Growing Oats, Barley, Wheat

[simplyrooted]

Hello,

I feed by girls (9 of them) a Whole Grain Layer Feed -Certified Organic. Soy-Free. Whole Grain. #50 Bag which costs $41 from New Country Organics and sometimes Scratch and Peck. I go through 75 lbs a month average so it is getting expensive. I have a about 1/3 of an acre which they free range on 8-10 hours a day (our back yard). I am looking for ways I can cut back food cost but keep them happy and full (they are always wanting food like it is a dessert.) I want to start growing my own oats, barley, and wheat. I can get organic, non GMO seeds on Amazon but am totally confused on whether I can just plant these and let them grow them open the garden up for them to eat off of after the plants grow a few weeks or if I am only supposed to put them in water to sprout then give it to them like I do their feed. This is all new to me even though I have had my girls since they were 3 days old, I have only been buying them the pre-made organic whole foods. Secondary to this, if I am letting them free range, do I still need to feed them each 1/4 cup of the chicken feed a day too?

Thanks for all the guidance,

Elyse

 

[JRast]

Great question, id love to read some folks experiences on growing grains for their chickens and how the dried/processed... and everything else there is to know about growing your own chicken feed!

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

If you’re not growing grains to harvest to then dry and feed later, you don’t really need to grow grain as compared to other greenery. Or am I misunderstanding?

 

[WhiteWaterLady]

There a a couple of ways to go with this, and each has advantages/disadvantages.

1) Plant the grains (depending on your hardiness zone, and maybe consider adding buckwheat as well) and let them grow a couple of months or until fully mature. At that point you can choose to either harvest the grain and save to feed them over the winter (and/or sprout as below), or, just open the area and let them forage on it. If you let them in before the grain is mature, you may not get much grain, if any, but they will get some great greens.

2) Sprout in your kitchen and feed them the sprouts. This requires constant several times daily watering and takes up counter space, but keeps them in fresh greens even through winter. Big downside from my perspective is that you have to constantly keep buying new grain to sprout, and it takes quite a bit of time & space since they generally need anywhere from 5 days to 2 weeks before you feed them using this method.

 

[JRast]

There a a couple of ways to go with this, and each has advantages/disadvantages.

1) Plant the grains (depending on your hardiness zone, and maybe consider adding buckwheat as well) and let them grow a couple of months or until fully mature. At that point you can choose to either harvest the grain and save to feed them over the winter (and/or sprout as below), or, just open the area and let them forage on it. If you let them in before the grain is mature, you may not get much grain, if any, but they will get some great greens.

2) Sprout in your kitchen and feed them the sprouts. This requires constant several times daily watering and takes up counter space, but keeps them in fresh greens even through winter. Big downside from my perspective is that you have to constantly keep buying new grain to sprout, and it takes quite a bit of time & space since they generally need anywhere from 5 days to 2 weeks before you feed them using this method.

Great info, thanks!

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

I guess the question is, if you’re not going to harvest the grain, are there better options on what to grow? Like faster growing, higher nutrients/protein, higher yield, etc. I don’t know the answer, but worth exploring.

 

[WhiteWaterLady]

Buckwheat is super fast. Fair on nutrition.
Wheat takes a long time. I plant winter wheat mid-July and harvest the following July/Aug. Spring wheat grows faster, but is lower protein.
Rye can grow over winter as a cover crop and be harvested late spring or early summer as a grain. I use it as forage for my girls in the spring/early summer rather than harvesting - usually. I do keep a bit fenced off to harvest and re-seed.
Oats take too long for my area and same for barley so I can't speak to either of them.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

I’m still shocked organic feed costs that much!

I paid about that for feed yesterday...but I bought 150 lbs!

 

[WhiteWaterLady]

I’m still shocked organic feed costs that much!

I paid about that for feed yesterday...but I bought 150 lbs!

Whole Grain Layer Feed -Certified Organic. Soy-Free. Whole Grain. #50 Bag which costs $41 from New Country Organics and sometimes Scratch and Peck. I go through 75 lbs a month average so it is getting expensive.

I have been paying $14.99 for 50 lbs but found a grainery about an hour's drive away that sold it to me for $9.00 for 50 lbs.

 

[JRast]

I have been paying $14.99 for 50 lbs but found a grainery about an hour's drive away that sold it to me for $9.00 for 50 lbs.

Sold what you?