Growing Grains for chicken feed

[veggiechicken]

Bit of a random question here (for a change).
Does anyone grow their own Chicken food (apart from greens).

As a guide - M@rri@ges' Royal Variety Mixed Corn Ingredients:
Wheat, Cut Maize, Poultry Grit, Red Dari, Cut Peas, Black Sunflower and Flaked Carrot

Basic Mixed Corn seems to be just Wheat and Maize.

Has anyone tried growing the contents of a bag of Mixed corn? Would they germinate or have they been processed to stop germination?

I also have millet seeds and amaranth and quinoa, though I'm not sure whether these can be eaten by chooks.

Any thoughts please?

[Small pumpkin]

Is this one of your challenges VC ?

I've often thought about it. A growing location has always been my stumbling block.
I know the wheat germinates very well. My turkeys used to be very messy eaters, throwing food all over their house. That ended up in the compost after cleaning.

I'm guessing it would all grow and need harvesting at different rates.

I might try it if my girl have to be on lockdown. In part of their run. It should of grown enough by time they come back out. Then they can harvest there own when the time comes.

[Snoop Puss]

Well, it's a great idea, but I think it might go on my "Life's too short..." list. Sorry.

[veggiechicken]

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.

[Small pumpkin]

I'm going with my standard style of growing, winging it. Because I haven't got a clue.

If my girls get locked up. I was going rake over a little bit of there run, chuck a very generous amount of there food around, rake it in then cover with fleece. To stop the wild birds eating it as much as keeping it a little warmer.

[veggiechicken]

That's about the same level of planning as me, SP
May do a viabiity test first - chuck a handful of seeds in a tray sort of test.

[Small pumpkin]

Let me know how you test goes. I've no intention of spending much time on it I'll never grow enough for my 19 girls. But it might make life a little more interesting form them if it works

[Jungle Jane]

I don’t have chickens but bird seed grows under my bird feeders,last year I thought I’d see if sunflowers would grow,I covered some with a bit of soil & they did grow but small flower heads,nice though,I’ve got a photo somewhere...they’re the dark yellow flowers next to the compost bin,the pale yellow flowers next to that are dahlias near the patio & there’s pale yellow foxgloves next to the compost bin,that areas really shady. Photo from September

[ESBkevin]

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.

[Snadger]

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!

[veggiechicken]

Ta Snadge I thought this had been mentioned before - should have know it would have been you
I'm still thinking about growing a grain "field", for them to forage in. Daft idea for a back garden - but that's never stopped me before.

[It never rains..it pours]

How much do you use ?

As someone who worked in this industry many years a go , I can give some rough numbers. Wheat output would be 10 tons/ha so 1kg per m2. However doing yourself it would in effect be organic yield so could halve that to 0.5kg. Guess friendly local farmer might take 20p kg for a few bags exchanged for holding/folding.
So im with snoop puss on this one, life is too short.
Would it not be better to give all neighbours a chook box for thier waste food, then give chooks whats appropiate and compost the rest, and save all that landfill

[veggiechicken]

Aaah but I'm not known for being sensible. If I was I wouldn't be trying to grow avocados, dates and mango on my windowsill.
I have room to grow, seeds to sow, chooks to feed and all the time in the world to play in the garden.

[4Shoes]

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.

Sure you could grow cereal in a small corner of the plot. Cut it for Stooks just before it's 100% ripe and cover (needs air to dry). The straw with husks will make ideal afternoon treat.

[Snadger]

Sparging was the word I was looking for.