Growing fodder for chickens

[Allie3513]

I know this is an old post.. But I want to try this. I have a two year old so inside is not an option.
What do the temps need to be in the room it's growns in?

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

I know this is an old post.. But I want to try this. I have a two year old so inside is not an option.
What do the temps need to be in the room it's growns in?

Cool helps with mold, but too cool and it wont grow. I would say 60 is pretty ideal but it has to have light. Depending on where you are you could pout it outside during the day away from the kiddos and bring it in at night.

 

[freemontchick6]

Any suggestions on oats as a fodder? Ive read through a lot of post & there is not much information on oats. My local feed store seemed to think oats would be better than wheat. Im thinking not now that I've brought oats home & learning diffetent as I am reading the threads. They are bob oats. Thanks for any info.

 

[tillyita]

Any suggestions on oats as a fodder? Ive read through a lot of post & there is not much information on oats. My local feed store seemed to think oats would be better than wheat. Im thinking not now that I've brought oats home & learning diffetent as I am reading the threads. They are bob oats. Thanks for any info.

Provided the oats aren't "clipped and dressed" they will grow (basically treated by cutting off the end to make them smaller so they will fit in the bag). The only problem with oats is that they don't form a good root mass so the sprouts/fodder doesn't hold together as well. They also seem to take a bit longer than either the barley or the wheat - but that could be due to the varieties that I've tried.

 

[highline]

Provided the oats aren't "clipped and dressed" they will grow (basically treated by cutting off the end to make them smaller so they will fit in the bag). The only problem with oats is that they don't form a good root mass so the sprouts/fodder doesn't hold together as well. They also seem to take a bit longer than either the barley or the wheat - but that could be due to the varieties that I've tried.

Any suggestions on oats as a fodder? Ive read through a lot of post & there is not much information on oats. My local feed store seemed to think oats would be better than wheat. Im thinking not now that I've brought oats home & learning diffetent as I am reading the threads. They are bob oats. Thanks for any info.

Another issue I had was, there's so much starch in oats, it was harder to control mold, especially when the temp went up over 65 degrees

 

[erinszoo]

I would love to grow more fodder but we kept having mold issues and nothing we tried fixed the problem so we just do a two day sprout in buckets now. The birds love it but ... no green bits. Any ideas for successful foddering on a smaller scale??

 

[lazy gardener]

Welp, we should have read this before we bought the wrong stuff!

Anyways, is there anyone out there that feeds their chickens pearled barley by itself?
Now that I have several bags of it with nothing to do. Haha.

Pearled barley is awful expensive to use it for chicken feed. But, It's fantastic in soups. The instant cooks in 10 minutes, the regular takes 40 minutes. Barley beef soup, with lots of veggies... super yummy!

How do you suggest cooking it? Just bring it to a boil for a certain period of time?

Does it change the safety of the matter that they are ~2 weeks old? (If it helps to know, I have been mixing in small amounts of grit to their feed over the last several days)

The chicks are 2 weeks old? I'd hold of on giving them whole barley until they are 4 weeks old. It may be a bit too big. It's a pretty big grain. IMO, you should be giving them grit separate from their feed. Either sprinkle it on the floor of their brooder, or, assuming that they are on shavings, put it in a separate dish. Or use it as a hand feeding/taming tool. That's how I introduce it, then put it in a dish so the more timid ones get their share.

 

[lko67]

I run a ten tray system for 23 birds some days 1 tray some days 2 get some mold but rinse once a day heavy rinse when feeding all white mold washes away been giving for 6 months no problems

 

[RangeChicks]

I bought wheat and oat sides in 1 lb packages online to try my hand at growing fodder for my "girls" and it turned out great. Unfortunately, I cannot find a place locally that sells seeds in bulk so I can do it on a continuing basis. I live in the high desert of So. California. Anyone out there know where I can buy bulk seeds for wheat, oats or barley that I don't have to have shipped? I am willing to drive approx. 75 miles to pick it up.

We have a pet store that orders the Scratch n Peck Organic Barley for us in Temecula if that's not too far for you. Very reasonable price, too.

 

[ndstructable]

We also grow Talapia and one the things we feed them is DUCKWEED. Now that I know chickens can eat it, I am great!
To answer earlier posts about growing it- it's VERY easy. You just need a little to start. Then put it in an aquarium with lots of sunshine (no fish or they will eat before it can grow). In about a week the aquarium will be full of it. Make sure you use it regularly so it does not die off and has room to keep growing.