Growing fodder for chickens

[CuzChickens]

This is such an informative thread!

 

[dreamyj]

Does azure standard have a drop point in your area? My last bag of organic barley and organic wheat that I use for my fodder came from there. I also was having trouble finding the barley locally. I had ordered it online froma few different places but the shipping charges were very high.

 

[Szollman]

I was able to find a local feed store that offers wheat as a ground cover for a very affordable price, but I'm wondering if it is safe for my hens. I'm worried about pesticides and other undesirables on the seed. Any thoughts on this? Would rinsing/soaking eliminate any of that? Also, thanks for the tip!

 

[Jensownzoo]

I was able to find a local feed store that offers wheat as a ground cover for a very affordable price, but I'm wondering if it is safe for my hens. I'm worried about pesticides and other undesirables on the seed. Any thoughts on this? Would rinsing/soaking eliminate any of that? Also, thanks for the tip!

Ask the feed store if it has been treated--pesticides, fungicides, fertilizers. If they don't know, then have them find out (they know where they sourced it from). No you do not want to feed wheat containing any of those to your chickens, it doesn't matter how much you soak it.

 

[Veatch81]

How much fodder can or should you feed your chickens?

 

[lazy gardener]

My 15 birds get the equivalent of a 6 oz. yogurt cup of dry wheat which when sprouted yields a packed quart of nice green sprouts, daily. You will need to play with it. If they get too much, they get the runs. They go for the sprouts first, then they go for the layer FF.

 

[Diannastarr]

Hi ShanandGem, WOW excellent idea..!! thank you for that info , i had been using a vinegar rinse but will try the hydrogen peroxide instead thanks ; )

 

[newnicole]

Has anyone ever had their sprouts smell like nail polish remover? Is it hat safe for my chickens?

 

[lazy gardener]

Nope. Mine always have a nice green veggie smell. They should look and smell fresh.

 

[yellowherb]

You can get oats in horse feed section of TSC in 50lb bags. The chickens do not care a lot of the whole oat seed but once sprouted mine loved it. It was somewhere around $16 a bag. You would want the whole oats for sprouting.


Sproutables or deer forage I got clearance this year. I grow it in dish pans and cat litter trays in a mini green house. Some of these mixtures contains whole oat seeds that I mention above.


The chickens especially love the sugar beet winter bulb mix greens.

I also grow deer forage for my aviary birds. Cockatiels, finches, and English budgies.

The chickens found my potting table and it's overflow of pans and litter boxes with sprouting seed. They started helping themselves...then they found the bottom rack of the mini green house and decimated 3 containers of sprouts in one morning