Sprouting Wheat

[gtaus]

There should be a date on the bag of seed - showing when it was packaged. Maybe start taking a sniff when you open a bag and see if you can detect an off or odd odor?

At the feed mill, they bag their own seeds and there is no date on their tags. In fact, they do not even have any tag on the bags at all so you better remember what you bought before you put it into storage. Also, the bagging date might not be as important as the harvest date of the seed. I think the bad bag of barley seed I got was some old stock in a farmer's silo and he just wanted to clear it out. At any rate, you get what comes out of their main chute and they only guarantee that the seed is fit for dry feed - not guaranteed to have a high germination rate for fodder.

I can get a 100# bag of barley seed for about $8.00. If the seed is good for fodder, that is wonderful. If the seed in that batch is not good for fodder, I just mix it into my chicken scratch and it's still a good deal. Either way, the chickens will eat it. I just like to grow fodder in the winter as that is the only greens my chickens will see until the grass starts growing the next spring. It's a nice treat for the girls instead of just eating their commercial layer feed.

 

[jthornton]

Here is a link to the article I posted, lots of pictures.... My $10 Inexpensive DIY Fodder Tower with Dollar Tree Dish Bins

Thanks for the link. Nice write up on your system. I was going to ask why you didn't just have a tubby on the floor to catch the last run off but kept reading and see you use the spare bath and dump into that now.

I have different results from soaking, I can't tell the difference between 12 hour and 24 hour soak. I get good germination from both with just a few seeds in the bottom that don't germinate.

Do you have any problem with roots growing through the holes? I had a more elaborate system a few years ago and that was always a problem for me. not to mention the mess in the bathtub lol.

JT

 

[gtaus]

I have different results from soaking, I can't tell the difference between 12 hour and 24 hour soak. I get good germination from both with just a few seeds in the bottom that don't germinate.

I gave the results I had with soaking my barley seed. I suspect that other grains may have different optimal soaking times. There was a related thread on soaking times for fodder using oats, and that guy had his best results with 2 hour soaking time. My suggestion is try a number of bins at different soaking times for your seeds and record the results to fine tune your optimal process.

Do you have any problem with roots growing through the holes?

I drilled my holes large enough to let water flow freely from one bin on top to the next bin below. The drill holes were not large enough to let the barley seeds through. I did not have any problems with roots blocking the drill holes. As the root mat develops, it might slow down the water flow from one bin to another, but it never was an issue.

When I had the tower in the garage, I had a collection bin for water on the bottom of the tower. When I moved the tower to the bathroom, I just let the water drain out into the bathtub and down the drain. If you are concerned about foreign matter clogging your drain, then you might want to put a filter/sponge/hair net over the drain hole to catch anything before it goes down the drain pipe. I did not have a problem clogging the drain, but it might be a good idea to protect your pipes.

 

[jthornton]

Update: 8 days later and taking 2 minutes of my busy schedule every morning to soak the wheat grass seeds in a ~5% solution (1 tablespoon to 1 cup water) of Sodium Hypochlorite (bleach) for ~30 or so minutes and I have ZERO mold on my sprouts. I call that a winner!

JT

 

[gtaus]

Update: 8 days later and taking 2 minutes of my busy schedule every morning to soak the wheat grass seeds in a ~5% solution (1 tablespoon to 1 cup water) of Sodium Hypochlorite (bleach) for ~30 or so minutes and I have ZERO mold on my sprouts. I call that a winner!

JT

I'd certainly call that a win!

Just to clarify your method, do you soak your fodder seeds in the blech solution for 30 mins everyday? I ask this because I initially soak my barley seeds for about 12 hours (which could be a bleach solution), but then with my tower system the water floods the upper bin and drains out to the bin below. So other than the initial 12 hour soaking on day 0 in a bin without drain holes, my seeds do not get a daily soaking of any time -- maybe 1 minute as the water drains out the holes in the upper bin(s) and into the lower bin(s).

I had a bad bag of barley seed last year that grew lots of mold, so if you found a way to kill the mold, then I really want to know your method. If I get a bad bag of seed again this year, knowing how you managed to kill your mold issue might help me, too. Thanks.

 

[jthornton]

Just to clarify your method, do you soak your fodder seeds in the bleach solution for 30 mins everyday?

No, the ~30 minute soak in a 5% bleach solution is only done once before the initial soak. This kills any spores on the surface of the seeds quite nicely.

So my method for Wheat Grass using my trays is:
~30 minutes in 5% bleach solution then rinse with cold water in a strainer then put them in a tray to join the other trays. The first day I soak for 24 hours.
Each morning I soak for an hour or two with 1 jigger of Hydrogen Peroxide and about 3/4 gallon of water.
The first 4 days they are lightly covered and are in a warm place (proofing box set to 75°F.
The rest of the days are spent in the window so they can get light.

JT

 

[gtaus]

No, the ~30 minute soak in a 5% bleach solution is only done once before the initial soak. This kills any spores on the surface of the seeds quite nicely.

Thanks, just wanted to be sure what you were doing since you have reported great success in killing the mold. Nothing more damaging to growing fodder than ending up with a bin full of mold that you have to throw out into the compost pile. Thanks for highlighting your method.

 

[Sally PB]

Yes, thanks. Tucking this info away for future use, should I need it.

 

[WIchickMama]

A few photos of harvest time and their disappearing act.
View attachment 2264694

Rhode Island Red Hens
View attachment 2264695

Cinnamon Queen Chicks... did I say Chicks they are pretty big...
View attachment 2264696

JT

So they get the kernels and all? That is the part I am/was struggling with. thanks for the help!

 

[jthornton]

So they get the kernels and all?

Yes they gets the seeds or what's left of them. Scratch is full of seeds...

JT