Hi everyone, I know that we have had a chook food conversation, but thought this question may have been different enough to stand on its own (I hope). I was just going through a seed catalogue, looking at sprout seeds, and was wondering if any actively sprouts seeds for their chooks? I know I occasionally throw my excess seedlings in with the girls, but have never actively taken on a practise of sprouting my excess seeds for them. If they do it for cattle (Oat and Wheat mats) why not for chooks? Anyone??
sprouts for chooks Hey Honeydale – right now, in this somnolent board (bored) phase, any conversation, no matter how “done before” is welcome. IMO. In a more dynamic time I would have got a rocket for being the 27th-thousandth-trillion person to have asked about compost – so I was a bit apprehensive posting, but I got really good, helpful answers! Oh, but apart from this, I have nothing useful to add re sprouts for chooks, sorry!
I have a more specific question. I have a bag of wheat I was intending to mix with other things to feed the chooks but they hate wheat grains. I was going to plant it or sprout it for them instead. Thoughts or ideas, anyone? Bel
I used to sprout wheat, sometimes coarse grain mix, for my chooks - they loved it, seemed to do well on it also.
Wheat sprouts very well, and the sprouts are supposed to have more protein than unsprouted wheat. I'd go for it! Sue
yeh, I'd agree with Sue, I have read that sprouting grains makes them more nutritious for chooks. I've never gotten organised enough to do it, although I suppose you could get away with soaking some grain for a couple of nights in a bucket couldn't you?
Well I soaked some wheat and barley seed last night and placed them on a window sill, will let you know how it goes! I had some leftover parbouiled Freekah (Cracked green wheat) that I gave to the girls this morning, can you say INHALED , it was all gone by the time I had got to the chicken coop gate! I can see why people become so obsessed by chooks, with them all around the circular plate with their bums in the air...it was very funny! I can't imagine not having them now, although having named all 7 of them makes people think I am bordering on being a nutter!
I understand that sprouts do their thing best in a darkened area, at least out of direct sunlight. Once they're well-sprouted, you can put them in the light to green them up a bit before you pass them out to the greedy-guts. OF COURSE you named them, silly! My four are all named after old movie actresses. It's the people who DON'T name their chickens that make me suspicious. Sue
Of course, if you name your chooks it is a bit harder to eat them. :lol: Mollison says his bit about how even cannibals don't eat their friends... Some of our 30-40 chooks have names, but more to identify the flocks in farm discussions, like, "Are you going up to Meaty's garden? Would you get the pitchfork I left there before lunch?", sort of thing... We have two Araucana's, and they both go by Auror, as in Harry POtter. Then there's the roosters, "Speckles" and "Roo". I have to point out that I didn't name any of these birds.
I agree naming them makes it hard to eat or give away,Silly aint it a grown man getting goo goo over chocks n animals.. Yes sprouted seads are more nutricious then unsprouted,but apparently the water from soaking could be poisoness,it may just get poisonous after a day or two.Sead should be soaked overnite(24hours) then fed,maybe even rinsed after wards.. The way i figure things...If its an extra job you have to DO, well as a Permie thats not much use........Permaculture to my mind is,after a while it should be self sufficiant of external needs. Hence the word "Permaculture"I find that if chooks dont eat wheat its cause there either fussy or full...I toss mine around sometimes,you find nature has it all worked out long before we came around.. Nature softens the seeds well and chooks love fresh seedlings in their diet. I never use chook pellets on Principle,and Wheat is only if im serious about the breading season.....My self have found that if the chooks get fed too much they dont lay anymore eggs, their meat is yellow fat,no one likes the yellow fat...If they run on open mulched areas with the insects that are available, wheat just becomes a supplementry feed,it may also breed lazy chooks who forget how to forage like a chook is more then happy doing... A chook eating prime (chemically induced) wheat or peletts isnt scratching away any weeds, that are getting bigger by the day....... Tezza
wow I hadn't thought about training my chooks to be lazy, but I can see the logic. It does conjur up a picture of 7 fat chhoks waddling around like ducks! I must admit that spilled seed that has sprouted baturally doesn't last long around the girls (which is where I got the idea I guess). I was just thinking of alternatives for winter feeds when all else is looking a little bare. But then again its kinda working agianst the natural order I guess. Oh no my head is about to implode from all the implications....
I tried mung bean sprouts only last week , chooks did not like them , goats did not like them also? Funny , the goat love the seeds Batz
