Growing fodder for chickens

[bjosie2150]

I have started my fodder (on day 8 and about 2-3 inches tall) and for some reason I think I have some mold growing....do I need to start over and just throw it in the compost or can the girls have it....I've got a new one started and this time I hope it goes as planned...I don't want it drying out too much (should I put a fan on them?)...I have them in the house at a constant 76-78 degrees, I rinse them twice a day and the bins have holes in them for drainage into another bin (small clear bin like a shoe box). What would I be doing wrong? Any help would be appreciated....as my flock does not free range and want to give them as much green as I can. Thanks

 

[bjosie2150]

Contrary to popular belief - not all mold is bad! Blue/green mould is and should be thrown out. The grey or white wispy stuff is fne and wont hurt/halm your animals - just doesn't look that appealing. The funky smell is not necessarily mold - it is usually the growth inhibitor that the seed releases as it starts to grow. It is this that leaves the "slime" on the bottom of the root mat as well.

Poor air flow is also a reason why you might be getting mold. More water less often is another solution (please pardon the pun).

If you're reclying water you are more likely to get more mold, you might have to change the water more regularly if you are. Peroxide/Vinegar/Chlorine and/or bleach are all products that can be used to reduce the likelyhood of mold occurring in your system. Innoculating your seed by having these in your soak water (if you're soaking) should kill any mold spores that are present, having clean seed to start with also helps (as little "dust" as possible).

As to the temp - My fodder is climate controlled but I know people who just water more often when the weather gets hot, and they don't seem to have any issues.

Thank you! This is the post I was trying to find about the small amount of the wispy white stuff I have in my 8 day old wheat fodder. I will put more drain holes in my containers and possibly put a fan on them. The other question I have is about the peroxide/vinegar/bleach, do you just spray it on your seed or what? I've read a bunch of these and am still a bit confused..thanks for any help!

 

[Papas Chickens]

I live in Arizona and just started growing barley fodder, it is day two and im getting alot of white sprouts. Im growing them in clear food storage boxes on shelves with each box tilted so I can water all of them by just putting water in the top one and letting it drain to all of them and into a collection bin. My house is always hot usually 85-95 I dont have any mold yet but it does smell like beer in my house. Could I use a little vinager or peroxide in my water to get rid of the smell? I think most of the smell is coming from the collection bin. I water four times a day 8am-12pm-4pm-8pm my boxes are drained very well so that should be good for watering or should I water more? Any input is apreciated, thx. I forgot to mention that I have a ceiling fan above my boxes should I turn that on to keep good air circulation and if so at what speed high,medium or low?

 

[tillyita]

Quote:
You can just spray it on your seed but it works better if you use it in your first rinse water - it acts as an inoculant, you can then use the rinse water to clean your next lot of trays.

 

[CATRYNA]

I live in Arizona and just started growing barley fodder, it is day two and im getting alot of white sprouts. Im growing them in clear food storage boxes on shelves with each box tilted so I can water all of them by just putting water in the top one and letting it drain to all of them and into a collection bin. My house is always hot usually 85-95 I dont have any mold yet but it does smell like beer in my house. Could I use a little vinager or peroxide in my water to get rid of the smell? I think most of the smell is coming from the collection bin. I water four times a day 8am-12pm-4pm-8pm my boxes are drained very well so that should be good for watering or should I water more? Any input is apreciated, thx. I forgot to mention that I have a ceiling fan above my boxes should I turn that on to keep good air circulation and if so at what speed high,medium or low?

If it smells like beer, it/s because it's fermenting. Get rid of the rinse water daily because that's what stinks. Your house is pretty warm and watering 4 times a day is plenty, if not overkill. Your question about using H2O2 is valid. I sometimes use a spray bottle, but not very often.

 

[Papas Chickens]

If it smells like beer, it/s because it's fermenting. Get rid of the rinse water daily because that's what stinks. Your house is pretty warm and watering 4 times a day is plenty, if not overkill. Your question about using H2O2 is valid. I sometimes use a spray bottle, but not very often.

Thx Cat, I found acouple seeds with mold on it in one of my boxes, I removed the seeds and put a cap full of peroxide into the water I used lat night. Should that take care of my mold issue?

 

[CATRYNA]

Thx Cat, I found acouple seeds with mold on it in one of my boxes, I removed the seeds and put a cap full of peroxide into the water I used lat night. Should that take care of my mold issue?

Hopefully so. Maybe not water as often. Also, I spray down my trays with undiluted H2O2 before putting the soaked grains in. Seems to work out just fine usually. I water twice a day, maybe 3 if the weather is abnormally dry.

 

[Papas Chickens]

Ok ill try that next batch, thx alot.

 

[BY Chicken Lady]

After much experimentation I have finally developed a small scale growing system that allows me to feed 17 chickens Fresh Organic Wheat Grass for less than 25 Cents a day. I posted it on my blog if you are interested in following the method I've been using for nearly a year.

Click the title link below to see my blog post for all the specific details:

"I Grow Wheat Grass for 17 Chickens for Less than 25 Cents a Day - Instructions"



http://backyardchickenlady.blogspot.com/2014/09/i-grow-wheat-grass-for-17-chickens-for.html


Hope this helps anyone interested in growing their own Wheat Grass for your Chickens (or other critters), and yourself if you make green smoothies! I don't...I just can't get past the green. lol.

 

[Papas Chickens]

My boxes are in a slant so the top waters the next ine and so on, should I stop using that system and just drill alot of holes in the bottom of my boxes and lay them flat one above the other on shelves si they can water each other but have better drainage then just having holes on one side? Should I also keep my celling fan on high all the time to increase air flow? Also my house doesnt have AC we use swamp coolers to lower the temp but most of the time they dont really work to well, will added air circulaton from fans be a good thing to keep mold away the mold I had was white not blue or green.