Low Tech fodder system experiment
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- čas přidán 19. 03. 2013
- My inspiration: • Livestock Sprouted Fod... This is Sarah Cuthill's youtube channel and here is her website: fmicrofarm.com/diyprojects/
Small fodder system you can purchase: www.half-pinthomestead.com/
Homemade fodder system in "drawers": • DIY Fodder System 5.0 ...
Larger fodder system on an alpaca farm with good, informational videos about how it all works: / dabudsta
I have been watching a lot of people try to poke holes in containers for a while you are the first person to use hot nail. I thought it was a no brainier. Great job love the video
Really good video! We're a family of 4 living off-grid down near the border of Mexico and we've recently taken on chickens. We have experience with hydro but never even considered a fodder system. This info is priceless... thanks so much for taking the time!
As each little black tray has reached maturity at 7 days, I've been feeding it to my chickens. They seem to absolutely love it and every bit has been devoured! Kinda fun to to watch their zeal!
I use this system, it is fantastic. I went to the dollar store and put two identical containers together, putting holes in the top one. I just rinse a couple of times a day, it is all self contained no mess. When the grass is long enough I cut the top for the rabbits and give the rest to the chickens.
I was actually looking for a video like this where someone does it for the first time . I have watched lot of videos but you have cleared 90% of my doubts with the detailed explanation.
Thank you for taking time and making this video
Never post comments. Love your videos, Thanks for making the world a better place. I have learned to rely on youtube for many projects. Keep it up. Thank you.
I just found SUCH a space saving way to grow fodder that you wouldn't need to tilt. Just stick these into a big tub to drain into. But go to your local dollar tree. And those stackable pots with three connected pots that you can cross cross stack, you can stack 10 high and use vertical space instead and grow more! I just got a ton of them. Only a dollar a piece. Put an empty one on the bottom so that the bottom tray of seed won't be sitting in water. Depending on what size seed you use you may need to put maybe a piece of cloth over the holes cause they may be big enough to let a few seeds fall through. But I'm excited to try them! I love your method
I was looking for this exact type of low-tech system for my farm in Kenya's very arid eastern province. Fodder is a humongous stress out here when it not raining. They say barley is the most nutritious feed for livestock. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Sarah! Just found your comment here amidst the chat. YOU are a VERY clever girl for coming up with such a low-tech system that many of us can steal, I mean copy. (Remember - -that's the sincerest form of flattery. ; ) I was so impressed when I came across your video in my research!
I'm so going to try this for our rabbits! Thank you so much for doing a "poor man's " version of it! This has always interested me as well but now seeing you do it has inspired me to actually try it! Thank you again!
Nice video.. Coming from someone so 'thick, as I am. I watched it again and again, I adore honesty, I support experiments and laud those who try. tyvm floot
I just watched Sarah's before watching your experiment....Very well done....both of you. Tom
Thank you for all this information! I am new at raising my own chickens I just got 4 pullets and a rooster. Your video helped me. God bless you!
Chickens are the only animals that can digest whole corn because they eat rocks for their gullets, to complete digestion .The greens would probly introduce a wider variety of nurturance and make a happier bird. To keep predators at bay consider an electric fence 6 inches high around the out side of the coupe. Seen chickens get shocked ,they will not be hurt , racoons will never come back because they know they jest seen the devil ,and don't like it!!
OMG!! Renee, I have been doing my own fodder experiments as well to feed my rabbit. I also am intrigued and excited about this.
Thank you so so much girlie for sharing this :) Ireland has a fodder crisis and this may just be the thing that gets me out of trouble. I started this but had not good results so your video has just helped answer some questions :) so thank you very much xxxx
Excellent video, MSP. You give just the right amount of explanation to let us understand not only what you are doing but why and how as well. Keep up the good work!
I heard from a trusted friend, years ago, that the sprout contains as much nutritional energy as the entire adult plant. ever checked it out but it was the basis behind sprouted bread.
Thanks again.
Great info Renee,thanks for the links.I grew some cover crops over the winter with'lower feed'bill in mind.Thanks for another one to try.
YAY for all the Michigan snowpony videos today!!! made my day. this one will definatly go in my favorite folder.
MSP - I started sprouting fodder about 2-3 weeks ago for my chickens and soon my rabbits. My (21) chicks have been eating it from the beginning. and they love it. I've started using slightly larger trays because the animals like it so much they go through a "shoe box" of fodder in the morning. It's cut my feed bill in 1/2 for the chickens.
I've been trying to come up with an idea for my 2nd video and I think I'll make it about my fodder system & feeding the chickens! :)
I love you are speaking your voice is so charming I have seen many videos but the way you teach us is very special ,🌷🌷🌷🌷
thank you for sharing your experiment. I saw the farm tek commercial system and here we are with these clever and affordable alternatives. Best of luck with your system.
Greg Gaertner Thank you Greg. I am still waiting for the space to open up in the basement to set my bigger version up. Hubby has to get rid of some "stuff" -- ahem. I hope my Barley seed will still be viable by the time I am able to (finally!) get my fodder system going.
Seen this in my farmtek magazine and was very intereste in it as well. Thanks so much for doing this video and posting the link to the gal you got this from. I'm going to get busy on my own fodder system!!
WOW thank you my hunny and I were looking for a way to supplement the Chicky girls for the winter. I go to Costco and buy spinach and greens but this would be a great idea and so easy. Save on gas as well. We just bought a 4 shelf rack that we are planning on raising the plants for the garden and we could use that all winter for the other goodies. It sits in front of a large window and gets lots of sunshine year round. I just knew you were a real smart cookie,and I learn so much from you. Thanks
Hi. Great job on experiment.My husband and I are going to build our own fodder system for our goats and chickens.Just rambling our brains to figure out where to set up and temperatures and all but this whole "DIY" system thing😅😆 is kind of intimidating. 😥I don't know why....I used to grow wheat grass to make juice and no matter how hard I try that I couldn't get over that taste(yuck) of it and toss the grass into the chicken run, oh~they love it so much!Thank you for inspiration as always 🌾
WoW! I have all of this already on hand and I'm definately going to try this for myself on my vacation this summer. I don't have any chickens or rabbits...yet...but wheatgrass is very good for my tumm tumm as well. Thanks for the vid!
Love this...I have been trying to figure out how to try this myself--Great minds do think alike! Nice to see you found a use for all of those mushroom containers.
Hello from across the pond! I have "snooped" your channel. I had to subscribe as you are a kindred spirit I think. Anyway, I had no idea hay was so scarce over there. We had a drought here in the states last summer that created a shortage, but you could still get hay, just at a premium price. I am hoping this year is better. I hope the fodder works for you. Your horses are so beautiful and obviously loved. I know you can't bear the thought of parting with them.
I love you, you inspire me to move forward to a homestead!
I'm SO glad I watched this! You gave me an idea when you mentioned all the different seeds you can sprout. How about BIRD SEED? I LOVE feeding the birds, especially in the winter. Bet they would just LOVE sprouts from bird seed. Thanks so much for sharing this info!
Well I am very flattered and humbled then! Thank you very much. I appreciate it. It's always lovely to hear that people benefit (or think they do -- hope I'm not leading folks astray!) from my videos.
Cool system cause its simple and affordable. I found out about pearled barley the hard way cause that's the only barley our store carried, but it only cost me 31 cents. Was able to get a 3rd pound of some red winter wheat for 15 cents so I'm giving that a try. Might just give your system a try but with 9 shelves, maybe even a pump with a timer, who knows. Thanks for sharing.
What an amazing idea, thank you so much! We've been looking at different ways to save money on animal feed while still providing all the nutrition they need. I will be looking into this!
Thanks. Very clear and pleasant to watch.
Thanks for the information, I have started and the result is very encouraging.
Cheers
Victor Elias hello from greece... what seeds do you use?? How much feed do you produce for every kg of seed that you use??
Thanks for posting. I've been experimenting using barley and now wheat for six months. Mold has been an issue but I have been using large plastic trays without drain holes. I will try the flood/drain method. You can mix in other seeds for complete nutrition. Fodder Solutions recommends legumes. I've accelerated growth with heating pads. We buy "Pigeon Barley" that is marketed as bird food for about $16/60lb bag. We feed to chickens, tilapia and rabbits.
You're very welcome. Be sure to check out Sarah Cuthill's video! I will be setting up my larger system this winter for the chickens. They were the critters that really liked the fodder the best, although the rabbits would eat the green part.
I've been looking at ways to grow greens for my rabbits and this looks like the perfect solution for me.
Love your videos. You do the most interesting stuff. You amaze me.
-Lisa
I have been using a pidgeon mix doing exactly like this for months for my chickens. I use yoghurt containers, 2 together fit snuggly into a 2ltr icecream container (using almost the same drain method) I have 10 containers going at all times and feed the chickens 1 every morning..., it will help "HEAPS" when your chickens start to moult...., and the chickens love it.
This is the same process for human consumption. After 24 hr of grain or bean sprouting the nutritional value increases 100%. For humans you can the dehydrate and grind to flour to make gluten free products. For animals it gives them wonderful winter fodder and greater nutrition. Great for winter needs.
Excellent, this is very well explained, well done video. I think we might just try this.
out standing sis. I am going to try this. thanks so much. God Bless.
I just found your channel. You are an awesome lady.
Check out Lowes in the cement department. The mortar trays come in a couple of sizes. A smaller round one and rectangle one about 3 x 3 ft. Nice heavy duty ones and they run about 4-5 dollars each. I use them for everything!
I did something similar with kitty litter tubs I got at Walmart. I had a big tote on the floor that had a fountain pump in it. I plugged that into a timer and had it run 15minutes 4 times a day. I fed black oil sunflower seed fodder to my chickens and they loved it. My problem was the temp got too cold and it was taking forever to sprout and started to sour so I stopped. It's a great idea if you have inside space though.
Your experience is great work it’s very learning video thanks for your ideas....and your voice is so pretty thanks you soo much
If you look up your grain's nutrient content, you can figure out what mix of grains to grow for optimum nutrition of your animals. It is suggested to use a combo of grains/beans in order to make it into a complete feed. Ruminants can eat grass that is cut from the yard (especially if you plant wheat, barley, clover and alfalfa in your yard and let it get a foot high, and cut it throughout the growing season). I plan on using a fodder system for the complete feeding (sometimes there is an extra step here) of all of my animals (ducks, quail, chickens, rabbits, pigeons, guinea pigs, and dogs.). :D
Thank you for all the info…
Fabulous video and idea! If you're concerned about mold, add some apple cider vinegar when you water the sprouts... it's great for the gut (worming) and should keep the sprouts from getting funky... I am SO doing this when my chicks are big enough.
Hi Jodi,
Sorry, behind on youtube stuff at the moment, so getting to answering comments late: Interesting you mention doing this in a greenhouse as there is a video on youtube (which I can't find back again) where someone in Europe is raising cattle in one end of a greenhouse and has a fodder system in the other. The cattle keep the interior warm enough in the winter for the fodder to sprout and it, in turn, feeds the cattle. That said, humidity can be a problem in promoting mold growth.
Yeah, I missed your series on that! We have it here on the ponds and such so wouldn't be hard to get ahold of some.
I hear a lot of fodder gaining up to seven times the weight of the seed in seven days, but I know a lot is water weight. if one compares to dried hey, it is not a fair comparison. I am glad you pointed out that more of the nutrition
is taken in by the animal than with seed. Jon
Amazing. i really appreciate this video. Im new to raising chix and ducks.
Very smart experiment.
I seen one you tube video, where barley fodder was placed next to wheat fodder. The chickens ate the wheat fodder up first.
Well, be careful of those little greenhouses -- I've accidently fried my starts in them before! They heat up amazingly well in the sun, even on a cool / coldish day. : ) I think they may get too warm for the sprouting. Barley sprouts best between 60 - 70 F. Too warm and you're going to invite mold to sprout too. Plus, you want good air circulation. Now, if you mean using just the shelves without the cover -- oh hey, GREAT IDEA! (She says running to dig hers out of storage . . . )
Hi Marisa, I know exactly what type of containers you are speaking of. I would think those type of plastic "bins", despite being of a thin plastic, would be great for a smaller fodder system! They are nice and deep, would be easy to put holes in, and are a good size. Maybe you could double them up (one inside another) for added stiffness/durability? Otherwise, I think they'd work great! Good idea!
Hehe I know you made this a long time ago but it still helped me a ton! And I think I might try this thanks again
Thank you for sharing! This is very interesting!
Thank you for teaching me this ~ Sheena
Thank you for this easy system!
Just a quick note. You mention worrying about shortages due to several scenarios. A good thought. I did the math a while back while working with some people here in AZ. One half pound of seeds will grow 25 pounds of grain. If you replant 1/2 pound of seeds you wind up with 24 1/2 pounds of seed again. Simply put you will get one pound of seeds from 18 square feet of plantings. It is also my understanding that the weight that has multiplied itself by 6 times will not replace that weight in feed. Easier said. 4 pounds of fodder will serve as 2 pounds of feed. Depending on your available space to plant the seed you just might be able to become self sufficient in this department. Another thing you touched on is that many folks use barley. The consensus is that barley is the lowest priced seed available for this system. Here in AZ a fella I know outside Phoenix claims that he buys it for about $18 for 50 pounds. BTW, if you're feeding rabbits I have heard it recommended that you place a salt lick in the cage. Perhaps this will also apply to other livestock.
Awesome MSP! Thanks for sharing. As an aspiring homesteader, I haven't heard of this in terms of livestock feed, only life-extending juice for humans. Have you read Harvey Ussery's book, "The Small-Scale Poultry Flock"? In it, he advocated cover cropping in the garden to feed poultry, as well as, ammend the soil and prepare the bed for planting with the chickens' scratching. Maybe doable in Michigan during the winter in a high-tunnel. I'm still working through your Homesteader's Library list!!
Yeah, I think if your trays sit in the water, you have to rinse a lot more to prevent mold. That's why I was so impressed with the gravity-fed, slanted, drip method the gal I imitated came up with. She eliminated the "standing water" aspect around the seeds. Barley --I ordered a small bag from Amazon to experiement with. The big bag (50 lb.) I'm hoping my local feed mill can get for me. They're checking on it. Have you asked your feed mill if they can get some in for you?
Awesome idea! Thanks for sharing.
Lots of people seem to use those black trays, so apparently they do work well. I have a lot of garden videos up from years past, including seed starting. This year I probably am not going to do much much gardening. I have a lot canned up, I think it's going to be another dry year, and there's a lot of things I need to catch up on around here. So, probably going to work on building up the soil in the big garden with a cover crop and take a year off from intensive gardening.
I don't know at this point. I simply like the idea of fresh greens (loaded with nutrients) for them year-round. Also, the fact the seeds are relatively cheap, have a long shelf life, are easy to store and sprout have great appeal for my situation. I will have to start feeding it and then go from there with how it goes and how they respond in body condition, etc. as to how much I come to rely on it.
nice little setup, would be perfect for a rabbit feed. A suggestion to collect the water on the bottom, is using the bottom of a plastic dish dryer, to drain away to collect for this set up to drain into the sink.
Hi Miss A! The only cover crops we can seem to grow here well over the winter is snow. . . : )
Gave it to the chickens who aren't free-range and they loved it -- wasn't a bit left. I'm growing barley right now and will do a follow up video hopefully this week.
Thanks. : ) I have never done too much with sprouts myself -- always intending to -- but just haven't. Maybe someday I'll get more ambitious and try making some bread from dried, ground sprouts.
Hi ya :) thank you , yes i love them very much and yes it s a tragedy what is happening here .... i am struggling a bit, i think my main problem is trying to achieve the right temperature but i will stick with it until i get it right :) The main problem for me is that i live in the far west of Ireland and although they are importing hay it ends up in Cork and Wexford which is over 8 hours by road. My last trip for 31 small bales was 5 hours there and back :(
Cookie cooler thing... AHAH!
Can't wait to do this for my chickens this year. Thanks for sharing.
Jake You're very welcome Mr. Jake. I hope it works out well for you!
Kind of a learning process as I do not have a green anything on my body. Figured out after this video I need to slant the trays or you get that lovely white mossy mold.
Great video. Thank you!
Thank you very much for this - I have allready shared it whit my friends ;) Thank you ;)
great video. How often do you water each day? also where is a good source for seeds? TY
Great video! Seems easy and I will try that too :) tfs 🌷
Im going to try this during the summer time here in PA im going to feed it to my rabbits :) Thanks for a great video very helpful !
Love your Low-Tech 'Poor Man's' system. You shouldn't apolagize for your starter system. I've been looking for a small system b/c I only have 2 chickens to feed fodder to. Also good to know I can do something with seed I can grow at the grocery store b/c I don't want to buy 40-50 lbs before I try it on a small scale. Thanx, Barbara
+Barbara McIntyre I was so happy folks shared that tidbit about the pearled barley from the store too! Who knew?!? I think the comments section on how-to videos is just as informative as the video itself and I'm always telling my subscribers to read the comments too!
I took 5 old windows And made a small hot house and did this all winter in my yard. It was only 1level but my chickens loved it
Great job!!
thank you Renee I have never thought of this! its so cool! my gears are turning! I have some shelves in the basement i wanna do this.could i put this in the green house?
Exellent ,,, beautiful idea
Cool little system you have here. Could you do the same thing with grass seeds? I have a friend who has probably a dozen chickens, a goose, 2 goats and a miniature horse on a dirt patch so she's always supplementing them with hay and grain and I think this would really help her out. Love your videos!
+snicklefritzdabest I don't know about grass seeds. The typical fodder system uses barley seed. There are also folks out there who will sprout a mix of seeds, like barley, peas, sunflowers, and / or wheat. This was just a miniaturized, trial version of a bigger system to see how things went. As of yet, I still am waiting for space in the basement to set up my "real" fodder system. Husband has to move some items.
+Michigansnowpony thanks for the response best of luck on your system! Can't wait for more goat videos :D
Barley has the highest nutrient, so they say. I would use a mix, very nice, my rabbits dont get hay anymore, I have made mistakes, I dont know how I missed this video, but Bev mentioned it so I looked it up. here what I have learned, the seeds sprout better if kept in the dark for the first 3 days of sprouting. I have a shelf system wrapped in weed fabric. I made a mistake Mrs, Volfie is doing and using plastic cover, as I got mold. anywho, I gave the sprouts 4 days of window sun & the green up
Thanks! They're almost 2 wks now, so in another week I can start sprouting... maybe we can compare notes on how they do...
I'm slowing catching up on video comments so excuse the late reply: I had that book (Small Scale Poultry Flock" at one time, but it got lent out never to return. I hope someone somewhere is benefiting from it still. : )
I think we'll be planting buckwheat in the big garden this year as a soil amendment. I wanted it for the bees, but just discovered this week none of my hives survived the winter. Very sad. But, life goes on and buckwheat is still a great cover crop irregardless.
Hey Autumn! Yeah, I mentioned to her in a comment she would probably want to take the plastic cover off. I think she did. And I think she has already moved on to barley. I wonder why oats are so difficult to sprout? I've been keeping the "early" trays covered this 2nd round (with barley instead of wheat) and to be honest, I don't think it made much difference that I can see. BUT, I do think the barley grows faster than the wheat does.
You would have to plant them in soil to get the plants to maturity (and making seed heads). The sprouts are growing and living on what's stored in the seed and by day 8 or so, that supply is pretty much exhausted.
Looks good those would be just about the right size of trays to feed yourself from. Nice fresh sprouts on your salad or sandwich mmm yummm. Would probably use sunflower seeds or beans if I was gonna eat them personally tho lol. Wheat grass is a little too strong for me :)
Very helpful! Thanks!
Hey Renee, I learned about fodder when researching a dairy cow. Very neat thing. I believe barley is used because it does have the highest nutrition conversion. Could you use those back seed starting flats? They are shallow enough to allow light in, and would give you a nice mat. Also, where the he k are your garden videos? ;) seed starting?!
I am extremely interested in this. I tried it last fall with a bucket system and it worked. However, I did not have a place warm enough to facilitate germination. So I like your system better, but I have thirteen cows to feed. So I need to go bigger. Thanks.
Great video I have been researching this lately and love the idea. Just curious can you substitute raw vegetables for the hay as roughage? If you think about it what did all these animals eat before commercial pellets? God Bless and thank you for such a great channel.
True, a seed sprouting on the ground and growing there in the summer isn't very astounding, but if I can offer my animals GREEN GRASS that's also high in nutrition in the dead of winter when there's a foot of snow on the ground without any dirt, grow lights, or fancy equipment involved -- woo hoo! That IS something new -- at least for me.
Thanks for the idea of making it simple, and cheap.
Vernors, have some in my fridge. ;)
You could also use Cement mixing trays that are available at alot of home repair super stores like Lowes & Home Depot, they aren't expensive and they are rated as livestock safe trays. Just a thought.
i used to do this with oats under lights to feed my goats that i bought at the feed store 15 years ago worked great but i used plastic lined trough on slant
I’ve been experimenting with this over Christmas for my geese. They seem to be eating less grain lately so I thought I’d try fodder to replace the grass they can’t get in winter.