Official BYC Poll: Do You Grow Fodder For Your Chickens?

[K0k0shka]

I don't grow fodder. Previously, I cursed our lack of winter and having to weed all year round. This year, now that I have chickens, I can say Hazzah! my chickens can continue to free range and do the weeding for me

We have a long winter and just made a great discovery. Several months ago, my husband planted some “winter wheat” in the garden, which he read about online. As an experiment - a winter crop which is supposed to survive our New England winter and enrich the soil when we till it into the soil in the spring. The garden is dead all winter anyway, so why not. Well, we’re almost into January and had deep snow twice already, and the wheat looks fresh and bright green as if it was July! I am seriously impressed, and will plant it in the entire garden next year (currently we only have a couple of test patches). There’s nothing for the chickens to destroy in the garden in the off season, so I let them roam in there. They are loving snacking on the winter wheat! So, no need for me to bother with fodder. I just let them play in the garden every once in a while. There are only 5 of them, so they haven’t destroyed it yet. Everybody’s happy!

 

[WallyG74]

Too much trouble. The chickens are spoiled rotten as it is. Chickens demanding fodder is not something I want to add to the list.

 

[Muscovy Wunda]

Don't have suitable trays. So had issues with mould. Will grow again with right tools

 

[CatSeg57]

I live in Texas, they have 8 acres of grass, clover, wild dewberries, leftover grain from the horse’s feed, grasshoppers, June beetles, and cicadas to enjoy. Along with daily treats from the garden. So I don’t feel the need to grow special. Yet.

Sounds like a magnificent smorgasbord for them.

 

[Kim KorteEllis]

I really sprout sunflower seeds for my family, but many times we don't finish a tray before it's time to start cutting a new tray- that's when the girls get the tray. So, I guess we share the fodder .

 

[MissE]

When I raised meat rabbits, 50% of their diet was fodder. Grew well in my cool basement. If it was much above 65 I would have mold issues.

My chickens have a large area to roam in the summer, but from Oct to April everything is dead or snow covered.

Last year I sprouted wheat in mason jars so they could have some fresh "greens" in the winter. 1/2 cup of berries turns into a quart of sprouts by day 4. I never got around to getting more wheat berries. Imagine my surprise and delight when I found 20lbs in the basement last week. They got their first batch today and it was gone in seconds.

I don't grow the big mats like I did for the rabbits. Instead of 7 days, I go 4. They seem to like it better, and I don't have to worry about them forgetting to bite off pieces instead of swallowing a long piece of wheat grass, and there is little chance for mold on day 4.

I also started a batch of fermented grain. Seems to be going well. Both the sprouts and grain will be as a supplement, not their main food source.

 

[Sally PB]

I'm on my third batch of barley. One thing I did differently this time is rinse the seed several times during its 24 hour soak. I did 12 hours last time; totally forgot about it this time and it went for 24. Seems fine. One of the soaks was with some bleach/water for about half an hour. I mixed up a pint bottle of water and put a scant half teaspoon of bleach in it. It's for watering/rinsing if I see any slime/mold starting.

It's day three, and the little bit of water in the pan is still clear.

 

[Chiknoodle]

What’s fodder?

 

[SurferchickinSB]

Fodder is the process of germinating seeds and feeding the resulting sprouts (and remaining seeds) to your chickens. They will also enjoy eating some fresh greenery especially during the cold months, when nothing fresh grows outside and foraging. What's great about growing fodder is you don't need any soil, any fertilizer or any chemicals.

So we would like to find out: Do Your Grow Fodder For Your Chickens?

Feel free to tell us your experiences in the comments section.

View attachment 2445037

Further Reading:

Its FODDER Season!
Creating Your Own Fodder System
$10 Inexpensive DIY Fodder Tower with Dollar Tree Dish Bins

(Check out more Official BYC Polls HERE!

Fodder is the process of germinating seeds and feeding the resulting sprouts (and remaining seeds) to your chickens. They will also enjoy eating some fresh greenery especially during the cold months, when nothing fresh grows outside and foraging. What's great about growing fodder is you don't need any soil, any fertilizer or any chemicals.

So we would like to find out: Do Your Grow Fodder For Your Chickens?

Feel free to tell us your experiences in the comments section.

View attachment 2445037

Further Reading:

Its FODDER Season!
Creating Your Own Fodder System
$10 Inexpensive DIY Fodder Tower with Dollar Tree Dish Bins

(Check out more Official BYC Polls HERE!)

I do it on a very small scale, just use glass mason jars and grow them on my kitchen counter. My girls love their sprouts and I enjoy them too! Great on any salad or sandwich!

 

[Solanacae]

I've had good luck with small amounts of alfalfa. Chia seeds were a total bust; they turn into goo. Rice was only a tiny bit better. I just ordered some barley to try sprouting; hoping that it grows well and they like it.

Barley is my favorite. Alfalfa is slow, milo (sorghum) is even slower. Wheat is ok, but I can go from dry barley to 2-3” leaves in 5-6 days. As an interesting side note, barley is often used for erosion control because it sprouts and forms a thick root mat quickly.