Growing fodder for chickens

[Hens and Roos]

Flats aren't very expensive if you want to buy new ones. I got mine here: http://homeharvest.com/propagationflatsdomesinserts.htm

tried the link and it doesn't seem to work

 

[Lisa Harmon]

try a greenhouse/farm supply site: very very cheap! Grower's Supply is good, but there are tons of them if you google and compare prices.

 

[Lisa Harmon]

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.

thanks! Will hold back the feed a bit and give a go again tomorrow!

 

[thedollysmama]

Okay, so I started the corn today. I got 35 tubs from the dollar store, poked drain holes in them, and found to my amazement that my rabbit show carrier stand holds the tubs perfectly. I have the corn soaking over night and will drain it out tomorrow. The whole set up is in our outdoor laundry/shower room and the residual water drains out into the orchard so there will be no wastage of water.
I really hope this works. If it does I will create another stand to put the trays on, which will afford me another 14 available spots. The stand can be made from scrap lumber and if anyone is interested I will post photos.
Now, to find a source for alfalfa seed...

Karen
Who less than $50 invested so far.

 

[Lacy Blues]

I'd like to see photos.

 

[Jeanette56]

Yes please Karen, photos would be great!

Jeanette

 

[Arielle]

dollysmama-- love the inginutity of sending the gray water to the orchard-- we are so far behind here on water conservation, ughhh, GOod for you getting water to fruit trees. Yeah.

Right now I am trying to focus on fencing and allowing more grazing area for the chickens. And the fermented feed is a big hit now that I know how to do it ( first attempts were fruitless; now I can do it so easily, not sure what the problem was. ) I have noticed that Braggs seems to be a higher concentration of viable colonies compared to Heinz. So cheaper isn't better in this case. ANyone else notice this?

 

[dubwise]

Does anyone know what the ph, ppm, ec of the grey water? I'd love to use my runoff for something, but I wasn't sure if any kind of research had been done on what's actually in the runoff?

 

[BY Chicken Lady]

dollysmama-- love the inginutity of sending the gray water to the orchard-- we are so far behind here on water conservation, ughhh, GOod for you getting water to fruit trees. Yeah.

Right now I am trying to focus on fencing and allowing more grazing area for the chickens. And the fermented feed is a big hit now that I know how to do it ( first attempts were fruitless; now I can do it so easily, not sure what the problem was. ) I have noticed that Braggs seems to be a higher concentration of viable colonies compared to Heinz. So cheaper isn't better in this case. ANyone else notice this?

I don't use an ACV in my fermented feed. It is bubbling by day 3. My chickens love it so much they get up on the storage can and peck on my bedroom window to wake me up to hurry and bring them breakfast.

 

[Arielle]

Does anyone know what the ph, ppm, ec of the grey water? I'd love to use my runoff for something, but I wasn't sure if any kind of research had been done on what's actually in the runoff?

I just know my brother re- piped his house to send the gray water to the garden hose for his trees and plants ( non-edibles). I would expect there is the potential for E. coli contamination from shower water, so be thoughtful about it's used and how it is applied.
As fo Ph and ppm. Depends on the concentration of soap, etc. I'm betting no two batches will be exactly alike. But it certainly makes you rethink what you use to bath with or wash dishes with if it's going to the fruit trees or vegies. ( I don't advocate using on food sources; best for lawns and shrubs and save the clean water for the food plants.)