Growing fodder for chickens

[smfildes]

Does anyone know where I can get plans for a fodder system? Or just explain to me how the systems work?

I am not totally understanding how the pump water timer thing would work for some reason

FarmTeck has a great fodder system, but it's costly. It's not like the homemade systems you see. It's more professional. You get what you pay for. I have grown so much, that it would be worth spending the money for a real good system.

 

[groverlvchx]

I go to the local farm and garden (or feed n seed) store. I don't buy food grade. I buy the wheat seed for planting. I bring home the 50# bag ($15-$18) and divide it between 4 five-gallon pails with lids that I bought from the Cub Foods bakery for $1 each. Every morning I feed out a tray (13X9 size is plenty for my flock of 14) and then I pour the seeds that have been soaking in bleach water for 24 hours into the scrubbed tray. Then I take that soak bucket and put in 1 1/2 cups for seeds, rinse them a few times (I use a piece of plastic-canvas to hold over the mouth of the bucket as a strainer--works great) and fill the bucket with water 1-2 inches over seeds. Then I pour in a glug of bleach (anywhere from 2 Tbsp to 1/4 cup), put on the lid and that's the soak. I add the new tray of recently soaked seeds to the bottom of my stack of 6, water them all (twice daily I water) and it's good to go. I didn't use bleach at first, but had a little bit of mold problem, as well as stale smelling seeds and fruit flies. The bleach fixed all three of those problems. Bleach is very unstable, so it dissipates before the fodder is fed out to the chickens. They haven't started growing white feathers or anything! I've been doing this for a good four months now and they love it.

 

[chickengmaw]

Have never tried alfalfa sprouts before. My barley seeds are really a big hit the the girls and the rooster. The ducks aren't really impressed, oh well. The shoots on the barley right now are about 4 inches high. The chickens start talking when I walk up to their coop. I throw it down and once in a while we have a tug of war over the 5 inch squares I give to them. They finally end up tarring it apart, nothing is ever left. I have two more buckets soaking, ready to go into the grow pans. I will plan on doing this all winter. That way they all will have greens to when the snow is on the ground. I also did some Flock Blocks. The girls were happy with those too. I got that from a pinterest board.

 

[corancher]

I revised my automatic watering system again yesterday. The drip system appeared to not get enough water throughout and I think was causing some of my mold problems. I took all my trays up the the house and gave them a good hot water washing then a bath in bleach water to kill any mold still clinging.

I now have the system set up to flood the trays three times a day. It seems to be working nicely. I will report back how it works and how to set it up providing it works. It actually was easier to set up then my first drip system.

 

[TheCrazyChick]

Where do you get your wheat grass seeds from?

Walmart. (Couldn't resist.)

 

[Kassaundra]

Walmart. (Couldn't resist.)

 

[furbabymum]

Ok so my question is how tall do you let it get before you feed it? Mine's probably 5" tall and growing like crazy. It's oats btw.

 

[TERRY4]

In the interest of spreading my poultry feed budget, I'm growing fodder for my flock during the winter months. So far, for every one pound of seed, I'm getting 6 1/2 pounds of green fodder. They eat the seeds, the roots, and the green shoots. I prefer to use barley, but I haven't been able to get bulk barley this year so I'm growing wheat with a handful of black oil sunflower seeds per flat. Anybody else grow fodder for their birds?

Vert nice! What are you growing out in, top have such a Nice flat? Good job!

 

[TERRY4]

Have never tried alfalfa sprouts before.  My barley seeds are really a big hit the the girls and the rooster.  The ducks aren't really impressed, oh well.  The shoots on the barley right now are about 4 inches high.  The chickens start talking when I walk up to their coop.  I throw it down and once in a while we have a tug of war over the 5 inch squares I give to them.  They finally end up tarring it apart, nothing is ever left.   I have two more buckets soaking, ready to go into the grow pans.  I will plan on doing this all winter.  That way they all will have greens to when the snow is on the ground.  I also did some Flock Blocks.  The girls were happy with those too.  I got that from a pinterest board. 

I grow alfalfa spouts for our salads, so guess I'll be sharing with the chickens. I've grown mung bean spouts too. They're good fried in hot oil, and in salads. bet the chickens would love'em.

 

[smfildes]

Walmart. (Couldn't resist.)