SueChick Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Thanks for the brilliant post titled 40 boredom busting ideas for chickens - I am definitely going to use some of the ideas off of this post - I am currently already doing quite a few. Just a quick question - I give my lot grass (turf) in trays as they free range on concrete but I am going to adapt my trays to have a chicken friendly mesh over the top to save the grass from being damaged and stripped as per one of those ideas but I have never sprouted seeds to feed my girls. Apparently growing seeds to grass is called fodder and seeds just being grown to shoot is called sprouting. Does anyone else sprout corn/sunflower seeds for their chooks? What do you think? The post says sprouted seeds are much healthier to feed than normal seeds? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bramble Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 I do quite a lot of seed sprouting (more for myself than the chucks actually!!!) They're really yummy and the chucks love them too - there's loads of seeds you can sprout and the chucks don't seem to have a preference for which ones we use! Let us know how you get on and what your chucks think! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 My chickens are currently grazing on the sprouted seeds from their mixed corn seed. After being away for three weeks, there is lots to eat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueChick Posted August 9, 2014 Author Share Posted August 9, 2014 This sounds really interesting. What seeds do you sprout? Is it the mixed corn? How do you grow yours and how do you feed them to your girls! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 There is one type of corn in their mixed grain that they don't eat, so it's left on the run floor. I've been on holiday for three weeks ( so have the chickens) so it had some time to sprout. Did clear out most of it, to prevent them gorging themselves on greens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 This sounds really interesting. What seeds do you sprout? Is it the mixed corn? How do you grow yours and how do you feed them to your girls! the main whole grain in mixed corn is wheat the other thing you can grow are brassicas including radish, cress, salad leaves and lettuce all can be brought cheaply at this time of year and germinate quickly you could also try peas but germination can be poor so it can be a bit expensive sweet corn and maize isn't worth the trouble or the expense as germination again can be poor don't be tempted to use a window sill germinator for bean shoots if eaten raw they can be harmful to health Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bramble Posted August 11, 2014 Share Posted August 11, 2014 For myself, I like alfalfa - it's quick to germinate, cheap to buy and tastes really nice. I've bought some of the seed mixes specially for sprouting, the problem with those though (I find) is that the seeds take different lengths of time to germinate, so when some are ready to eat, others haven't sprouted yet - if you fancy doing a mix, I'd sprout the different seeds separately. It's a great thing to do with children too (not that I've got any!) quick and yummy results! I think chucks will eat pretty much any sprouting seeds, they don't tend to be fussy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
