Sprouted feed

[WildflowerJLH]

For those that feed sprouted grains and such, please tell me how YOU do it. I have seen several websites, but I am curious how you make it work in your home. Since it takes a few days for them to sprout, do you keep some kind of rotation?

Thanks in advance!

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

We just had a good discussion on this in the Alaska section.
Just an FYI on sprouts.
Do not feed them exclusively.

Whole Barley 1 cup 651 calories 135.2 grams Carbs 23 grams Protien

Sprouts 1 cup 15 calories 2.1 grams of carbs 2 grams of protein

2/3rds cup of whole dry grain makes 1 cup of sprouts

 

[familychickenman]

I feed my chickens exclusivley sprouted feed, and I have been doing so for about 1 year. I got the idea from
http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Sprouting.html

They get a mixture of sprouted BOSS, Oats, Barley, Wheat, Beans, and Millet. I soak the mixture overnight in a bucket, and then I pour it into a tray with holes in the bottom of it to drain it. I rinse once a day and sprout them for 3-4 days before feeding them to my chickens.

 

[Organics North]

I feed sprouted BOSS, Wheat and Oats in equal proportion as part of my feed mix.

As far as sprouting I use two 5 gallon pails nested together. The inside bucket has holes drilled in it to drain water. I soak overnight, then rinse and drain twice daily often times more, I aim to maintain a pleasant odor, If I get a foul odor I rinse and drain many more times..

ON

 

[Boo-Boo's Mama]

Quote:
How much of each ingredient do you sprout at a time for how many birds?

I have been making a mash of alfalfa pellets, cooked blackeyed peas, and various other things...today it was crushed red pepper, Purina Layena pellets they refuse to eat and buttermilk (does it have the same good qualities as yogurt?). They tend to rebel if I do not include yogurt in the mash...today they did not complain about the buttermilk.

Since I began feeding alfalfa, their egg yolks have become very dark orange.

I read that grass-fed animals are healthier for us; am hoping the alfalfa helps to replace free range my girls.

 

[MakNugget]

I follow instructions per sproutpeople.com for my wheat grass. VERY easy to grow... actually too easy because I have too much ready right now.

I initially sprouted organic scratch grains but I also wanted to be able to provide them with a steady supply of fresh greens to their diet. I experimented by spreading a bunch of boss/scratch mix in the sand run and covering with mesh until there were about 3" of grass, and they annihilated every shoot, roots and all. That still works in a random sort of way where they come across something that managed to sprout on their own. I don't spread them out like I used to to avoid attracting pests so now I'm on to sprouting indoors.

Like I said, I use the instructions per the above website, and so I have 4x4 trays set up to sprout wheat grass in a soil less medium (baby blanket). This lets me grow 6" of grass that I harvest for the girls, and I can also pull out the remaining seed & root structure cleanly out of the baby blanket and feed to them as well. I cut everything with scissors (about 1") before serving. You can also leave the cut portion in the medium to grow a second time for a tougher stalk. I'm going through my first crop and they love it. My next batch I'm going to stagger 1 tray every few days so that there's a fresh batch ready every few days.

There's really no reason the same principles can't be used for other grains as well. The detail they provide has proven to be extremely helpful.

My routine for grains (not boss) is soak overnight in plenty of water (8-12 hrs),
Rinse well, and DRAIN well to almost dry. Can't stress drain/ventilation enough. My second crop is already looking better due to more drain/shaking.
Repeat rinse/drain procedure 8-12 hours (before work, after work) 3-4 times until there are short root stubs
Plant in a medium, covered, rinse/watered every 24 hours until 3-4"
Uncover and water every 24 hours.

I basically tend to it briefly twice a day until I get the desired result. I do like the baby blanket as a medium, no mess other than water to clean up on the counters.

 

[wolftracks]

I like this thread.

So much easier than searching a huge one.

 

[WildflowerJLH]

Quote:
ON, how many buckets do you have going at once? About how many days does it take from the first day you start a bucket to the day you are ready to feed from that bucket?

 

[spook]

You guys rock, I manage to get sprouts sprouted and then they "sour". So, I need to rinse more and twice a day. We grow wheat grass for the cats and I mix some in their warm mash in the winter, guess I'll try sprouted feed again! TY folks.

 

[Organics North]

Boo-Boo's Mama: How much of each ingredient do you sprout at a time for how many birds?

I keep a 5 gallon pail of sprouts going for 24 to 36 birds at a time, I have a second pail where I "presoak" I just keep adding to the pail, so I have everthing from just soaked, to long root tails and shoots beginning to pop out. I use about 5 cups per day.. I should have two pails so my sprouts can get a little older. I mix my own feed so for my recipe the live grains are wheat, oats, Boss in equal proportions.

:: PS.......... Your mash sounds spectacular!!!!.....

WildflowerJLH: ON, how many buckets do you have going at once? About how many days does it take from the first day you start a bucket to the day you are ready to feed from that bucket?

Two buckets a presoak and then the sprout bucket. I would say most sprouts are 3 to 6 days old.. (I would like to get them a little older, but it is alot of work...)

ON​