Growing fodder for chickens

[Daloorashens]

Excited to start sprouting.. when all the work outside is done and they can't forage too much more free-ranging.. sprouting here I come.... good idea on getting spilt barley... My dad knows some barley farmers... I'm going to ask him about getting the spilt grain...

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I'm getting sprouts!

The one setback is my boyfriend added freshly soaked grains to my already sprouting trays. Grrrrrrrr! This was after HOURS of trying to explain the procedure to him and passing several printouts under his nose (seriously, how hard can it be to soak, layer, leave, serve?). Turn my back for two minutes to attend to something else ...

Guess I'll have a mixture of "green" and "grain" on some of my trays, which might not be too bad except for judging how much to pass around to the flock.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

So now that I FINALLY have broadband, I'm hitting YouTube up for info on hydroponic fodder farming. I love this video:

 

[jodyb]

Thank you!! It is done!

Jody

 

[Oakieridge]

Stopped at the feed store today and they were sold out of Wheat said they would be sold out till probably Aug. or Sept next year??? Anyway they had Barley so I got 2 50# bags of that for $10.50 a bag not sure if that is a good price or not. I am going to start them tonight. Of course I got the last of their barley so not sure where I will find seed after this runs out. How much will I need for about 200 birds? about 1/4 of those are bantam cochins and OEGBs but the rest are LF. Hope this works since it is getting to expensive to keep feeding this amout of birds our feed costs have gone up $4 a 50# bag. That is just in the last month.

 

[pawtraitart]

Yes, feed costs are insane! That is my motivation for developing my own feeding program with ingredients that I can put together myself. Fodder sprout mix, bird bread, seasonal veggies, and a little bit of commercial feed. I don't know how much you'll need for 200 birds. If it was me, I'd look into what I could add to the barley seed flats to round out the nutrition and stretch your barley supply.

 

[Oakieridge]

I wish I knew the nutrition levels in sprouted barley so I would know what all to add. I did also get a pound of white clover to add in on about day 3. I am wondering what else I can add. I know oats are hard to spout but dang they would add what I need. I wonder if I just kept fermenting the oats and use that with the fodder and then make up the rest in layer pellets. I hate to thin the flock but that is becoming the only other option. I do have about 20 roosters we will be sending to freezer camp soon and I am taking 5-6 more to auction tomorrow. That will help some.

 

[QuartzRidgeRanch]

So I have been trying to find the nutritional values for the barley fodder.

Here is a bit of what I have found...

http://www.sproutnet.com/Nutrition/Research/nutrient_content.pdf

http://www.foddersolutions.org/nutrition

http://www.foddersolutions.net/brochure/Benefits of sprouts for feed.pdf



NUTRITIONAL BREAKDOWN

Nutrient Unit

Results​

Crude Protein

%​

20.2​

Fat

%​

4.3​

Crude Fibre

%​

11.3​

Starch

%​

15.4​

Metabolizable Energy
(Ruminants) MJ/kg

12.1​

Minerals
Calcium

%​

0.15​

Potassium

%​

0.7​

Magnesium

%​

0.24​

Phosphorus

%​

0.46​

Sulphur

%​

0.28​

Boron mg/kg

22​

Copper mg/kg

11​

Iron mg/kg

160
​

***NOTE: I am not endorsing any company. I have built my fodder system on our own without going through a "fodder" company.

 

[Talbott Poultry]

How much will I need for about 200 birds? about 1/4 of those are bantam cochins and OEGBs but the rest are LF. Hope this works since it is getting to expensive to keep feeding this amout of birds our feed costs have gone up $4 a 50# bag. That is just in the last month.

I have had the same question since I started reading about fodder.
How much is required per LF and per Bantam to make this worth while?
I know everyone's set ups are different and every chicken eats differently.
I am just looking for some rough numbers.

How much does every feed?

 

[Roxannemc]

I soak my seed in a bucket that has holes which is set inside a bucket without holes. (Actually, it's a pair of empty plastic ice cream containers.) You want your water level twice that of the seed. Rinse your seed well before leaving to soak. The water should be clear. The next day, give the seed a very good rinse and then spread onto the tray. Below is a picture of a set of trays seeded with wheat which is a few days old and just beginning to sprout some green. Wheat grows pretty well and is less likely to mold than barley, (and can be grown at higher temperatures) but barley grows a thicker leaf than wheat so that's what I like when it's available. I gather up my trays in the morning and give them a good rinse in the sink (the tray with holes is nested inside a tray without holes....) and then set back on the shelf. If in doubt, it's better to water too little than too much. You do NOT want water to sit in the trays. Pour out the extra water after rinsing! The seeds themselves hold enough water to grow and usually only need a rinse once or twice a day. You want the seeds moist inside but not overly wet on the outside for very long or you encourage mold. I have my trays next to a window for light. In the middle of winter when it gets dark really early, I have a fluorescent light that turns on with a timer.

Hi I just put mine in the containers but how deep do you spread the seed? I think i have mine too deep.