemed fine too.sprouts are where the nutrients are not the blade of grass so why risk it cause "they seem fine" I spent a whole day researching about fodder and sprouting. Take the knowledge for what it's worth but also take what I experienced. I lost my top roo to consumption of fodder. Just a warning of the con to fodder vs sprouting for chickens.

Been doing this for almost 18 months, but better to be safe than sorry.

 

[zarafa121]

Another vote for sprouting instead of fodder is that it is so much easier - no trays, watering systems, draining, molds. The chickens eat the whole thing. It takes just four days from soak to sprout, rinsing the seeds twice a day.