Growing fodder for chickens

[goosegirl6]

That is what I used. I have a 50# bag of red wheat from the feed store...I make my own chicken feed. So far I have lots of tiny sprouts coming! I am excited!

Good! I will be saving $ (hopefully). I have sprouted jars of other greens for the family, so it should be pretty much the same?

 

[TwoCrows]

Quote: That is what I am doing. Using a sprouting jar to soak them over night. I thought about sprouting the wheat in the jar as well, as this is how I do alfalfa and mung beans. But I using the tray method as the original poster had suggested. I am starting to get sproutage and some greenery too. But if it doesn't turn out like I think it should, I may use the sprouting jars. Good luck with your sprouting!!

Oh, and my 50# bag of wheat only cost somewhere around $12 dollars. So pretty cheap feed.

 

[lauranickerson]

Anyone know what Tractor Supply has for this kind of stuff? I would like to stick to wheat, rye, or barley.

There's a local feed store in town but they close at 5pm and can't get there often because of my own job.

 

[mi2bugz]

Anyone know what Tractor Supply has for this kind of stuff? I would like to stick to wheat, rye, or barley. 

There's a local feed store in town but they close at 5pm and can't get there often because of my own job. 

I am sure that each tractor supply carries some different things based on the local usage. I went to tractor supply today and they only had rye grass at 32.99 for 50lbs. I wanted a smaller bag to start with to see if I could get the hang of it.

 

[Chrysolinsbirds]

just subscribing =)

 

[tillyita]

I know this shouldn't be in this "fodder" thread, but that's where this, about peeling eggs, started and I just had to add something that I have tried.  I tried this experiment with my fresh eggs.  I boiled them, as usual, and rinsed them in cold water.  I then refrigerated them until they were well-chilled.  Then I boiled a pot of water and immersed the COLD boiled eggs in the hot water for just a minute.  I drained them, again, and let them cool a bit so I could handle them.  Since I have a problem with my fingernails and cannot peel eggs by hand, I used a plastic spoon to remove the shell.  It worked pretty good; no comparison to trying to peel them when cooked the conventional way.  Perhaps it was putting the cold shells into the hot water that helped separate the shell from the membrane.   

I did check all of the suggested websites and there are a couple that I want to try.  One suggests putting a pinhole in the round end of the egg and the other is about steaming the eggs.

Cracking the egg before you put it in the pot allows water to get in under the skin - this usually works. I steam mine thses days and dont have any problem peeling them.

 

[tillyita]

would something like clover be good for this?

Clover doesn't work very well. It will sprout but the seeds are small and tend to get washed away. It also takes longer to grow. If you do want to use clover - you will need to use it with something else - especially if you want a "mat" to feed out.

 

[ndstructable]

I tried oats in my Fodder system and had a HORRIBLE experience. Poor sprouting, dirty water, and lots of slime. Funny, because it sprouted right up when I threw it in the worm bin..... I found feed wheat and it's been a dream. I have mine all automated with recycled water (I'm a lazy homesteader). I started my fodder system to feed the critters I want to have on my urban homestead (some rabbits, a few chickens, and a couple of mini goats). It's turned into sort of a little business since a lot of my friends wanted one.. Here's the finished Fodder (6 days):

 

[ndstructable]

Can you show me a close up pic of how your water is distributed into the trays?
I have been growing fodder, but doing it all by hand. Very time consuming. I want to make a set up like yours. Does your just apply water to the top trays and it drains down into each lower level, or do you have direct application of water into each tray?

 

[katsdar]

@melwynnd what do you charge for your system? Do you ship with assembly instructions?