Sprouted Grains

Someone mentioned learning the impact of feeding sprouts/fodder on birthing and kids when their babies began arriving.

I'm wondering if there are any updates? Or if anyone else might have comments to share?

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Proud Mama of eight LaManchas.

Sorry I'm just getting back to this but here is the link. Www.half-pint homestead.com it's a great time to get started before winter hits my goats and chickens LOVE fodder

Ok I have fed fodder through the winter kidding and milking. I have dropped all grain except what they get from the fodder. I do feed alfalfa pellets and extra fodder on milk stand. I still feed hay in winter mainly because I have it and it gives them something to do when there is no browse. If I didn't have hay I would be comfortable leaving it out. I don't have actual numbers or percentages but my milk has not gone down and kids are growing rapidly and very healthy. I would recommend fodder to anyone

Please share your timer models. I am looking at doing this in my utility room. I have never uesed the utility sink and its tucked in a corner, perfect for setting up 6-8 trays.

Please let me know what you have (models) a timer with a pump, or directly on the spigot.

I looked at amazon, and can't seem to find one that waters as many times as we need for this application.

Thanks

OK, since the rest of you are so nice and cordial, I will play Mephistopeles' advocate here.

One has grain, one has hay, one has minerals, one might even have dairy pellets.....sooo...... why on earth would anyone want to go to all the trouble to sprout grain in quantities large enough for a goat?

Did you read the blog?

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Alice
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"No great thing is created suddenly." ~Epictitus

Well, I don't have grain, and I am working on cutting out the alfalfa pellets. I so still have hay, but if it was hard to come by I feel just fine feeding only the fodder. It really isn't going through a bunch of trouble. I spent about 10 minutes a day on it, and I know that my animals are getting fresh food every day with high digestability versus so much waste in grain.

Could I feed sprouted grains instead of dry year-round in place of regular grains? And where are you guys getting all these cheap seeds from...? I just can't find them...! Everything around here is ground up somehow or another it seems or is at least $1/lb!

Feed store!

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Alice
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"No great thing is created suddenly." ~Epictitus

Everything our feed store carries isn't whole grains. Cracked corn, rolled oats, pearled barley... Except for sunflower seeds and bird seeds which are whopping expensive.

Wow. That's limiting.

Are there other feed stores within reasonable driving distance? A mom-and-pop store is more likely to work with you than a Tractor Supply/chain/big box store.

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Alice
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"No great thing is created suddenly." ~Epictitus

Nope. City girl. I live within 30 minutes of Down Town in a suburb, and the feed store I go to is the closest thing to a mom and pop within an hour of me that will actually return my calls/has info available to see what they've got. I go there for my 18% rabbit feed and my chicken feed and the best I have seen there are grain mixed for scratch or livestock mixes and they're all ground/milled/cracked/something. I can try asking around again but, well, feed stores around here are limited. Most carry only 1-2 brands of anything and one of those is always Purina. In fact This is the only feed store within two hours that carries an 18% rabbits feed. Everyone else ONLY carries 16%. I raise meaties, so I need the 18% to balance the lots of hay I feed.

There's all of about one grain elevator in the area and at 2-3lbs of grain a day I just can't see me buying enough grain to meet their likely minimum.

I can get whole corn, whole sunflower seeds, whole nyjer thistle, whole peanuts and whole millet... But only the corn carries a reasonable price. I've been looking online, but the best I can find is human grade 5X's cleaned hard red wheat for $0.90/lb ish. The 5X's cleaned human grain is the cheapest I can find. :| Yeah.

LOL. Just clicked on the link for the sprouting blog, and realized it's Brenda.

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Je ne suis pas Alice

http://homesteadingfamilies.proboards.com/

You should be able to buy wheat fairly easily.

Sometimes it is sold as "seed wheat", but it is simply wheat that has been tested for germination. You want to check closely to see if it has been treated with a fungicide like they do with some other seeds. I have never seen wheat treated that way, but it is possible. Usually things that have been treated will have a red powder on them. It will say on the tag for sure.

Again, I have never seen "treated" wheat seed at the feed store, but since it is possible you need to check. The wheat sells for normal grain prices. If there is GMO wheat seed being sold I am sure it will be very expensive.

I buy "cleaned oats" at the feed store all the time - well, every 4 weeks or so. It does sprout very well (as evidenced by the volunteer oat plants in the garden), and I'm sure it will make a good sprouting grain.

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Je ne suis pas Alice

http://homesteadingfamilies.proboards.com/