Texas

[Teri Metcalf]

Here's a picture of my sprouts right now. I have the Jiffy lid tilted so you can see the simple set up. The tall green one's are oats and ryegrass, and the brown seeds are wheat that I started about 3 days later. I have them on a plastic tub in front of a window.

No soil, just tap water and seeds. Other people have different set-ups, and rinse more often, soak longer, etc. This works for me and is 1x per day. You can feed to chickens at any point.

What a neat idea! In an earlier chapter of my life, I sprouted alfalfa seeds for sandwiches and salads. I'll have to try sprouting birdseed for our girls. They'll love it.

 

[lovingmyhens]

As we near the end of the Year of the Snake (and we enter the year 2014), I have been gifted with a lucky little fellow.

This lucky little guy survived three days in an aquarium with two hungry snakes. He's malnourished (having only eaten small seeds from some cockatiel food) but he's unharmed and he's got a whole lot of spunk. I hope he is a good representation of the year 2014.

I wish you all a very happy New Year!

How did you get to be a chicken lover and your sister didn't?? Misguided soul!

 

[lovingmyhens]

Here's Hawkeye, sitting in our cedar tree trying to decide on supper. Mourning dove or chicken. Bob chased him off right after he took this pic.

He needs to go find a rat or opossum or other sundry rodent. He's very intimidating!

 

[Ms Jellybean]

Here is another option on sprouting.

BoxofPens method is similar to what I saw.

 

[tcmstalcup]

Good morning! Boy is it windy today!!!

I started my new year off with a 'bang'. I decided to make apple chips, using my new mandolin that my son gave me. I should have used the guard earlier.... Ceramic blades are really, really sharp!

I put New Skin on it which made it hurt like the blazes and bleed more. I cleaned that off and put 3M skin crack repair on it. It didn't hurt but it did bleed more. It's stopped now I think.

Here are the apple chips ready for the oven. They smell good.


I think my idea to use a chain saw to cut my ice damaged ligustrums down today probably isn't a good idea.

I gave up a chunk of finger on Thanksgiving slicing potatoes with mine. OUCH

 

[hensfortherapy]

Sprouting seeds is really easy.  Make sure you start with seeds that don't have any treatments to improve germination.

Soak your seed in water for 12 to 24 hours.  I just soak them over night in a big container.  I change the water frequently.  Once they have been soaked in water, all you need to do is keep rinsing them so no molds or bacteria grow.  The seeds need a lot of air circulation.  I rinse my seeds thoroughly many times a day.  You can also rinse with a chlorine solution but that isn't necessary if you keep rinsing them many times a day.  I keep them in a strainer over a big bowl, so all water drains out but they remain moist.  You can cover them with something to increase humidity, but that isn't really necessary if you rinse many times a day.  Most seeds start to sprout after just a few days.  You can feed it when they are swollen, before you see a sprout, and they should have many of the benefits of a sprouted seed.

The trick to sprouting seeds is to change the water frequently and rinse frequently.  Day 1, I soak in water.  Day 2, they are just rinsed and not submerged in water.  I generally soak only over night.   I start feeding them after a few days, even if I don't see any sprouting.

Thanks for the sprouting info. I am trying it now.

 

[MelTX]

That sounds like a plan!! The coop looks really nice. What do your other chickens live in?

I think this coop will be really neat when finished. I don't have any chickens yet, I'm waiting until I get their house made and then I have to go on the hunt for Buff Orps.

 

[lovingmyhens]

...

I think this coop will be really neat when finished. I don't have any chickens yet, I'm waiting until I get their house made and then I have to go on the hunt for Buff Orps. 
[/quote

Ah yes, the old horse before the cart thing! Good plan. I was so excited to get mine that I nearly got mine without a coop!

 

[LBejaran]

How did you get to be a chicken lover and your sister didn't?? Misguided soul!

Olive, my sister, loves all sorts of animals but she really loves her snakes, haha! My chickens kind of creep her out, too, because she had to feed them for me once when I was away. Chicks had just hatched and were running around, so she kept losing count of them; feeding them was scary because she didn't know that hungry chickens looked like tiny, feathered velociraptors, haha!

She mostly feeds her snakes rats, but sometimes the feed store runs out, so she has to use chicks. It's probably a rooster, but that doesn't matter. I need new blood in the flock anyway, and I love pretty roosters!

 

[hensfortherapy]