This past summer we had switched to feeding grains to our birds. Prior to that they were on the ground feed from the local agriculture store. While this makes a good option for people who only have a couple birds and want something easy, it's not really cost effective for 70 chickens nor is overly great for nutrition.
It covers the basics however a lot of the nutrition is cooked out in the processing methods and depending on the brand it's also mixed with clay giving it a grey color.
So while they clay fills your birds, it offers little nutritional value and is in essence, a waste of money.
So I got the idea to start sprouting for the birds.
Since we had grains already, may as well sprout them. If it's good for people it's good for birds.
Upon doing a bit of research from numerous websites such as 9The Fresh Egg Daily](https://www.fresheggsdaily.blog/2014/02/growing-sprouted-fodder-for-your.html) turns out it's not only way more nutritious, there's also a 6 fold increase in soaking up those nutrients into the body as well.
So on top of the kitchen scraps/old frozen foods (we have some freezer burnt stuff that's off if you cook it) and old canning like pickles, these make the cherry on the cake.
Here's what I do:
Find a bucket. I have a 10 gallon pail that I use.
Fill half way with seeds.
Fill with water. Leave it sit for 8-12 hours.
Strain all the water.
Once or twice a day, fill with water to rinse the seeds & strain.
Make sure once or twice a day you turn the bucket gently, otherwise once the roots grow they form a big chunk.
Have patience! Repeat this process for 4-6 days.
If you want fodder (grass to grow as well) you will have to transfer the sprouts to a flat pan so the grass can grow. And then wait till day 7-10.
Feed to your Cheep Cheeps and enjoy!
Congratulations, your post has been selected to be included in my weekly Sustainability Curation Digest for the Minnow Support Project.
Thank you! I really appreciate this!