Growing fodder for chickens

[thedollysmama]

Okay, so quick question: we have hit summer with a vengeance and it will be 90+ until the end of September. Just to be sure I'm getting this right, I could grow corn as fodder in this warm weather or just grow other grains/seed as sprouts this time of year due to the quick turn around, correct? I am getting ready to start with a vengeance and don't want to be wasteful because I am ignorant!

Karen

 

[thedollysmama]

Oh, I also grow duckweed and was thinking that I could use my runoff from rinsing for the duckweed water. Has anyone else tried this? I know in Asia the duckweed ponds are usually just icky water that had run off from piggeries and poultry pens so I figured the duckweed could handle it.
I love my duckweed and all of my critters, including the hooved stock, love it, too. I get about a dish pan a day, mix it with wheat middlins for the sheep/goats and feed it straight to the poultry. I have two kiddie pools and two plastic storage boxes and all I do is add water and the occasional handful of fresh poo. Effortless!

Karen

 

[DDNONIN2016]

karen, does duckweed go by the name pond meal also ? I have a 1/4 acre pond on my property that is covered in what I've been told is pond meal/duck weed. Was going to eradicate it but after learning the cost of the only herbicide that will work against it I gave up. Hopefully that was a blessing and I can use this stuff for my chickens. Any info you would care to share I would appreciate

 

[Arielle]

Karen, I have been researching other feed possibilities, and this is the time to get heat loving plants in. Try and see what works in your set up/ climate. I follow a blog in VT and this is his advice. ALso if you can plant perennials if you have the land as permanent foraging plants. Ihave been experiementing with turnips, kale, lettuces, peas and beans. I would also like to try amaranth, winter squash of the old varieites, and beets. You will notice that much of this is for human use too.

Another source suggests sweet potatoes in the heat of summer, if you can find the slips. Clovers, alfalfa, apple trees,etc.

 

[thedollysmama]

Oh! You can feed up to 20% of a bird's diet in duckweed. Here is a FAO website that gives general info on nutrient content
http://www.fao.org/ag/AGA/AGAP/FRG/lrrd/lrrd7/1/3.htm
In a nutshell it has 15 to 25% protein, more or less and about 40% fiber. It is really, really easy to grow and people have come up with a variety of innovative feeding systems. I lack innovation overall and embrace plodding efficiency and cheapness. I feed in a standard feed pan. I got my duckweed on eBay after having read reviews of who was a good seller of viable duckweed. I think I spent $15 or $20 for a gallon ziploc bag. I have two sturdy plastic storage boxes and two kiddie wading pools and I feed about a dishpan a day from each container. I feed it with my spent hops or whatever chicken feed I have at the time. I also feed it to my sheep and goats mixed with their grain and they eat it without hesitation. It has probably reduced my feed bills by a quarter to a third.
It's easy to grow. I threw a handful of fresh poo in each container, filled with water, and added the duckweed. I think I waited about two weeks initially before I harvested with a strainer. I have also put in mosquito dunks (bt) in each container and have had no issues with Mosquitos. It's easy and the ducks go crazy for it.
I live on a property with natural water sources. I am being very careful not to accidentally introduce it into our waterways.
I am going to be investing in a bigger wading pool so I can feed more to the goats and sheep. Easy peasy.

Karen

 

[Arielle]

Oh! You can feed up to 20% of a bird's diet in duckweed. Here is a FAO website that gives general info on nutrient content
http://www.fao.org/ag/AGA/AGAP/FRG/lrrd/lrrd7/1/3.htm
In a nutshell it has 15 to 25% protein, more or less and about 40% fiber. It is really, really easy to grow and people have come up with a variety of innovative feeding systems. I lack innovation overall and embrace plodding efficiency and cheapness. I feed in a standard feed pan. I got my duckweed on eBay after having read reviews of who was a good seller of viable duckweed. I think I spent $15 or $20 for a gallon ziploc bag. I have two sturdy plastic storage boxes and two kiddie wading pools and I feed about a dishpan a day from each container. I feed it with my spent hops or whatever chicken feed I have at the time. I also feed it to my sheep and goats mixed with their grain and they eat it without hesitation. It has probably reduced my feed bills by a quarter to a third.
It's easy to grow. I threw a handful of fresh poo in each container, filled with water, and added the duckweed. I think I waited about two weeks initially before I harvested with a strainer. I have also put in mosquito dunks (bt) in each container and have had no issues with Mosquitos. It's easy and the ducks go crazy for it.
I live on a property with natural water sources. I am being very careful not to accidentally introduce it into our waterways.
I am going to be investing in a bigger wading pool so I can feed more to the goats and sheep. Easy peasy.

Karen

Karen, if you are willing, I would LOVE to get a gallon of duck weed. I have a fish tank waiting to become useful again. ANd I've been looking at kiddie wading pools as an outside summer growing tank. Happy to send you apypal payment if you are willing. I'm sure the bag would need to be well secured, something like fish in a bag from a pet store and not a ziplock. lol.

 

[thedollysmama]

PM me, I will explain my situation (ill parents) and timeline and we can go from there.

 

[thedollysmama]

Oh, and a ziploc works great!

 

[Lisa Harmon]

I've just given the girls their first tray of sprout/microgreens. They really just scratched it out of the tray in like, 30 seconds, and aren't eating much of the greens. Did I not give it time enough to grow before offering it? Wondering if a more substantial root system would have held it together better. Here's some pics below. I'm also today starting to just soak/sprout some seeds and see if that has less waste since they readily eat their whole grain feed now.

 

[DebraM]

I've just given the girls their first tray of sprout/microgreens. They really just scratched it out of the tray in like, 30 seconds, and aren't eating much of the greens. Did I not give it time enough to grow before offering it? Wondering if a more substantial root system would have held it together better. Here's some pics below. I'm also today starting to just soak/sprout some seeds and see if that has less waste since they readily eat their whole grain feed now.

Don't stress. My gang took a little while to get used to eating the greenery too. I found that if I held back givin them their usual grain and they were a little bit hungrier than normal then they dove right in and ate the lot. Now they love them and eat the lot voraciously. Takes a little bit of time for them to adjust to he new food but they will.