Growing fodder for chickens

[NotAFarm]

Is it sunflower?????

Yes, sonew said she started with BOSS and white beans because that is what she had/could get. Looks good enough to eat doesn't it?!

 

[tp70731]

Can anyone post a link to the timer they are using? I'm in need of one that has a 3 pronged outlet that i can set to go off for 5 minutes every 4 hours.

Also, i bought some organic barley seeds and have been sprouting them for a month now. They have been getting moldy at day 5 so i had to staart feeding it to the animals after day 4. Do you have any suggestions to eliminate the mold besides using bleach? I sell my eggs at an organic store so it's not an option.

Thanks

 

[Chicks Galore3]

Exactly how long do wheat berries take to sprout?

 

[Lilwanis]

Exactly how long do wheat berries take to sprout?

Sprout? I usually get rootlets by the second day. By day five I feed half of a tray and day six I feed the other half. Day five for me has about 3/4" shoots and a good root mat. somehow by day six the shoots are 1.5 - 2".

 

[NotAFarm]

Can anyone post a link to the timer they are using? I'm in need of one that has a 3 pronged outlet that i can set to go off for 5 minutes every 4 hours.

Also, i bought some organic barley seeds and have been sprouting them for a month now. They have been getting moldy at day 5 so i had to staart feeding it to the animals after day 4. Do you have any suggestions to eliminate the mold besides using bleach? I sell my eggs at an organic store so it's not an option.

Thanks

Earlier on this thread, someone mentioned using Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar "with the mother" for the soak instead of bleach.

 

[mickey328]

LOL, that they do, SFG...about the time you think you've hit on an original idea, you discover that others have too...it's totally awesome! And to have places like this to share those ideas...priceless!

The spur that sort of got me thinking about it all was an ad on CL for a "flood table". I'd never heard of one so did some thinking about it and realized that whatever its original intent, it could be used as a fodder growing system. They wanted $125 for it though. Probably a good price for them but frugal me just didn't want to spend that much, LOL

My original intent with fodder was just to provide greens through the winter, but after checking the nutritional impact...wow! And the frugal part likes it too. There's an initial investment in the system but after that you're effectively quintupling your feed dollar...and I DO like that, especially now that we've added rabbits to the mix. Colorado is much more agricultural than a lot of folks realize, so our prices here for alfalfa and other hays as well as several different kinds of grain are pretty reasonable..a lot more than processed "feed". I can pick up a 50# bag of barley for less than 50# of chicken feed, and if I can multiply that grain times 5...sure makes more economic sense to me!

 

[sonew123]

Yes, sonew said she started with BOSS and white beans because that is what she had/could get.  Looks good enough to eat doesn't it?!

Yes ! Thank you notafarm im desperately trying to get barley and cannot unless i want to pay 4$ or more a lb !

 

[tp70731]

Earlier on this thread, someone mentioned using Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar "with the mother" for the soak instead of bleach.

Thank you so much. I'll give it a shot!

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Can anyone post a link to the timer they are using? I'm in need of one that has a 3 pronged outlet that i can set to go off for 5 minutes every 4 hours.

Also, i bought some organic barley seeds and have been sprouting them for a month now. They have been getting moldy at day 5 so i had to staart feeding it to the animals after day 4. Do you have any suggestions to eliminate the mold besides using bleach? I sell my eggs at an organic store so it's not an option.

Thanks

Some of the human sprouting people use some kind of grapefruit extract. Others have recommended food-grade hydrogen peroxide.

But ... very tiny amounts of the right kind of bleach (such as Ultra Clorox Germicidal Bleach because it doesn't have fragrances or other additives) are allowed to wash organic produce post harvest ... 4ppm, like for potable water ... even that little might be enough?

http://www.extension.org/pages/18355/approved-chemicals-for-use-in-organic-postharvest-systems

More concentrated amounts of bleach are allowed in different phases of Organic production.

Here is a link to a little flyer about bleach in Organics: http://mofga.macusa.net/wp-content/uploads/comingcleanonsanitizerssum2011.pdf

I couldn't copy the text, but the flyer does state that "Water used in direct crop or food contact is permitted to contain chlorine at levels approved by the FDA or EPA … however, rinsing with potable water (4ppm or less chlorine) must follow this step."

So ... seems like it *could* be fine to soak fodder seeds in bleach for your Organic layer feed.

 

[Valntyn]

If you do a search on the nutriments on Barley...you will be AMAZED at the high scores it gets. Its truely a "superfood" Anyone growing this should have "Buff Bunnies" and some "Jacked up Chickens"! They wont need anything else but some calcium/oyster..and Im not so sure they would really need much of that!

I am impressed with everyones ideas they are coming up with. Ive seen fodder grown in pie pans for just a few animals.

Dont be afraid to get out there and just DO IT!

Thanks! By the way, I love the wall arrangement you made! I showed it to my husband and HE liked it. I may be getting him on board with the whole fodder thing after all!