Growing fodder for chickens

[greenhorn]

Fodder has a much higher vitamin and enzyme content than any grain. You could definitely increase your variety by adding some other types of sprouts such as BOSS, amaranth, alfalfa, etc. These additional and much more expensive seeds could be added in small amounts to your grain staple.

Greenhorn,

I believe you will find that your grow tent does not allow for enough air circulation unless you have a fan running. Because the Fodder is seeded so thickly (I find 3/4" in my tray to be ideal) it is very prone to mold as it gets taller. Closing it in like that will exacerbate that problem. Mine is designed to sit inside in open air. The water recirculates from a tub and drips back down in. I wouldn't worry about lighting as sprouts don't really need much at all and rotating trays is not necessary and adds a lot of extra work. My garden flat size trays average 12 pounds and can feed about 40 chickens.

Sherry

Hi melwynnd. These grow tents are set up for air circulation. They have holes in them to set up powerful inline fans that can remove air from the tent and replace with fresh air within seconds. They are designed to grow in so I'm thinking if i allow enough air space around the grass and seed and control humidity/temp it will work great. It gets below zero at night here for sometimes 2 months at a time. I think a tent or enclosed area will be necessary then.

It's not difficult to keep the humidity below 50% in one of these tents. Not sure where the humidity is supposed to be for fodder yet but it can't be much below that can it?

Thanks for that weight info. Sounds like we can probably get by with one tray a day and sometimes it will take up to 4 if we run fodder during the warmer months. That's a good start though and I really appreciate the response. Next year we want to get Turkeys and a few hogs so things will change but don't they always... lol

I'm thinking a 4x4x6.5 foot tall tent would work well for now. In fact it's a done deal, I just ordered this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA05F0845152

I know I have to spend another 100+ on an inline fan and maybe another 29 on a small oscillating fan but I spend at least 100 bucks every time I go to TSC. I have an old 400 watt metal halide lamp somewhere. Setting up an automatic watering system won't be difficult and not very expensive really. Will probably need a couple timers and a thermostat. I'll try and keep this project updated with pictures.

 

[pawtraitart]

Hi melwynnd. These grow tents are set up for air circulation. They have holes in them to set up powerful inline fans that can remove air from the tent and replace with fresh air within seconds. They are designed to grow in so I'm thinking if i allow enough air space around the grass and seed and control humidity/temp it will work great. It gets below zero at night here for sometimes 2 months at a time. I think a tent or enclosed area will be necessary then.

It's not difficult to keep the humidity below 50% in one of these tents. Not sure where the humidity is supposed to be for fodder yet but it can't be much below that can it?

Thanks for that weight info. Sounds like we can probably get by with one tray a day and sometimes it will take up to 4 if we run fodder during the warmer months. That's a good start though and I really appreciate the response. Next year we want to get Turkeys and a few hogs so things will change but don't they always... lol

I'm thinking a 4x4x6.5 foot tall tent would work well for now. In fact it's a done deal, I just ordered this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA05F0845152

I know I have to spend another 100+ on an inline fan and maybe another 29 on a small oscillating fan but I spend at least 100 bucks every time I go to TSC. I have an old 400 watt metal halide lamp somewhere. Setting up an automatic watering system won't be difficult and not very expensive really. Will probably need a couple timers and a thermostat. I'll try and keep this project updated with pictures.

That grow tent would be a GREAT place to put hatching incubators as well! Nice stable environment. I'm tempted to buy one. Thanks for sharing.

 

[greenhorn]

That grow tent would be a GREAT place to put hatching incubators as well! Nice stable environment. I'm tempted to buy one. Thanks for sharing.

No problem pawtraitart. They have different sizes too and these are the best prices i've found:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...N=-1&isNodeId=1&Description=GROW+TENT&x=0&y=0

 

[melwynnd]

I have a different experience with wheat fodder as I only use one pound of seed per 10" x 21" flat which makes the seed layer less than 1/2 inch. I'm not using a hydroponic method at the moment. I soak the trays 1x per day for five minutes on average and don't have any trouble with the seeds failing to sprout. The key in my experiments has been making sure that the seed soaks up enough water without actually being wet all the time. Once they start to form a root mat, it's even easier to keep a good amount of moisture in the tray. Soaking/rinsing removes excess starch and prevents mold from forming in stagnant pockets. Also, for me, with a thinner layer of seed, I minimize mold. I am, however, going to go with the standard hydroponic drip/timer system next year to cut back on the time needed to take care of the flats. I want to expand my capacity beyond what I do for my birds.

I suppose keeping the seed layer thinner keeps it from fermenting by allowing more oxygen in. I put about 2 1/2 pounds of seed in the same size flat. However, the system rinses it for 15 minutes every 2 hours. I tried to go every three hours and the fodder would start to ferment and the water would get yuccky faster. Still, I don't have to do any of that since the timer does it all for me, so it doesn't matter. It would be a big deal if I was trying to do it by hand though.

Sherry

 

[pawtraitart]

Yes, when I have an auto system I might use more seed per tray. I'll run some experiments.

 

[Daloorashens]

I buy the trays without holes and put in my own. You might try lining yours with some window screen..... That would keep the wheat in and let the water out.

Sherry

I like that idea, wouldn;t lose any seed that way... the garden trays I already have, I wouldn't have to buy them... Now I just need to call around to some of the elevators and find out exactly what they have, I should be able to get some uncleaned wheat from the local farmers, and I might even be able to get my hands on some barley, that would be awesome!

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

Glad I was directed to this link, Daloorashens! I have the garden trays as well....I think 10-12, in my shed, I am headed out to get them! As far as buying wheat...I did see some bags of wheat only feed at Cal ranch, would that work? I am not sure what animal it said it was for on the bag, I need to go back and look. I amd thinking it would be cheaper than store 'human consumption' grade wheat....

 

[pawtraitart]

Any whole wheat will work as long as it wasn't heat treated.

 

[caj1985]

Glad I was directed to this link, Daloorashens! I have the garden trays as well....I think 10-12, in my shed, I am headed out to get them! As far as buying wheat...I did see some bags of wheat only feed at Cal ranch, would that work? I am not sure what animal it said it was for on the bag, I need to go back and look. I amd thinking it would be cheaper than store 'human consumption' grade wheat....

You might check your local feed store or farmer's coop. Ours carries winter wheat seed at this time of the year as well as other types of bulk seed. I paid $14 for 50 lbs of winter wheat for planting. I haven't used hardly any of it because I didn't need that much, but it was cheaper than smaller packages. I just may try this and see how well it goes over.

 

[Podnick]

Reading all your posts with interest, am soaking barley seeds now, will stumble through it with the help of this forum.
Here's a link to an outdoor set-up for sprouting created by a forum member. There are three entries related to development of the trays, watering, heat, etc. using flexible rope lighting for the heat and light source.
Chickens & Gardens