Well, I started my fodder system
 

2nd day into it with 2 trays out I realized I was feeding the birds so had to cover it with screen lol

Guess your fodder and my definition are not the same.

Around here, fodder is the corn plant that has been chopped after the ear of corn is removed.

Or a corn crop that is chopped and put in the silo in a bad year when it was so dry the ears didn't develop and all you have is the plant.

Gene

What he is calling fodder most people would call "sprouting grain", or just sprouts.

Usually sprouts are the fancy version for human consumption in bread and salads such as broccoli, mung bean, arugula sprouts etc... often grown in the little round or square containers sold in stores for such use.

Fodder grains are normally barley, wheat, or black oil sunflower seeds, used for livestock and may range from 5 gallon bucket contraptions or draining 1020 trays, to the huge automatic fodder systems Farmtek sells.

Yes I know that, I have a "sprout farm" right down the road from me, he has two little trays, he is growing sprouts not fodder.

What you describe as fodder, I call ensilage. The OLD time term for fodder was when they went out and cut stalks down that were green and just fed the whole stalk to the cows or hogs. Theyed only cut what they needed for the day or 2

I agree with Rich. Id call it sprouting grain myself, but everybody on U Tubes calls it fodder, and they for the most part are homesteaders sooooooooooooooo

Fodder is just an advanced stage of sprouts. Both are excellent
livestock feed supplements. I grow a mix of wheat and field
peas. A week to 10 days growing of this, then feed to my chickens,
And othe poultry. The game birds like it the best.

Do you put in the garden soil in the top and bottom? I havnt yet, but I just started so I havnt seen the results of not putting it in yet. Im going to start tomorrow, see what the difference is.

You don't need soil. The seed will sprout and grow to 6" or more in height without anything else in the pan.

You also don't need light (you mention putting screen over them to keep wild birds out). They can be grown in the dark just fine, I grow mine in the basement without lights.

Temperature is a bit more critical. They grow best if you keep them at 65-70 degrees. Below that, they will grow but slow down quite a bit. My basement stays in the 55-60 range, and I find it takes about 10 days to do what it will do in 7 days in a 70 degree room. So I built my racks to hold 10 trays.

I use Rubbermaid white plastic trays with holes drilled in one end, and keep the trays (10) in a rack with a plastic tub on the bottom that holds about 25 gallons of water, a small pump in the tank, a timer that turns the pump on every 3 hours for 10 minutes. I did start with 10x20 seed flats, but found them too flimsy.

Pump fills a copper pipe "T" with holes drilled in it, the top trays drain into the ones below (mounted on a slight slope, holes to the low end), and back into the base tub.

I get one tray per day off the system.....enough to supplement 30 hens with some greens during the winter. I use winter wheat seed, it's cheap and available at my local farm store. I sprout about 200lbs over the course of a winter. My last trays are coming off now, so in 10 days, I won't feed them this anymore, the local area is greening up enough.

7 days growth in a seed flat on kitchen counter: (Temp in the 70+ range)

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a3.../?tn=860052150


Rack I use now:
Front:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a3.../?tn=803503856

Side:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a3.../?tn=561218571


Back:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a3...tn=-2035062708


http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a3...?tn=-643074543

I like your system there Andy.
I only see eight trays there and I do not see where you can put the other two. Do you know how well the seeds will sprout in 70 to 85 F? I can get different temperatures in different parts of my basement but the wood stove down there really keeps most of the basement warm. I suppose I should use smaller trays for just eight chickens? Is that what they eat or just something they like to go with the regular chicken grower or whatever you use.

Yeah, the pics only show 8 trays, because that is the way I first built it. It was a work in progress. My first sprouting was in 10x20 seed flats on the kitchen counter (first pic above), and I was basing my time on that.

After a while, seeing the time it took more time in the cooler basement, and wanting to get a nice, lush tray off each day, I added two more trays to the bottom by simply adding a few of strips of wood to the frame, allowing space for 2 more trays. Ten trays seems to be the right amount for me, given the temps I work with.

The whole idea behind mine ( and it IS a copy of other folks work with some minor modifications of my own) is ease of growing and automation. It takes me less than 10 minutes per morning to deal with while on my way to check the chickens feed and water situation.

I pull a tray off, and have tray #11 (just saves another trip to the basement) already washed to dump seed in I've soaked in a 2gal bucket overnight. I let the soaking water drain off, then put that tray in the place of the empty slot for the one I'm taking to the chickens today,

Scoop a couple "Cool Whip" containers of wheat seed kept in a trash barrel (holds 100lbs seed easy) back in the 2 gal bucket, fill about 1/2way with water, let it soak overnight, and the basement part is done. 3-4 minutes.

At the chicken pen, I simply toss the pan contents out in their yard and they dive in.

Then take that pan back to the house and wash thoroughly for the next day. 3-4 minutes.

Higher temp will make them grow faster, but I think if you get TOO high (like up in the 80+ range), you may develop a mold problem. 70-75, I think you'd be fine. We have a wood stove down there too, but only run it when the outside temps dip into the low teens or below....and I notice when we do, the sprouts grow much quicker....so temperature IS a factor.

Also, we wash the trays after each round before starting another round, AND I find I have to empty the big tub (which is a mortar mixing tub from Lowes) about every 8-10 days, because the water gets "funky", stinky, like near fermenting, from draining thru all the tubs of grain round after round. So if you use this design, be aware you'll need to be able to dump the tub/wash from time to time. I put the whole frame on casters so I can roll it over to the garage door and dump it.

The fodder is a supplement for our laying hens. They are still fed all the 16% layer feed they want...this just gives them some greens/sprouted seed in addition to they commercial feed they will eat. My understanding is IF you want eggs, you need 16% protein to get a reliable supply, and I have no clue what the protein content of fodder is....but I do know they love it.

Some people argue (and maybe rightly so) that you gain nothing from sprouting...grain is grain, and the dry weight of fodder is no more than the dry weight of the original grain, and all that MAY be so....but when I see them dive into it versus eating dry, commercial ration, I have to think they are on to something. Seems like sprouted grain has to develop more enzymes and vitamins than dry grain, so I intend to keep right on doing it during the winter months.

For 8 chickens, you could try a whole tray per day.....they'd probably eat it....or you could simply set up a 4 tray system and feed them 1/2 of one per day.

I can either get Feed wheat or SEED wheat. SEED wheat is much cleaner but cost much more. Feed wheat looks like they swept the floor after the day was over grinding and milling and pitched it into the feed wheat bags.
I have no cellar or other place to keep it. I wanted it near the chickens and the water, which it is at around 80ft to the chickens and 30 to the water.
Ive fought the chickens getting into it all afternoon. Ive went out there 7 times to do more fencing on it to keep the chickens out. Ive got it wired/walled up to 7ft high
Keeping the birds out of it was MUCH easier lol.

I'd try the feed wheat. Whatever is cracked or ground up likely won't sprout, but if that isn't too high a percentage of the bag total, and the price is much better, then you'd be fine with the feed variety.

That's what im using. Its pretty dusty tho. It dosent clog the drain holes tho so I guess its alright.

I am guessing the mudder system is even better :)

I will be making my own feed from crops I have grown but they also will be on pasture in summer so it will be sprouts and worms in winter.

Back when I had 30 Isa Brown hens and I was feeding the nasty commercial feed those hens loved me and would crowd around me while I was trying to collect the eggs so I paid $8.50 for a 50 pound bag of popping corn at Sam's Club. I popped a bowl each morning and threw it into the hen house and they would mob it like crazy and I would grab the 30 eggs.

I like TnAndy's system. My method is
similar ....less elaborate. I just put the plastic
trays in a shelf unit at a south facing window.
I simply buy a big bag of regular feed wheat and
put in tray about inch deep....about a pound in a
10 x 16 in tray. Wash, pouring out the floaters and
rinse a few times repeating. Cover with water and let
sit overnight. Pour out water and crud that's with that,
Rinse and sit again overnight covered with warm water.
Next day dump out water and any more dirty tuff with
That. Rinse and drain. Now leave it in the light and every
day water the seeds and drain. By the 4th day you'll have
a tight root system with visible sprouts all binding together,
making it easier to rinse and clean. When ready to feed my
Growth is about 3 inches high with a thick root system clean
And moist, but not too wet. A pound of seed grows out to
About 5 lb sported fodder. Nutritious and vitamin/protein
fortified good for most any birds, rabbits, goats, geese....you name
it. Eggs are healthier for hatching and better tasting for the table.
I'm sold on the whole concept of feed sprouting.

My trays are around 8 X 16. I soak the wheat/millings for an hour. Ive seen the 12hr sayings, BUT Ive seen that about mold also. Im figuring that an hour soak will do the trick and without mold. Well see. I been soaking the trays each day. I got 5 under each other, with room for 5 side by side. We start getting any sunny days ill soak them morning and noon figuring they'll catch some dew maybe during the night. Im going to feed 2 trays a morning to my 50 chickens. one in the nest partition, early in the morning, and one outside at noon when I let them out.
The buck chickens just hang around the outside of the house all afternoon. The 16 I paid $6 for are real go getters and act like they been born here. Ill wait till those hit out and get looking all over the barnyard to throw the outside sprouts in, Ill move them further and further away from the house hoping to get the buck chickens to move further and further away from it too,

I been fighting chickens gettinginto my trays for a couple days. I gave up last night after I had strips of 16in wide by 6ft long strips of old rabbit wire put up onto the trays, and along the sides of the stand. I was just going to feed them near the stand hoping they would be satisfied with that. This morning I put up one more strip. making the highth around 10ft high. That's cause they would climb up on parts they could do so and keep going up from there.
Well
Its worked all day.

Well, im into my 6th day and nothings sprouted yet. I put enough water on them to completely cover the grain even tho it drips down into lower containers that I do the same with. Not looking good

oopps I lied. I just went to chase a chicken out of them and I see that ive got sprouts in the first one.

How often are you watering them ?

What is the day and night temperature ?

so far, it being mostly cloudy days, I been watering them once, BUT drowning them when I do it.

Nights in the 50s. Days in the high 70s

You need to water twice a day, minimum. Mine get it every 3 hours, on a timer.

If by 50's, you mean low 50's, that is low enough to slow down sprouting.

You can keep doing what you're doing, but the results will be much slower.

Your choice.

I've found anywhere in the 50's to slow them down enough to the point they just aren't worth growing. They need a bit of heat, preferably in the 60's or 70's. It's only hotter than that, that you chance mold growth.

Well, they gort water tonight. We had a storm pass through.
I ment the 50s at night. The 60s/70s daytime.

I been watering them with a sprinkling can with the top off. My boys gonna give me his water pump this weekend sos I can use my pressure sprinkler on them. Ill get my own pump on my next check.