Kassaundra
Power Conserver
It needs to stay moist, not dry out, but also tends to sour, so you rinse to prevent the sour.BarredBuff said:
The Homesteader's Way of Feeding Chickens
- Thread starter BarredBuff
- Start date
Beekissed
Mountain Sage
One says you can't get sprouts in three days and one says you can.....so...which is it? Can you sprout grain in three days or does it depend on the warmth of the area, light exposure or not, the type of grain, etc.?
I can see where this method would be great for saving on money/grain consumption during lean times....but for a busy person who doesn't have a lot of space to store buckets, nor a place to rinse all those buckets and the time to keep it organized and going...well, it sounds like a mess!
One would just about need a big utility room with a sink/drain, shelves, etc. to have that much grain sprouting going on.
I can see where this method would be great for saving on money/grain consumption during lean times....but for a busy person who doesn't have a lot of space to store buckets, nor a place to rinse all those buckets and the time to keep it organized and going...well, it sounds like a mess!
One would just about need a big utility room with a sink/drain, shelves, etc. to have that much grain sprouting going on.
kcsunshine
Almost Self-Reliant
Good thing I just have a few birds - I can keep them a quart jar going all the time - but if I decide to try to sprout for the rabbits, I would have a mess.
I'm going to try to ferment some corn - it hsould be cracked, right? And not scratch? Oh lordy, look out for drunk birds wandering down Hwy 129.
I'm going to try to ferment some corn - it hsould be cracked, right? And not scratch? Oh lordy, look out for drunk birds wandering down Hwy 129.
- Thread starter
- #104
BarredBuff
El Presidente de Pollo
I think I want to sprout them in soil and feed them those sprouts. The other is confusing me...yes I know Im retarded.
kcsunshine
Almost Self-Reliant
BBuff, you're not retarded. I wish I was as wise as you when I was a young sprout. (Pun intended)
Why don't you try just a small jar of grain to sprout while sprouting some more on dirt (which will take longer, I'm sure). That way, if you're jar of sprouts don't work like you think it should, you still have the grains in the dirt. Keep them moist (not soppy wet) or they won't germinate.
Why don't you try just a small jar of grain to sprout while sprouting some more on dirt (which will take longer, I'm sure). That way, if you're jar of sprouts don't work like you think it should, you still have the grains in the dirt. Keep them moist (not soppy wet) or they won't germinate.
- Thread starter
- #106
BarredBuff
El Presidente de Pollo
Okay thanks KC!!!
lwheelr
Lovin' The Homestead
Ok, the three day thing, is the same as the soil thing.
Three days for many grains to get roots. You can feed at this point.
More than three days for some grains to get roots.
More than three days for pretty much everything to get green.
Soil if you want it to get green and grow for a bit so you can cut it.
The big difference between soil, and no soil, is, do you want to cut it off and feed them the tops, or do you want to feed them the seeds too?
If you want to feed them the seeds, sprout them without soil.
Three days for many grains to get roots. You can feed at this point.
More than three days for some grains to get roots.
More than three days for pretty much everything to get green.
Soil if you want it to get green and grow for a bit so you can cut it.
The big difference between soil, and no soil, is, do you want to cut it off and feed them the tops, or do you want to feed them the seeds too?
If you want to feed them the seeds, sprout them without soil.
- Thread starter
- #108
BarredBuff
El Presidente de Pollo
I would actually rather feed them the tops. But I have got to find aplace to put buckets for this growing.
lwheelr
Lovin' The Homestead
You can do cracked or whole grain for fermented. I use a mix with whole barley, whole oats, and cracked corn as the base, so the pieces are all about the same size. That base works well for poultry and goats, probably for cattle also.
You can do it with just water if you don't have some kind of jump-start bacteria, it is just faster if you toss in some yogurt, a little raw milk, live whey, etc.
I've been feeding our chicks fermented grains (no unfermented grains) for quite a while now. The loss rates went way down, some that were wobbly toughened up. No drunken minors either, though this new batch of chicks does have a tendency to fly up on top of the water jars and try to escape the brooder more than the previous batch did!
As soon as I have enough buckets, I'm going totally to fermented or sprouted grains (instead of dry grains) for all of the animals. They'd still get hay, and veg, but all their grain will be fermented.
Someone else can probably explain the fermentation process better than I can, and why it increases nutrients. I don't know the chemistry, I just know that it made a big difference in the health of our chicks, and we don't feed them any commercial chick starter.
I toss in mixed barley, cracked corn and oats, plus some finch seed, thistle seed, cracked shelled sunflower seed (for the chicks - shelled but not cracked for the chickens and ducks), and wheat. For chicks, I substitute cracked wheat instead of whole wheat, and cornmeal instead of cracked corn, oatmeal instead of whole oats. They can transition to the more whole stuff between 2 and 3 weeks, though I do keep them on cracked wheat longer than that because they just grow a bit better that way.
I'll also be adding in rye as soon as I can find some. Was going to order feed two weeks ago, but then we knew we were going to move, and weren't sure it would get here in time.
I keep my feed going for about 1-2 weeks before I start fresh again. Similar to sourdough starter, only more flexible. I use a 1 gallon container, and when it gets down to about 1/4 I refill and get it wet again - but I don't add any milk or whey when refilling. I only have to refill the container every few days, so it isn't a lot of work.
I replace mine periodically because we have a high amount of some mold types that seem to like to settle into the chick feed if I leave it too long.
Nice thing is, it only takes maybe a quarter cup of raw milk, or a couple tablespoons of kefir, or live whey, or yogurt to jump start it, so I don't have to feel like I'm wasting milk if I have to use raw milk.
You can do it with just water if you don't have some kind of jump-start bacteria, it is just faster if you toss in some yogurt, a little raw milk, live whey, etc.
I've been feeding our chicks fermented grains (no unfermented grains) for quite a while now. The loss rates went way down, some that were wobbly toughened up. No drunken minors either, though this new batch of chicks does have a tendency to fly up on top of the water jars and try to escape the brooder more than the previous batch did!
As soon as I have enough buckets, I'm going totally to fermented or sprouted grains (instead of dry grains) for all of the animals. They'd still get hay, and veg, but all their grain will be fermented.
Someone else can probably explain the fermentation process better than I can, and why it increases nutrients. I don't know the chemistry, I just know that it made a big difference in the health of our chicks, and we don't feed them any commercial chick starter.
I toss in mixed barley, cracked corn and oats, plus some finch seed, thistle seed, cracked shelled sunflower seed (for the chicks - shelled but not cracked for the chickens and ducks), and wheat. For chicks, I substitute cracked wheat instead of whole wheat, and cornmeal instead of cracked corn, oatmeal instead of whole oats. They can transition to the more whole stuff between 2 and 3 weeks, though I do keep them on cracked wheat longer than that because they just grow a bit better that way.
I'll also be adding in rye as soon as I can find some. Was going to order feed two weeks ago, but then we knew we were going to move, and weren't sure it would get here in time.
I keep my feed going for about 1-2 weeks before I start fresh again. Similar to sourdough starter, only more flexible. I use a 1 gallon container, and when it gets down to about 1/4 I refill and get it wet again - but I don't add any milk or whey when refilling. I only have to refill the container every few days, so it isn't a lot of work.
I replace mine periodically because we have a high amount of some mold types that seem to like to settle into the chick feed if I leave it too long.
Nice thing is, it only takes maybe a quarter cup of raw milk, or a couple tablespoons of kefir, or live whey, or yogurt to jump start it, so I don't have to feel like I'm wasting milk if I have to use raw milk.
lwheelr
Lovin' The Homestead
I know what you mean about finding space too. And working it into the routine. It can be really confusing.
Do you sprout AND ferment? Do you just do one or the other, and if so, which? Do you supplement protein for the chickens? And how do you balance it all?
And then there's greens - do you let the sprouts grow so they are sprouts AND greens, or just use them one way or the other?
And then if you want to do it the BEST way, you have to have buckets for sprouts, buckets for fermented grain, trays or greenhouse space for greens or field forage space.
I'm still working out a lot of that. The payoff is in the eggs and milk. When there is more of that, I know I'm onto something good, so I keep experimenting. When production goes up in the winter, and I've just changed their feed, something good happened.
Frankly though, it will be a relief to move where it is warm enough that there is still some grass available, so I don't HAVE to do quite so much of it on my own. Winter animal husbandry is more expensive in colder climates, that is for sure.
Do you sprout AND ferment? Do you just do one or the other, and if so, which? Do you supplement protein for the chickens? And how do you balance it all?
And then there's greens - do you let the sprouts grow so they are sprouts AND greens, or just use them one way or the other?
And then if you want to do it the BEST way, you have to have buckets for sprouts, buckets for fermented grain, trays or greenhouse space for greens or field forage space.
I'm still working out a lot of that. The payoff is in the eggs and milk. When there is more of that, I know I'm onto something good, so I keep experimenting. When production goes up in the winter, and I've just changed their feed, something good happened.
Frankly though, it will be a relief to move where it is warm enough that there is still some grass available, so I don't HAVE to do quite so much of it on my own. Winter animal husbandry is more expensive in colder climates, that is for sure.
