Wheat Grass Mold

[glib]

Can you elaborate a bit on what you did with the solutions and what ratio you used?

JT

Peroxide was the original 3% diluted by 10 times. It is best if you wash the grains first because there is a lot of dust in there that will neutralize your peroxide and make it ineffective against bacteria and mold. Bleach was 1 or two tablespoons per gallon, which is cheap. Salt was 4 ounces per gallon.

 

[jthornton]

Just to update this thread a bit I've not found any chemical that prevents mold on the seed hulls. However a procedure change (well several till one worked) has resulted in no mold. I was putting the seeds in a very warm place (85°F) for the first 4 days and lightly covering them with an hour or two soak each morning. I changed to putting them in a cooler spot (72°F) and the mold didn't grow. The couple of days under the grow bulbs I don't cover them so air can circulate and keep them a bit cooler while under the hot grow bulbs. If anyone needs some photos let me know.

JT

 

[syndylli]

Well, they are not sprouting, but they look good to feed to the chickens as is. I don't waste any grain unless it is so full of mold that I don't want to toss it to the chickens. Then it goes into a pallet wood compost bin, moldy grain and all, and eventually will be recycled back into my gardens as compost.

Sorry for responding to an old post, but I've recently started sprouting and growing fodder for my chickies and found this forum. I had been using mason jars to sprout a mix of wild birdseed and wheat successfully. I started throwing in some Purina scratch and found mold growing usually around day 2. Tossed away 3 jars due to mold, which I only fill with a small amount of seed, so it wasn't super wasteful. Stopped using the scratch and no more mold. I had a question about the remaining scratch, if that can still be fed to the chickies, even though they grow mold when I try to sprout them - they don't look moldy at all. That should be safe for the chickies, right?

I also successfully sprouted a tray of wheat and a tray of oat grass last month. It took 2 weeks to grow a good height because I only watered once a day. I started 2 trays of wheat (from the same bag) on 9/9 after soaking for a day. Been watering them twice daily and all was well...until today. I missed the 2nd watering yesterday because my aunt was in the ER. I went to water them this morning and I noticed the empty seed tray I had covering the 2 trays was a bit moist, then I saw the mold. I think it was mold. I watered the trays quickly and went back to the hospital. Came back this evening and looks like the mold is rampant. Can these trays be saved or just toss in compost? Attached some photos.

Wondering if the tray I had on top caused it to be too moist.

 

[gtaus]

I had a question about the remaining scratch, if that can still be fed to the chickies, even though they grow mold when I try to sprout them - they don't look moldy at all. That should be safe for the chickies, right?

Dry feed/scratch should be fine to feed to the chickens if it does not have mold on it. I bought a 50# bag of barley a few years ago it grew more mold than fodder. It must have been older grain. I dumped the moldy fodder into a compost bin that the chickens do not have access to and then used the dry barley as feed. Actually, I mixed that barley in with my chicken scratch and used it all winter as treats. As long as the grain is dry and does not have mold, I would just feed it to the chickens as scratch treats.

Came back this evening and looks like the mold is rampant. Can these trays be saved or just toss in compost?

I personally don't take the chance on it. But I wanted a second opinion so I posed your concerns to Microsoft CoPilot AI. Here is the response I got which corroborates my experience as well.

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...white mold on wheat fodder is a red flag, and it’s generally not safe for chickens. While not all molds are equally toxic, the problem is that you can’t easily identify which ones are harmless and which ones are dangerous just by appearance. And when it comes to poultry, erring on the side of caution is critical.

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Why Moldy Fodder Is Risky​

• Mold = Fungus, and many fungi produce mycotoxins, which are toxic to chickens even in small amounts.
• Common symptoms of mold exposure include:
  • Diarrhea
  • Weight loss
  • Decreased egg production
  • In severe cases: kidney or liver failure, and even death

Even if the mold looks mild or superficial, it can still harbor aflatoxins or other harmful compounds that compromise immune function.

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Are Any Molds Safe?​

• Technically, some molds are not acutely toxic, but there’s no reliable way to distinguish them visually.
• White mold could be Penicillium, Aspergillus, or Fusarium—and all of those can produce dangerous mycotoxins under the right conditions.
• So while some molds might not cause immediate harm, none are considered safe for poultry feed.

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What You Can Do​

• Discard moldy fodder—don’t feed it, even if only part of the tray is affected.
• Improve drainage and airflow in your sprouting trays to prevent mold growth.
• Consider using a light bleach soak (as some growers do) or food-safe mold inhibitors like diluted vinegar or neem oil.
• Keep trays in a well-ventilated, low-humidity environment and rinse seeds thoroughly before sprouting.

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You’ve got the right instincts—if it’s growing fuzz, it’s not worth the risk.

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I hope that is helpful. Let me add that I have been successfully growing barley fodder for the past 5 years every winter when my chickens have no access to fresh greens. I have gone through 3 batches of chickens now, and some like the fresh fodder more than others. Some like to eat the green blades of grass, some eat the seeds that did not sprout, and some like to eat the root mat.

Here is a link to my setup, My $10 Inexpensive DIY Fodder Tower with Dollar Tree Dish Bins. I still think it's one of the best methods to grow fodder using a flood and drain system.

Picture of my fodder bin after 6 days...

With good, fresh grain, I seldom get mold. If I get a small bit of mold, then I use the bleach bath pre-soak, about 1 capful of bleach per bin is all it takes. Then a good rinse before it goes on the fodder rack. Of course, that one year (COVID era) I got old grain that grew lots of mold when I tried to use it to grow fodder. In that case, I just mixed the old dry grain in with my chicken scratch, and it was fine. I later bought a fresh bag from new stock at the feed mill and was able to grow fodder for the last few months of the winter. In my experience, mold is mainly from spores on older grain. My fodder flood and drain system itself, with fresh grain, is almost always mold free.

 

[syndylli]

View attachment 4217428

With good, fresh grain, I seldom get mold. If I get a small bit of mold, then I use the bleach bath pre-soak, about 1 capful of bleach per bin is all it takes. Then a good rinse before it goes on the fodder rack. Of course, that one year (COVID era) I got old grain that grew lots of mold when I tried to use it to grow fodder. In that case, I just mixed the old dry grain in with my chicken scratch, and it was fine. I later bought a fresh bag from new stock at the feed mill and was able to grow fodder for the last few months of the winter. In my experience, mold is mainly from spores on older grain. My fodder flood and drain system itself, with fresh grain, is almost always mold free.

OH!! Your $10 setup was what I saw before that inspired me to grow fodder! I would still like to do it someday, but just don't have the space right now. I really appreciate your insight and thoroughness! Flinging these trays into the compost and starting over. Pretty sure the mold grew because I had the empty tray on top - made it too humid. I only watered once a day before and didn't encounter mold.

Here's my fodder tray from last month!

 

[gtaus]

Flinging these trays into the compost and starting over. Pretty sure the mold grew because I had the empty tray on top - made it too humid. I only watered once a day before and didn't encounter mold.

Your fodder in that picture looks great! I water my fodder bins twice a day, but they have holes in them which allows the water to drain out and gives the seeds a chance to get more air and dry out between watering. I never have any standing water in my bins. I don't know if you have drain holes in your trays, but if not, I suspect you are correct in that the tray stayed too wet for too long and that might have caused the mold to take over.

Although it's too bad if you have to compost some moldy fodder, at least you will end up with good compost. Well, that's what I tell myself. If you find that a batch of your seeds is always moldy in the fodder trays, then maybe just use the bag/batch as dry feed for chicken scratch treats. Again, no waste. The capful of bleach in the pre-soak works great if you see a little bit of mold in your fodder, but mostly under control.

Good luck. After 5 years of growing fodder in the winters, I am still doing it as a nice green treat for my girls when outside there is 2 feet of snow on the ground. The winter fodder helps keep the egg yolks a darker orange instead of a pale yellow if only fed commercial feed. I like the darker orange yolks and think my eggs taste better for it.