Growing Grains for chicken feed

[Snoop Puss]

When we had our chickens I had just got into the idea of propogating grain to 'microgreens' for the chickens. A seed tray was the basic measure and would be made to last about a week. It gives far more value as a feed (more content for the same amount of grain). It also wa spopular with the hens, but you need a routine to start another once you commence feeding the previous one if not before. In the winter production would need to move indoors! But again in winter the greens were in short supply from other sources.

Beat you to it VC!

Sowed mixed corn in a seed tray and chooks loved it. Only wheat and barley germinated as the other seeds are chopped to pieces.

Also tried chitting seed in a bucket. Just add water until it sprouts and feed it to the chooks. I think once chitted sugars are activated and they seem to love it!

I'm not sure I've understood either of these two messages. Have you essentially set grain and seeds sprouting and then fed the sprouts to the chickens? Now this I could do. Any recommendation for grains and seeds?

[4Shoes]

Wheat and Oats will be fine but Barley should be limited. Chickens don't have the Enzyme to fully digest the grain.

Barley Grain will help to keep your chickens warm over night, but not add much nutrition . Once sprouted, I would think that the barley grain will have changed its structure to more accessible sugars, and the sprouts will be loved by the chickens.

You could try peas and pulses

Just make sure you do not allow any mould.

[Snoop Puss]

^Thanks. Something else to add to the seed list!

[fishpond]

Well, SP, its a sort of Challenge, but only of interest to poultry keepers or maybe, those who want to grow bird seed?
I've read that some people grow wheat grass in trays for their chooks so that they have fresh greens to eat, so, whatever stage its at, it seems to be chook fodder.
I've never grown wheat so don't know anything about when to sow/harvest etc.
All ideas welcome.

As wheat farmers seem to use tractors, I think you need a tractor first!
Or a couple of Shire Horses.

[mrsbusy]

the best thing that I've grown - unintentionally - was raw oats i.e not hulled. The hens did not eat them anyway and the oats germinated like crazy. We hoed them off and they just came back so we covered them with cardboard..that saw them off!

[bikermike]

Snadger is on the right track. spent Malting are really good for livestock. the Malting process - soaking and heat converts the starch to sugars, then it is heated and sent to the distillery. They them mash it etc and the Draft (waste grain) is sent for livestock feed. All good stuff.

I think the answer is to grow grain, brew beer with it and feed the remnants to the chickens