Fodder

[StockDogLovr]

So, I decided to embark on sprouting my own fodder, just barley seed to start. Figured, since our pasture grass is not irrigated and loses quality (large amount of cheat grass which is low in everything), adding fodder would be a great way to give my sheep, chickens and ducks some powerful nutrition. So, yesterday was my first day feeding the barley grass sprouts, and NOBODY WANTED IT!

Ok, one lamb nibbled at it and one leghorn chicken started eating individual sprouts out of a water pan that I put some in. But dang!

Has anyone tried using fodder, and did your sheep eat it right away or did they take time getting used to it? Any tricks to get them eating it quicker? I guess my sheep are overfed because all they have this morning is the fodder and they aren't hungry enough to try it!

[lexierowsell]

I fodder my meat rabbits (exclusively) and my chickens (in addition to pre-mix). NONE of my ruminants will touch it, and my fodder is gorgeous-- mold free, pretty, green...

I sprout grain for my dairy moos, but just to roots (they feel "hairy"). The cows HATE the root mats.

I'm sure eventually they would eat it when they got hungry enough, but I'm not willing to let them get there.

[lexierowsell]

[Callieslamb]

I tried it with my sheep and they too turned their noses up at it at first. They finally got to liking it just fine. I didn't keep doing it since I can't get barley to sprout. I keep telling myself to get it going for supplementing the hay in the winter, but I don't listen. I had to pull the root mass apart and put it in their troughs in smaller pieces for them to finally eat it.

[StockDogLovr]

Nice pics of your system, lexierowsell. Where did you get your trays? Do you tilt them to drain? I bought a plastic rack of shelves but regret it since the way the slats are on the shelves interferes with the drainage pattern. Plus, I used smaller plastic trays that I melted holes into at one end, with the idea of tilting the trays about 1" at one end to drain into the tray below. All I've gotten is a big wet mess out of it! Plus, my sprouts don't germinate evenly, growing longer at one end. Not sure if that has to do with the light source or the fact that more moisture is retained at one end. Bit frustrated by it.

Meanwhile, my ducks and chickens started eating the fodder today when I pulled it into small tufts rather than putting pieces of the mat down for them. My sheep still turned their noses up, so I tore it up more finely and mixed it in with their grain ration, wetted. I saw tufts of roots hanging from mouths as they ate so they were ingesting some. Hopefully they will get used to it. My calves took a long time to get the idea of grain, silly moos, but now they eat banana peels, oranges, anything tempting. I'll try them next.

One of my horses turned his nose up, but the other horse came in and picked up a chunk, tried to rub the root mat off on the ground, but ended up eating the whole thing. The first horse decided if the other liked it then maybe he should, too.

I really wanted my lambs to get into fodder most of all in hopes that it would really increase their growth. I'll keep trying. Any other ideas for making it more tempting? I was thinking a drizzle of molasses might help :-)

[StockDogLovr]

Calieslamb, is it that the grain won't sprout at all? I bought some oats and black oil sunflower seeds from Tractor Supply Company and neither would sprout at all. I realized that maybe those seeds had been irradiated and therefore dead. I got organic barley from Modesto Milling for about $22/50 lb bag and it sprouts, though there's lots of grains that don't germinate. Not sure if it is because I put too much seed per tray or whether there's poor germination. I read somewhere that it is better to spend more money for grain that is produced for crops because they have a higher germination rate, but I honestly don't know where to find that in California - I don't think barley is grown as a crop here. Plus, I don't want GMO.

[Callieslamb]

I meant, I can't buy barley to sprout it - sorry about my grammatical confusion. I can buy wheat or oats - which are okay. But the barley is supposed to be the best. I have been encouraged by my DH to get fodder started. I don't know if it will really save me money since I would need about 10 of the pictured shelves from above to even start to feed my sheep. I'd have to find a better source of the grain to sprout. At best, I think it would help offset the price of hay in the years there isn't much of it. Or help with nutrition when the hay isn't it's best. Even with just 10 sheep, it would take a lot of it and I'd still have to do all the other work. So I hesitate in starting it.

[lexierowsell]

So, after posting on this thread, I thought I would offer all the animals another chance at fodder......

It was sure a pretty tray!


( StockDog: I put a little less than 2 quarts (~1#) in a bucket to soak from evening chores to morning chores. Pour it out into an empty tray on top of the rack at am chores. Let the water run down through the trays.

I am incredibly fortunate, I have an unused apartment over my barn with a shower stall in it. My shelves are two $12 walmart wire shelves, fandangled together. The trays I use are seed starting trays I got at the local nursery/garden supply, $1.98 ea. They have dozens of holes already in them. I do not tilt them. I have near 95% germination I would say-- need a knife to tear these root mats up.)

The sheep decided they *LOVED* it SO MUCH! Haha jerks!



Moos, horses still not interested. I bet molasses would work!

[Callieslamb]

I think anything green would taste good to my picky sheep right now. They haven't seen green in months.

[bergere]

They decided to like it... because you said they didn't in the past. Seems to be the way with most animals.


Is a great idea... might have to see about trying that with mine next year.

[farmerDale]

Why not just feed them the barley? Sprouting stuff does not add anything but maybe some palatability in some cases. On a dry matter basis, you actually LOSE feed quality anyway. Find some University research sites on the fad of fodder. You will find that you may as well feed the unsprouted grain, and save your time, energy, and water.

I know many swear by fodder, but do a bit more in depth research.

[lexierowsell]

Short answers

A- Real results. My animals are flourishing on their diets.

B- I raise grass fed meat.

More later, I did quite a lot of research, and conducted several side by side test with both my layers and my meat rabbits (comparing yield and growth rates on highest qual avail TMR and mixed barley, oat and wheat fodder).

[lexierowsell]

Just to be contrary-

My two youngest jerseys (left was FF in jan, right is 14 mo) moseyed on over as I fed the layers this am...

[l1ttlebutterfly]

Im looking to grow fodder for my meat rabbits but was wondering if i can use the fodder in other ways as well. Like could i sprout timothy hay then dry it for a natural, home-grown nesting box bedding?

[Starlighthill]

This is my third year growing fodder to feed sheep, goats, pigs, rabbits & chickens. They are all doing well and I don't have to buy as much hay. I do break it up for all of them. Barley, wheat, oats, rye, BOSS, clover, lentils and flax have all been sprouted. My animals prefer barley, clover, lentils & BOSS. The flax is very slimy and I stopped sprouting it because I wondered what all that slime might be doing to the plumbing & sump pump.

[StockDogLovr]

FarmerDale, it isn't true that the nutrients are the same in grain vs sprouted fodder. Digestibility is greatly increased over grain (something like 20% on the grain and 80% on the fodder) and protein level is increased while starch is decreased from growth.

http://www.foddersystems.com/fodder-...ritional-data/

My ducks and chickens are loving it, now, and the sheep are eating it along with their All-Stock, so I'm going to start decreasing the amount of All-Stock in the mix.

Lexierowsell, again, your fodder is beautiful! I wish I had a spare shower - I'm finding it messy to do the drip drain method because I'm using pans rather than seed trays. I think I'll go buy some of those. How thick do you lay your grain? I have found that I get low sprouting if I do it too thick. Have been fighting the mold issue. I'm trying to soak briefly with white vinegar and rinse several times.

[StockDogLovr]

I take it back, just read this one:

http://www.sheepandgoat.com/articles/hydrofodder.html

I guess I need to rethink this.

[Sumatra]

Originally Posted by StockDogLovr

I take it back, just read this one:

http://www.sheepandgoat.com/articles/hydrofodder.html

I guess I need to rethink this.

Since you're already doing it and have seen it's effect them...Do what works for you and your animals. And not as much as what internet articles say.

[lexierowsell]

I don't have the time right this second to go through the evolution of things here on my farm SDL, but I have also been sprouting grain for years. There is much to be said for real results, and there is no reason to quit what works. I will add more to this after milking, and post some research links, along with the dissertation I'm writing for my website.