Bee~ Journal of then...

[Farmfresh]

I don't sprout quite the quantity you are talking about, but I use half gallon canning jars with a stainless screen top instead of the lid and turned on it's side. Things sprout really well in there. I wait until the seeds are truly spouting and the roots form a mat then dump them into a plastic ware container to green them up.

 

[Beekissed]

Free, an article I read about sprouting tells to spread your grain in a shallow pan, like a cake pan, and just lay a damp towel or feed sack over it and set it in a warm place. Says should have sprouts in 3-4 days and to make sure the towel stays damp. That method didn't have the grain sitting in water....

This steel mesh is about 3x3 ft. and pretty tightly woven.


Went to visit my sheep today and got to hold a few of the little ones......oh, so sweet and cuddly! And smell like fresh hay! I'm getting so excited about having my own as this breed is so calm and sweet. They seem to have a very intelligent demeanor, alert and observant. I am so liking this breed! And the colors are amazing! I'm in the country of the cream sheep with black faces. These sheep are spotted and speckled, white, brown, black, red....you name it and they have pretty colors and patterns. So beautiful! Its going to be so hard to make a choice!

 

[freemotion]

Yeah, I've done some sprouting on a smaller scale with success, but it is the larger scale....not really all that big, just want to get to actual grass that is green....this is causing some challenges. They will get slimy if not rinsed, and moldy, too. It takes a LOOOONG time for barley and/or oats to get to the grass stage. I've been using buckets with holes drilled and I set up a piece of hose in a scrub sink over a sump pump in my cellar. By the time I see little blades appearing, the gallon of grain is one big, tangled mass and only the top portion has anything resembling grass. In 3-4 days, there is just a little 1/4" sprout forming, which does dramatically increase nutrient availability. I've been happy with that, as it solves the increased protein needs problem quite easily. But I also want to get some vegetable matter into the producing critters and do so very cheaply, throughout our winters here.

So I am thinking of using the buckets until the sprouts are forming roots (5-6 days), then dumping them onto trays before they get too matted. Then the trays can be rotated near the windows to green up. But everything needs daily rinsing or white fur grows! I tried disposable cake pans, but they were too flimsy and got warped and didn't drain well.

I'll be giving up the project once I have something green in the pasture, and will be on the lookout for a solution in time for winter again. I do notice that the sprouts form grass blades much more quickly now that spring is in the air!

When do we get to see pictures of the lambs???

 

[Farmfresh]

Free - I think the moving them to the pan after they root sounds best.

I would hit the local thrift stores for some pans or even a restaurant supply - I bought some USED commercial half sheet pans for a couple of bucks each at mine. They are very heavy duty stainless steel and have a nice raised edge all around.

I would also increase ventilation - a small fan maybe?

 

[freemotion]

Great idea with the restaurant supply, FF! They are going out of business in droves here, sadly for them (I only eat at a restaurant when I have no other option, like travelling for more than a day or two.) So I imagine if I can find the supply places I will find lots of cheap stainless. Time to upgrade some of my pans, and maybe find a couple more big, stainless stock pots!

 

[Beekissed]

Free, you won't believe this but.....I took my camera and was so excited and entranced by all the variety of colors and the sheer life force in that barn that I didn't take one pic!! It was so peaceful, sweet smelling, tranquil and outright bucolic that I didn't even remember to pull my camera out of my pocket! I could have sat down on a hay bale and stayed all evening, I kid you not!

I cannot wait to have some of my own....I don't think I've ever wanted an animal as bad as I want some of these sheep......well, except when I wanted horses in my teens...but this is different. All cuteness aside, watching the mothering going on made my heart swell with tenderness and I wanted to have that feeling of being part of the process.

That yearly confirmation of life springing and leaping across the ground. Sort of the feeling I get when I walk through my gardens and notice my seedlings breaking ground, when they blossom and I hold that golden sunrise in my hand, when I pick that first tender fruit... I want to be a part of God's miracle with those animals. I want to nurture them to great health, watch them bear young and help them grow and see how it all turns out.

I think I'm hormonal......

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

I think I'm hormonal......

Awwwwwwwww!!!!

So you have a soft side after all

 

[justusnak]

Oh Bee.....I SOOooo know where you are coming from. I am trying to find a day when I can go sit with MY sheep. They are patiently waiting for my lazy butt to get the pasture done. The one is preggers! I just wish I could be there to see the lamb born. I dont think there is anything as sweet as a new born lamb. I have seen lots of baby farm animals...but lambs take the cake. I wish I could have been there with you! Hopefully it wont be long, before I get my first sheep. I cant remember...which breed are you getting!?? I am gettin shetlands. So pretty...short tailed, so no docking...and great wool!
Oh, and yes...it DOES sound like you might be a little hormonal!

 

[Beekissed]

To you both!!! Yeah, I'm hormonal and a big softy sometimes.....who knew?

Justy, you are going to snuggle that baby lamb to death! I know I will...the ewes will get sick of sharing the babies with me!

I am getting some hair sheep and they have tails like you describe also. One lamb was all black with the entire tail snow white...and the tail had long hairs on it so he looked like a small horse! There was one black with white speckles and two snow white ears....I got to huggle that one too! Little mouths saying little soft "baas".....my heart broke!

I am going to spend alot of time with them at first so I can become the herd leader....and it will help if I have a handful of sheep treats every time I go out there!

I'm putting collars and bells on them also, with their own name tags. I have to name one Little Betty and call her Lil' Bee, after my favorite aunt. The other one will be Starlight. We will call her Star, for short.

 

[lorihadams]

Bee you are too sweet!

You are also getting me in trouble! I am currently reading All Flesh is Grass and it is driving my husband crazy! I am so excited about everything I'm reading it is killing me! I am loving the idea of pasturing animals and rotational grazing and now I want sheep!!!

I'm really happy for you and I can't wait to see pics!