Growing fodder for chickens

[cockoftherock]

No but I read about it and when you plant a seed its under pressure. it does make for more substancial sprouts I wondered if anyone experimented and their set up. quote name="MaPa26" url="/t/713334/growing-fodder-for-chickens/3480#post_12870985"]Are you the person who suggested the youtube video for growing b fodder?  The lady was putting weight on her seeds.   I have not tried it, but it makes sense.
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[cockoftherock]

Yes there is a learning curve but some things to keep in mind in my humble opinion and someone I think chilkoot lady said if it works for you keep doing it. So with that in mind 1. Temp. should be 70-75 and constant. 2. You dont want to have your seeds too thick as this builds up heat and encourages the beasties 3 Rinse at least 3 times if not 4 to avoid mold ect. 4 after ur soak do not allow ur seed to sit in water good drainage.is a must 5 If you dont want to use bleach then Steam clean trays equip ect. sanitation satitation sanitation. 6 Fresh seef best germanation 7 Indirect light provides more nutrition. 8 Its my opinion. that A a variety of seeds are essential for health and just like feeds starter grower egg it varies. B 4 days for.most seeds.is optimal pumpkin boss being exceptions I differ here and you can mix differentLastly if you free range you will have happy healthy birds Oh dont feed oyster shell but calcium carbonate with grit as the oyster shell blocks absorbtion of protein and is only 5-10%efficient where CC is 100. % my phone screw up and Im sure Im forgetting some details but its a start no less. utilized so you dont want to over do it stages of seed to get.the best of both quanity and nutrition qu ote name="Putney Farm" url="/t/713334/growing-fodder-for-chickens/3480#post_12865175"]We have started growing fodder as well.  We have shelves set up over our spare bath tub for convenience.  The chickens love it, but so far it is more labor intensive than I want, as I am having trouble keeping the 4 day and up sprouts free of mold/bacteria, and don't want to use bleach.  We started using GSE in the water today and are hopeful for good results.
We rinse every 8 hours with well water.  Any suggestions?
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[cockoftherock]

I didnt make referrence to ur referrence of ROASTED soy beans or wheat berries we call it wheat anyway here You made my point scientifically there is NO difference between gmos and conventional farming but. people are screaming bloody murder mate. lots of people ignoring the truth for the facts like soy going to grow breast and all...crazy stuff.

And something tells me that you may have been enjoying a bit of fermented brew, by your post.  "mixed in with soybean or wheatberry snacks" refers to HUMAN food (roasted soybeans and wheatberries are readily available, salted and in different flavors---I say again---for human consumption.)  So I was saying that if I had some, mixed with chocolate chips, I would be picking out the chocolate chips.  Is saying "soybean" the SAME as saying "GMO"?  I guess it is, to some people.  Until we get some laws that require GMO grains to be labeled as such, we do not know for sure.  I haven't eaten them in years, anyway.  Regarding fermenting feed---one can tell by its aroma if it is creating alcohol.  I've not fermented grains.  I'm using layer pellets.  I have only soaked grains (scratch).  The fermented layer feed kinda smells like the starter I used for making Friendship Bread.

 

[brahmabreeder]

Where does everyone buy their seeds at? I can't find them in bulk anywhere.

 

[michaelf]

Regarding fermenting feed---one can tell by its aroma if it is creating alcohol.  I've not fermented grains.  I'm using layer pellets.  I have only soaked grains (scratch).  The fermented layer feed kinda smells like the starter I used for making Friendship Bread.
[/quote]
You are correct on fermenting feed. It should smell like a sour dough bread or friendship bread. It should never smell bad or like it has alcohol! If it does somebody has been watching moonshiners and got their stash mixed up with their chickens. Lol! (Technically you would have to add sugar and a lot of it to ferment into alcohol.) I use scratch and feed wheat together to ferment it has an aroma like you said a bread dough smell. That's the natural enzymes breaking down the feed to more nutrient accessible feed. Good for the gut. They even say it promotes more villi growth in the intestine. Which are the little stringy things that absorb the nutrients. The more villi the more surface area that is where nutrients can be absorbed.

 

[chixmix]

Regarding fermenting feed---one can tell by its aroma if it is creating alcohol. I've not fermented grains. I'm using layer pellets. I have only soaked grains (scratch). The fermented layer feed kinda smells like the starter I used for making Friendship Bread.

You are correct on fermenting feed. It should smell like a sour dough bread or friendship bread. It should never smell bad or like it has alcohol! If it does somebody has been watching moonshiners and got their stash mixed up with their chickens. Lol! (Technically you would have to add sugar and a lot of it to ferment into alcohol.) I use scratch and feed wheat together to ferment it has an aroma like you said a bread dough smell. That's the natural enzymes breaking down the feed to more nutrient accessible feed. Good for the gut. They even say it promotes more villi growth in the intestine. Which are the little stringy things that absorb the nutrients. The more villi the more surface area that is where nutrients can be absorbed.[/QUOTE]

It's my understanding that the microbes in mediums like ACV use the sugars that are in the feed to ferment. Left long enough, it can go hard, like apple cider.

From what I've read, haven't fermented feed yet, it's best to not use ACV to introduce microbes as they are the wrong organism.

There's alcohol fermenting, which is using ACV, and there's Lacto-fermenting. If you don't add anything to the mix but water, it will be Lacto-fermenting, but it takes a little longer for the first batch to start. After you have your first batch tho, you can reuse the liquid to keep the microbes going. There are things you can add to the mix to get Lacto-fermenting going faster, here's one example, http://www.culturesforhealth.com/caldwell-starter-culture-for-fresh-vegetables.html

Edited to add, ACV does have awesome benefits, the article I read suggested adding ACV to the portion you are going to feed just before feeding it, that way it doesn't have the time to create the wrong sort of acids in the feed.

Here's the link to the article I read, good read.
http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.ca/p/fermented-feed.html

 

[MaPa26]

Quote: I've read a lot about fermenting. I am using the lacto method. If I am ever in doubt, like---that it doesn't smell quite right, I can throw it out. I only keep a half gallon jar and I keep an inch or two of water between the feed and air. If I try to ferment more than three cups of feed, it'll overflow the jar when it bubbles up. So as I feed out a couple of cups, I add a couple cups of pellets back in. Every couple of weeks, I go ahead and use it up and start a fresh batch.

 

[michaelf]

I've read a lot about fermenting.  I am using the lacto method.  If I am ever in doubt, like---that it doesn't smell quite right, I can throw it out.  I only keep a half gallon jar and I keep an inch or two of water between the feed and air.  If I try to ferment more than three cups of feed, it'll overflow the jar when it bubbles up. So as I feed out a couple of cups, I add a couple cups of pellets back in.  Every couple of weeks, I go ahead and use it up and start a fresh batch.

I use lacto also! Great points on fermented feed chixmix!

I also use rooster booster vitamins, minerals and probiotics . As you can see it has several different kinds in it designed and found really good for chicken health!
This I have found works great for me. Just sharing for you guys

 

[MaPa26]

Yes there is a learning curve but some things to keep in mind in my humble opinion and someone I think chilkoot lady said if it works for you keep doing it. So with that in mind 1. Temp. should be 70-75 and constant. 2. You dont want to have your seeds too thick as this builds up heat and encourages the beasties 3 Rinse at least 3 times if not 4 to avoid mold ect. 4 after ur soak do not allow ur seed to sit in water good drainage.is a must 5 If you dont want to use bleach then Steam clean trays equip ect. sanitation satitation sanitation. 6 Fresh seef best germanation 7 Indirect light provides more nutrition. 8 Its my opinion. that A a variety of seeds are essential for health and just like feeds starter grower egg it varies. B 4 days for.most seeds.is optimal pumpkin boss being exceptions I differ here and you can mix differentLastly if you free range you will have happy healthy birds Oh dont feed oyster shell but calcium carbonate with grit as the oyster shell blocks absorbtion of protein and is only 5-10%efficient where CC is 100. % my phone screw up and Im sure Im forgetting some details but its a start no less. utilized so you dont want to over do it stages of seed to get.the best of both quanity and nutrition qu ote name="Putney Farm" url="/t/713334/growing-fodder-for-chickens/3480#post_12865175"]We have started growing fodder as well. We have shelves set up over our spare bath tub for convenience. The chickens love it, but so far it is more labor intensive than I want, as I am having trouble keeping the 4 day and up sprouts free of mold/bacteria, and don't want to use bleach. We started using GSE in the water today and are hopeful for good results.
We rinse every 8 hours with well water. Any suggestions?

[/QUOTE]
I found the link. "Laurieks" posted it a few days ago and it is on page 345 (post 3444):

The video is 22 minutes long. She goes through her routine, step by step. She has quite a system going and has a lot of experience. She mentions many things that you do, too.

 

[cockoftherock]

Thought I tuned into the fermented feed thread for a min. lol Really good info guys and gal. Diversify keep it up