Growing fodder for chickens

[tp70731]

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I began reading this thread 3 weeks ago and just finished reading yesterday. I thought it was such a cool idea/ money saver that I started building after reading the first 5 pages.

I used some extra railing from my parents house(my house as well,i'm 25) and scrap plywood from my chicken coop business(www.RentACoop.com) for the main structure. The base was taken from a used bird cage. I purchased a pump, the trays the and an automated timer from amazon for around $80 total. I then bought 5 pounds each of Organic barley and wheat and it worked just like you all said it would My 5lbs or wheat turned into 25lbs and the barley is still growing. Pretty cool. I threw a couple pounds to all of my animals to test it out. The alpacas and goats didn't like it at all( haven't given up on them though) . The horses and chickens loved it. I have 40 hens and they took care of 15 pounds in about hour.
My organic feed is $25 a bag and I go through about 3/4 a bag a day so i'm looking for ways to save money and bring variety while also improving health(I believe it's possible)

My goal is to grow 100% of my chicken feed without growing fruits or vegetables (too much space and not enough return for the hens). I'm ok with buying the wheat, barley, BOSS and other seeds for growing fodder. Is anyone doing this or close to it? Maybe add BOSS, barley and 5 other grains to the fodder? Plus mealworms and something else and no more buying feed?

I started growing meal worms as well (more for fun but possibly to add some nutrition to their diet)

Let me know what you think.

Also visit www.RentACoop.com and let me know what you think of my business idea as well. Thanks

 

[tp70731]

Fodder sandwich-yummm

 

[pawtraitart]

Fodder sandwich-yummm

Beautiful!!

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Fodder sandwich-yummm

I'd eat that!

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Also visit www.RentACoop.com and let me know what you think of my business idea as well. Thanks

I think it is a cool idea. We were discussing doing this ourselves, we even have a regular egg customer who suggested something similar, but my boyfriend is WAY too attached to his birds to ever send them out on vacations.

 

[City Chicken]

how much do you feed your chickens daily and how much does this replace of their regular feed?

 

[Mskayladog]

So when fermenting the seed if your only doing a small amount why couldn't you do it in a mason jar with water and ACV ? Wouldn't it be like starting a amish friend ship yeast starter?

 

[OkChickens]

Hey everyone, I have been reading up on growing fodder. I usually have around 75-100 RSL Hens Free Ranging and about 25 Chickens that I have in separated breeding pens plus chickens in the growing pens. From what I have read Whole Wheat is the best way to go as far a seed to grow with and through a little BOSS in each tray. I can have this in my office inside about 65-70 degrees. What all do I need to get started? I can get Wheat for a good price and I just need something to grow it in. I would like to be able to feed 1-2 trays per day and see how that goes for cutting the feed costs down. I also have a few Pygmy goats I might feed them some as well. I look forward to hear ya'lls opinion.

Nate

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

... What all do I need to get started? ...

Nate

Grains/seeds/whatever to sprout, something to soak it in, and some kind of tray (or bag) to sprout it in (times however many days you want it to grow), fresh water, shelving (could be a countertop), and a climate-controlled/light-controlled space are all you really need to grow fodder. If you need to clean your grains/seeds/whatevers first, some kind of small strainer scoop to skim the floaty bits off the top (I use a tea strainer), a lager strainer, and a sink for rinsing and such are also handy -- just make sure your strainers are finer than your grains/seeds/whatevers. Also decide if you want to disinfect while it soaks, and if so with what.

Pick your materials based on how many cubic inches of fodder you want to feed per day. The rule of thumb is 1 cubic inch of fodder per chicken (people seem to have simplified this to one square inch of tray space), and there is another measurement per pounds of animal for other livestock. As best as I can figure, these measurements are based on having the DRY grains/seeds/whatevers cover the bottom of your sprout tray in one layer at a minimum, but not too much more than that ... it will bulk up quite a bit during soaking, then go crazy during sprouting. After a certain point, trying to start with more grains/seeds/whatevers in a certain space doesn't produce more fodder.

 

[tp70731]

Sounds like you have just about everything. You still need grow trays and a structure to put the grow trays on while the fodder is growing. You can get trays at walmart or the dollar store that aren't specifically for growing but will work just the same. You can also buy grow trays on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Plant-Growing...&qid=1356008450&sr=1-3&keywords=Growing+trays

You can build your own structure to hold the trays. I have seen it made of wood, pvc piping, used shelving and mine (5 posts above) was made from old fencing.
You will also need some sort of bucket to soak the seeds and a larger bucket to catch the water at the bottom of your structure that drips through all of your trays.

I have just as many hens as you and 2 trays per day should be sufficient. Possiby even 3 of the 21'X11' trays i provided a link to. My pygmy goats did not like it at all but the horses sure did.

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