Questions. Help please

[CindyinSD]

About sprouting... you've been given some good advice (about very many things of which I was also glad to learn) and as Azygous says, you can sprout in a jar with screen over the top. Your idea of a lunch meat container will work, too. Drill or have someone help you drill some small drain holes in the lowest places of the container.

Soak the grain overnight. In the morning take it to the sink with your lunchmeat container. Pour it into the drilled container and allow it to drain. Set your container in a small wash tub or anything big enough to hold it and protect your furniture from dripping water. Drape a damp towel over it and leave it in a nice warm place until evening. Rinse in the sink with the sprayer if you have one, let drain, drape and return it to its warm spot. You may see tiny "tails" poking out by next morning. Rinse in this way twice a day.

Once the sprouts are around three days old or have started growing upward, stop draping it and continue to rinse twice a day. It will form a mat of roots at the bottom. You should now place it near a window for a bit of extra light. It will green up. Make sure to turn it regularly so each side has a turn being closest to the sun. When the wheat or barley or oat grass is an inch or two tall, feed some to Baby Goose. You can cut off squares with a paring knife or similar. Keep it in the fridge, maybe in a puffed up baggie, for two or three days, maybe longer. mine has never lasted long enough to find out how long it would stay good.

 

[MGG]

I use a gallon glass jar to sprout. But you can use anything. Have you sprouted before? If so, you know that you need to rinse and drain all the water off the grain as it's sprouting or it can go skanky. I rubberband a scrap of window screen over the mouth so all I have to do is pour water in and then shake and drain it by simply inverting the jar. It allows for good air flow, too. Once the sprouts are the size you wish, you can drain them well and refrigerate until Silly is ready to eat them.

No, I haven't sprouted before. Thanks that's a good idea.

 

[MGG]

I used to give my geese spinach leaves when they were babies. They went bonkers for them. Just nuts. I sprinkled the leaves into their water. They weren't (and aren't) pets, but they sure came for spinach, I might have to pick some up for them next time I go to town...

Thanks for the tip. Just out of curiosity though, isn't spinach "bad" for birds? I thought I heard it blocks calcium absorption? I'm sure in small quantities it's fine, just curious what you think of that.

 

[MGG]

You can drizzle some honey over it or stir in a spoonful of jelly or jam. I like it that way.

In my experience, fermentation will start with nothing more than the wild yeasts in the air--even in a cold garage. A day or two and if you're fermenting his flock raiser, it'll smell like bread rising in there. Just pour in enough warm water to make it slightly soggy, stir, and wait. The feed will soak up the extra water as it ferments.

I would be careful fermenting the alfalfa cubes. Make sure they don't get slimy. They may be just fine--I don't know, though. If you want a starter for them, ACV with active cultures (aka the "mother") will give your initial ferment a boost. After that, you don't need much more than the unrinsed bucket from the previous ferment. It's been my experience that the ferment will be active by evening if you soak the feed/grain in the morning.

I do give my geese alfalfa hay. They don't eat it when I'm there, but they're using the bales for a nest and maybe eating it.

I do a 5 gallon bucket every evening of mixed grains and soybean meal. In the morning it smells wonderful. I feed chickens, geese, ducks & turkeys out of that all day, then start over in the evening. If you make too much to feed in one day it will start to smell sour. That's okay. My birds seem to love it even more. Try to use it all up by three days, though--just in case. A white growth (should you see one) is yeast and may be stirred back in. A black or red or other scary color is spoilage and should be bagged and discarded immediately and everything washed thoroughly and disinfected. I have never had this happen but people in the southern lands sometimes report it. We northerners have other things to deal with.

Thanks for your detailed post, that helps a lot! I live in SD too and boy it's cold here. We had a few nice days though

 

[MGG]

About sprouting... you've been given some good advice (about very many things of which I was also glad to learn) and as Azygous says, you can sprout in a jar with screen over the top. Your idea of a lunch meat container will work, too. Drill or have someone help you drill some small drain holes in the lowest places of the container.

Soak the grain overnight. In the morning take it to the sink with your lunchmeat container. Pour it into the drilled container and allow it to drain. Set your container in a small wash tub or anything big enough to hold it and protect your furniture from dripping water. Drape a damp towel over it and leave it in a nice warm place until evening. Rinse in the sink with the sprayer if you have one, let drain, drape and return it to its warm spot. You may see tiny "tails" poking out by next morning. Rinse in this way twice a day.

Once the sprouts are around three days old or have started growing upward, stop draping it and continue to rinse twice a day. It will form a mat of roots at the bottom. You should now place it near a window for a bit of extra light. It will green up. Make sure to turn it regularly so each side has a turn being closest to the sun. When the wheat or barley or oat grass is an inch or two tall, feed some to Baby Goose. You can cut off squares with a paring knife or similar. Keep it in the fridge, maybe in a puffed up baggie, for two or three days, maybe longer. mine has never lasted long enough to find out how long it would stay good.

Thanks! I will do that. Will grain from the elevator be "sprout-able" or will I have to find somewhere else to get it?

 

[CindyinSD]

Thanks for the tip. Just out of curiosity though, isn't spinach "bad" for birds? I thought I heard it blocks calcium absorption? I'm sure in small quantities it's fine, just curious what you think of that.

You may well be right. It's the first I've heard it. Will have to check into it. Thanks!

 

[CindyinSD]

Thanks! I will do that. Will grain from the elevator be "sprout-able" or will I have to find somewhere else to get it?

Just make sure it's intended as livestock feed. If it's for planting it may have been treated. Either way it should sprout just fine. Mine is also from an elevator.

 

[MGG]

You're welcome! I've heard kale is better but I'm sure spinach is ok in small quantities.

 

[MGG]

Just make sure it's intended as livestock feed. If it's for planting it may have been treated. Either way it should sprout just fine. Mine is also from an elevator.

Ok, I will.

 

[MGG]

I'm leaving fora trip in a week and a half. I'll be gone for about 2 weeks. Any tips for me to tell the neighbor who will take care of him? I'm really scared to leave him after the stunt he just pulled. I don't know who I can find to grow him fodder and ferment his feed, and inspect his poops. I got him a night light (well technically a day light) to go in his coop because he'll have to be shut in there basically the whole time, and it isn't very bright in there. It has an on off switch. The neighbor will turn it on in the morning and turn it off at night. There will be no way for him to chew it. I also got him a mirror so he can see himself. TIA