Growing fodder for chickens

[pawtraitart]

Dandelions are GREAT to keep around. You can make a coffee like drink out of the roots, eat the greens, and make a tea out of the flowers. Though be careful to not let the flower to ferment or else you just might get drunk.

I love having them in the yard and the animals have always loved them as treats as well. By far the most helpful weed in the yard.

I had no idea that they were so useful! My husband is going to think I'm nuts for growing them on purpose, but it's a fantastic idea.

 

[pigeonguy]

I let the chickens do the work, they like it more then I do. Yes the roots grow through the bag, but the chickens have a great time picking it clean and don't hurt the bag at all. Just turn it inside out they can get the seeds that barely sprouted and then pull the rooted seedlings out to eat.

I never rinse again, first soak w/ fresh water each day that is it. Lifting the bags isn't any trouble at all you want to anyway to keep the roots from growing the bags together, I generally turn them when I do so the roots are "occupied" growing in the new direction. lol

Thank you so much for your Patience with my questions. The above answer was what I was after about do you have to pull the bags apart. That would become important in my experiment on this with fodder. I am going to need the roots intact.
Also hope you don't mind me bringing you post over to this thread. Just thought that some people over here that are having troubles might like to play around with this.

What approximately are the dimensions of you bags?

How much oat seed (for your 23 chickens) do you put in the bag? I am saying oats only because this is what I will be working with. I heard a recipe once about 1 ounce of dry seed per chicken. I have 31 so I was thinking 31 ounces. So a little over 3 and 3/4 cups. which with my calculator equals 1 quart. Again thanks for your patience and help.

 

[pigeonguy]

I had no idea that they were so useful! My husband is going to think I'm nuts for growing them on purpose, but it's a fantastic idea.

I am going to sprout them to fodder now too. Wish I would have thought of this years ago. Love the ideas I get from BYC.

 

[Kassaundra]

Thank you so much for your Patience with my questions. The above answer was what I was after about do you have to pull the bags apart. That would become important in my experiment on this with fodder. I am going to need the roots intact.
Also hope you don't mind me bringing you post over to this thread. Just thought that some people over here that are having troubles might like to play around with this.

What approximately are the dimensions of you bags?

How much oat seed (for your 23 chickens) do you put in the bag? I am saying oats only because this is what I will be working with. I heard a recipe once about 1 ounce of dry seed per chicken. I have 31 so I was thinking 31 ounces. So a little over 3 and 3/4 cups. which with my calculator equals 1 quart. Again thanks for your patience and help.

The sack size was just a function of how much fabric I bought. I bought 1.5 yards and made 4 sacks so each sack after seam allowance is roughly 12ish inches wide and the depth of 1/2 the width of the fabric, I think the burlap came in 36 inch wide size so that would make it roughly 18 inches deep. I am the worst about measurments I seldom take the time to measure anything I would guess some where near 3 cups dry. My main grain was oats, then I would add to that whatever was on sale that sounded good. I don't see how you are going to grow it to fodder if you use the sacks though???

I didn't mind at all, the questions or the sharing of the post from the other thread.

 

[mickey328]

I'd really like to learn more about this...could anyone post a link to the original post? Thanks!

 

[lclough1998]

Thanks for sharing all these great ideas!

 

[pigeonguy]

I don't see how you are going to grow it to fodder if you use the sacks though???

Picture the burlap with zigzag sewn edges but not sewn together . Now they sell large clamps at Menard's that I can attach wood strips to to make match the length of the side and top of the burlap when folded in half to form a bag. The burlap unfolded laying flat spread the seeds out on the lower half. Fold the burlap in half to form the bag and put clamps on the three open sides. Lay this in a tray or square garbage can lid and fill with water to let them soak 24 hours. Take out let drain on a rack. then put an a shelf for 4 days covered with something plastic. Like the lid you use. After they have sprouted for the four days take off the clamps unfold the burlap and let set for 1 to 2 more days getting light. Hopefully that will equal fodder if it doesn't mold. (We'll see it is just an experiment) Take out and hang or throw on ground in coop or run let the chickens clean the bag. All this is subject to adjustment to get it to work. A lot more work than just the sprouts but then growing fodder is harder. This does sound like a way to make fodder out of oats easier since a lot of people are having difficulties with them.
Does this sound feasible or am I just blowing smoke up my pooper?

 

[Kassaundra]

Picture the burlap with zigzag sewn edges but not sewn together . Now they sell large clamps at Menard's that I can attach wood strips to to make match the length of the side and top of the burlap when folded in half to form a bag. The burlap unfolded laying flat spread the seeds out on the lower half. Fold the burlap in half to form the bag and put clamps on the three open sides. Lay this in a tray or square garbage can lid and fill with water to let them soak 24 hours. Take out let drain on a rack. then put an a shelf for 4 days covered with something plastic. Like the lid you use. After they have sprouted for the four days take off the clamps unfold the burlap and let set for 1 to 2 more days getting light. Hopefully that will equal fodder if it doesn't mold. (We'll see it is just an experiment) Take out and hang or throw on ground in coop or run let the chickens clean the bag. All this is subject to adjustment to get it to work. A lot more work than just the sprouts but then growing fodder is harder. This does sound like a way to make fodder out of oats easier since a lot of people are having difficulties with them.
Does this sound feasible or am I just blowing smoke up my pooper?

Guess I'm just not understanding what benefit the bulap "tray" will give you that the plastic tray w/ holes wouldn't. And w/ the plastic trays you could immediately reuse them by removing the fodder biscut whole, but w/ the burlap you will need the chickens to clean it for you tying it up for another day at least. Actually two b/c once the chickens clean it you will need to launder it before using again. Unless you have an awesome idea for keeping them from getting on it or scratching it all over thier yard. (I never came up w/ a clever idea for that, tried several the chickens always outsmarted me on that front) (that is actually embarassing to type, I got outsmarted by chickens!!!!

)

 

[pawtraitart]

Here is an old Mother Earth News article on formulating your own chicken feed. Interesting read. It talks a bit about sprouts at the end!
http://www.motherearthnews.com/sustainable-farming/what-to-feed-chickens-zmaz75sozgoe.aspx

 

[pigeonguy]

Guess I'm just not understanding what benefit the bulap "tray" will give you that the plastic tray w/ holes wouldn't. And w/ the plastic trays you could immediately reuse them by removing the fodder biscut whole, but w/ the burlap you will need the chickens to clean it for you tying it up for another day at least. Actually two b/c once the chickens clean it you will need to launder it before using again. Unless you have an awesome idea for keeping them from getting on it or scratching it all over thier yard. (I never came up w/ a clever idea for that, tried several the chickens always outsmarted me on that front) (that is actually embarassing to type, I got outsmarted by chickens!!!!

)

I don't know everyone seems to be saying oats mold more that other seeds. Trying to figure out how to avoid that. Have several other ideas also that I will be doing. Its all about the experiment with me. I'm kind of a curiosity killed the cat type of person.