sprouts for chickens?

[wildorchid053]

we live where there is snow 5 mos out of the yr. and greens that are left over are hard to come by.. so i was thinking sprouting my own greens.. what Can't they have? or are sprouts not good for them? i just wonder if you put them in a jar with a damp scott towel is that asking for mold or germs that are toxic to them? they do smell kind of musty when you open the lid.. if need be i can plant grass and put it in our southern windows to grow.. is that better?

 

[Wifezilla]

Get a big bag of red clover seeds. Use a mason jar with a screen over the top. Rinse twice a day and have them rest top down so you don't get mold.

Guess what my ducks had for breakfast this morning?

Sprouted clover seeds in water.

 

[LAMchop]

I love the clover seed idea! I've been working on sprouting peas, we'll see how well those go over tomorrow...

 

[rdranch]

This time of year here there is almost nothing green outside for them to eat so I have been sprouting all sorts of stuff. Alfalfa, and Mung Beans were the first. Then I tried Wheat grass and Peas and both worked very well. Also I planted the Wheat Grass and that also is a favorite. Now I am trying sprouting BOSS as I have read some posts here that other people have done this.

I will say that it does take the girls a little while to realize that "hey this stuff is pretty good". I do have some White Clover seed that I was saving to plant this spring but it sounds like I should try that as well. The sprouting jar method works well and doesn't take much time or attention to do. After the sprouts are ready I put the jar on its side in a sunny window for one day so they green up a little and then rinse with water and feed to the girls the next morning. Good Luck and Happy Sprouting!

 

[chick4chix]

I have been sprouting cereal grasses and growing the grass for my girls for a while now- it's so easy and they love it. I don't have a lawn or pasture, and since the greens in winter are harder to come by (my vegetable garden cuttings) I feel this is essential.

I sprout a combination of wheat,barley,oat, rye, and flax seeds. When they have sprouted and have little white shoots coming out- I place them in a plastic container with tiny drainage holes and no soil (their roots will begin to tangle and hold it all together) rinsing &draining thoroughly 2-3 times daily. I place in a sunny window after a day or two to turn green and when the grass is about 6" high I begin cutting it and feeding it to them- they gobble it up.

After doing this several times I then chop up the entire plants- seeds/root/leaves and all and they eat the entire thing. When chopping the seeds it creates almost a "milky" substance and they will drink that too. The girls are gorgeous with glossy feathers and they are healthy. It's super easy & since I already sprout for my family it's easy to add another container at the same time. They get this several times a week.

As a side note- This is not their whole diet - it is a "supplement" to their regular diet of layer pellets- plus they get supplemental worm feedings occasionally from my worm bins- they gobble those up too.

 

[rdranch]

Quote:
Your combination sounds very interesting. I am going into town today and will get some of those grains to try, I really like the idea of the flax seeds. Thanks A Bunch!

 

[chick4chix]

Quote:
Your combination sounds very interesting. I am going into town today and will get some of those grains to try, I really like the idea of the flax seeds. Thanks A Bunch!

Good Luck and happy sprouting! I use an organic sprout mix called "kat grass" from the Sprout People- I forgot to say it also has triticale in it too.