I want to buy some bulk grains at the grocery store for this winter.

[blondiebee181]

I kind of equate it to making my own chicken scratch....WinCo here in Boise sells a lot of bulk grains but there are so many different cuts and mixes, I wasn't sure what to get. They have whole dried peas, whole corn, cracked corn, barley, flax rolled oats, whole oats, tons of stuff....can chickens pretty much digest any form of grain? Or am I looking for some specific types?

 

[blondiebee181]

Anyone?

 

[ChickensRDinos]

Do you just want to feed it to them straight or do you want to sprout it?

 

[blondiebee181]

See? I'm not sure...I don't even know it the stuff from the store will sprout or if I need to buy garden store grade seeds....but when I initially posted this I was looking for advice on feeding them unsprouted stuff...if that helps

 

[ChickensRDinos]

If you are just going to feed it to them straight then pearled or rolled is fine. Anything "whole" has a little more nutrition in it but is harder to find depending on where you live. If you want to germinate or sprout then the pearled barley and the rolled oats will not sprout. It has to be whole.

They can digest all of the things you mentioned. (stay away from any raw beans or legumes - cooked is fine but raw is bad for them). Flax seeds are great and black oil sunflower seeds are really nutritious. Corn is higher is fat but that's not necessarily bad depending on what you want.

I just recently started sprouting grains for fodder. I am playing around with what I want to do and what I can find locally. (I live in a very urban area so I am struggling to find things) But I am trying out whole barley, wheat, whole oats and BOSS.

Here is the link that got me started if you are interested. Once you get everything set up it seems like it could be the most nutrition for your buck if you are already planning on buying the grains.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/713334/growing-fodder-for-chickens

 

[blondiebee181]

Wow, that's great! Very informative thead, now I want to do it! Do the seeds need any soil? Ir they just sprout and root without it?

 

[ChickensRDinos]

They do not need soil, just water. I am just getting started and its pretty fun!

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Quote: NEVER feed "SEED" to your birds.
It's often treated with pesticides and fungicides.

Any WHOLE grains from the grocery store should sprout or grow, and can be fed with no problems

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote:

NEVER feed "SEED" to your birds.
It's often treated with pesticides and fungicides.

Any WHOLE grains from the grocery store should sprout or grow, and can be fed with no problems

x2 Make sure it is animal-feed grade otherwise can be treated with toxic substances.

I shop at Winco, also!

Here is what I do:
split peas from the bulk bins- call ahead and they will order a bag for you.
flax seeds I have bought from there but the chickens aren't crazy for them - don't feed too many or it makes eggs taste bad

If you buy the rest at the feed store (I shop mainly at Wilco) you will save a ton of money:
whole wheat (this is the white soft wheat they grow out here) or you can order red wheat feed grown in Montana
rolled barley
rolled oats (this has the hull still attached but it is flattened a little- doesn't look like Quaker Oats though)
Black oil sunflower seeds
Millet (still has hull on it = birdseed)
organic cracked corn
organic chick starter for some nice soy fattening
Austrian peas (not their favorite, currently rotating them instead of split peas)

 

[angidee]

(stay away from any raw beans or lentils or legumes - cooked is fine but raw is bad for them)

Why are lentils and legumes bad? Peas are legumes, right? Are they ok if sprouted?