Hydroponic fodder Is it a viable option for feeding sheep, goats and other livestock? Although the methods of hydroponic fodder production date back to the 1930's, there is renewed interest in hydroponic fodder as a feedstuff for sheep, goats, and other livestock. Hydroponics is a method of growing plants without soil. Only moisture and nutrients are provided to the growing plants. There are many advantages to hydroponics. Hydroponic growing systems produce a greater yield over a shorter period of time in a smaller area than traditionally-grown crops. There is a reduction or exclusion of pesticides and herbicides because the plants are in a more protected growing environment. Hydroponics is a year-round growing system that produces a consistent quantity and quality of plant material, regardless of outside weather. Fodder (livestock feed) can be grown hydroponically much the same as vegetables, flowers, and other plants. Hydroponic fodder systems are usually used to sprout cereal grains, such as barley, oats, wheat, sorghum, and corn, or legumes, such as alfalfa, clover, or cow peas. Barley is the most commonly grown forage, because it usually gives the best yield of nutrients (4). Forage mixtures are another option. A hydroponic fodder system usually consists of a framework of shelves on which metal or plastic trays are stacked. After soaking overnight, a layer of seeds is spread over the base of the trays. During the growing period, the seeds are kept moist, but not saturated. They are supplied with moisture and (sometimes) nutrients, usually via drip or spray irrigation. Year-round production
Transcript
Hydroponic fodderIs it a viable option for feeding sheep, goats and other livestock?
Although the methods of hydroponic fodder production date back to the 1930's, there is renewed interest in hydroponic fodder as a feedstuff for sheep, goats, and other livestock.
Hydroponics is a method of growing plants without soil. Only moisture and nutrients are provided to the growing plants. There are many advantages to hydroponics. Hydroponic growing systems produce a greater yield over a shorter period of time in a smaller area than traditionally-grown crops.
There is a reduction or exclusion of pesticides and herbicides because the plants are in a more protected
growing environment. Hydroponics is a year-round growing system that produces a consistent quantity and quality of plant material, regardless of outside weather.
Fodder (livestock feed) can be grown hydroponically much the same as vegetables, flowers, and other plants. Hydroponic fodder systems are usually used to sprout cereal grains, such as barley, oats, wheat, sorghum, and corn, or legumes, such as alfalfa, clover, or cow peas. Barley is the most commonly grown forage, because it usually gives the best yield of nutrients (4). Forage mixtures are another option.
A hydroponic fodder system usually consists of a framework of shelves on which metal or plastic trays are stacked. After soaking overnight, a layer of seeds is spread over the base of the trays. During the growing period, the seeds are kept moist, but not saturated. They are supplied with moisture and (sometimes) nutrients, usually via drip or spray irrigation. Holes in the trays facilitate drainage and the waste water is collected in a tank.
The seeds will usually sprout within 24 hours and in 5 to 8 days have produced a 6 to 8 inch high grass mat. After the mat is removed from the tray, it can go into a feed mixer or be hand-fed to livestock. Livestock will eat the whole thing: seeds, roots, and grass. There is minimal waste. Livestock may not eat the fodder initially because it is novel, but should soon learn to eat it with relish.
Hydroponic fodder systems make very efficient use of water and land.
While it is possible to grow hydroponic fodder in any building, including a garage or basement, a greenhouse is ideal because temperature, light, and humidity can be precisely controlled. Efficient, year-round production of green fodder is not possible unless environmental conditions are optimal: approximately 70°F, 60 percent humidity, and 16 hours of light. For this reason, hydroponic growing systems usually require significant investment.
Hydroponic fodder systems come in a range of sizes and capacities. Large fodder sheds may produce several tons of fodder per day, whereas a mini-fodder system may produce only 10 lbs. per day. It is possible to build your own system, or a "turn-key" system can be purchased from a commercial company. Investments range from a few hundred dollars to six figures.
As feed for livestock
Fodder sprouts are tender and young, the equivalent of fresh green grass. As such, they are highly palatable and nutritious to all types and classes of livestock. On a dry matter basis, hydroponic fodder compares favorably with other nutritious feedstuffs.
Comparative nutrition of different feedstuffs (DM)
Sprouting changes the nutritive characteristics of the grain. Enzymes break down storage components into more simple and digestible fractions; for example, starch to sugars, proteins to amino acids, and lipids to free fatty acids. There is an increase in fiber and some vitamins and a decrease in phytic acid, an anti-nutritional factor (11).
With sprouting, there is a reduction in total energy. The increase in protein percentage is due to the dry matter loss . In fact, the downside to hydroponic fodder is its high moisture content. According to various forage analysis reports (3), the dry matter content of hydroponic fodder is only 12 to 15 percent, compared to almost 90 percent in (unsprouted) grains and hays (1). Even corn silage and haylage have considerably more dry matter than sprouts (1).
If you do not consider its high moisture content, the per pound price of hydroponic fodder seems very economical, around $0.06 per pound (or $120 per ton) (3). Without further analysis, this sounds like a great way to reduce the cost of feeding livestock. But when the wet cost is converted to a dry matter basis, feed cost becomes very high. At 12 percent dry matter (DM), wet feed that costs 6 cents per pound actually costs 50 cents per pound of dry matter. This is considerable more expensive than most other feedstuffs, as shown in the tables below.
Comparative costs of different feed costs (as-fed)
Feedstuff Cost Unit $/lb
Barley sprouts3 $0.06 pound 0.060
Orchardgrass hay $60 700-lb bale 0.086
Alfalfa Hay, mid bloom $250 ton 0.125
Barley grain $6 bushel 0.125
Soybean meal $480 ton 0.240
Cost per pound of dry matter (DM)
Feedstuff $/lb % DM1 $/lb DM
Alfalfa Hay 0.125 89 0.14
Barley grain 0.125 89 0.14
Orchardgrass hay 0.086 88 0.20
Soybean meal 0.24 91 0.26
Barley sprouts3 0.063 123 0.50
Because of its low dry matter content, the cost of nutrients in hydroponic fodder is also considerably more expensive than other feedstuffs.
Cost per pound of energy (TDN)
Feedstuff $/lb DM % TDN1 $/lb TDN
Barley grain 0.14 84 0.17
Orchardgrass hay 0.10 58 0.17
Alfalfa Hay 0.14 58 0.24
Barley sprouts3 0.50 71 0.70
Cost per pound of protein (CP)
Feedstuff $/lb DM % CP1 $/lb CP
Soybean meal 0.26 49 0.54
Alfalfa hay 0.14 17 0.82
Barley sprouts3 0.50 21 2.40
Nutritional requirements of livestock are based on dry matter intake. If fed to livestock at a rate of 2 percent of their body weight (a common recommendation), hydroponic fodder will only meet a fraction of most animals' nutritional requirements, especially the higher producing ones. Thus, hydroponic fodder, while excellent feed, is only a nutritional supplement and an expensive one at that.
Energy (TDN) requirements met by feeding fodder @ 2% BW (as-fed)
AnimalStage of production
lb. fodder fed lb. TDN supplied by fodder
TDN requirementslb. DM/day1
% TDN requirements met by hydro fodderAs-fed DM
154-lb. ewemaintenance
3.08 0.37 0.26 1.36 19.3
154- lb. ewelate gestation, twin lambs
3.08 0.37 0.26 2.66 9.9
154-lb. eweearly lactation, twin lambs
3.08 0.37 0.26 2.88 9.1
176-lb. ewe, parlor milked(5.2-8.7 lbs milk/day)
3.52 0.42 0.30 4.42 6.8
Growing, 44-lb. Boer buck( 0.44 lb/day)
0.88 0.11 0.07 1.41 5.3
Growing, 66-lb. lamb(4 mos. old, 0.66 lb/day)
1.32 0.16 0.11 2.18 5.2
132-lb. doe, parlor milked(10-14 lbs milk/day)
2.64 0.32 0.22 5.50 4.1
Calculations in tablelb. fodder fed (as-fed) = BW x 0.02. [Example: 154 lbs. x 0.02 = 3.08 lbs. as-fed]lb. fodder fed (DM) = lb. fodder fed (as-fed) x 0.12 (% DM). [Example: 3.08 x 0.12 = 0.37 lbs DM fed]lb. TDN supplied by fodder = lb. fodder fed (DM) x 0.71 (% TDN). [Example: 0.37 x 0.71 = 0.26 lbs. TDN]% TDN supplied by fodder = lb. TDN supplied by fodder ÷ TDN requirements (DM). [Example: 0.26 ÷ 1.36 = 19.3% of TDN requirements]
Full feeding of sprouts is usually inappropriate due to the high moisture content of the feed, the high cost of the feed, and the scale which would be needed to produce sufficient dry matter (11).
Animal performance
The companies that market hydroponic fodder systems make many claims about hydroponic fodder as superior livestock feed: better gain, improved fertility, earlier heat cycles, improved fleece quality, improved immunity, better behavior and temperament, less manure, etc. Few of these claims have been substantiated or proven to be repeatable in experiments (5,11).
Over the years, in many different countries, and with different species (mostly cattle, pigs, and poultry), research trials have been conducted to assess the performance of livestock fed hydroponic green fodder (11). Across the many trials, there has been no consistent advantage to including green fodder in the diet of livestock, especially when it replaces highly nutritious feeds, such as grain (5,7). Even if there are benefits to hydroponic fodder, the benefits are usually outweighed by the costs.
Research is conflicting as to whether sprouting improves or reduces dry matter digestibility as compared to the raw grain. In a 2012 journal article, Iranian researchers reported no increases in quantity or quality of dry matter and nutrients with sprouting (10). While the companies claim that you'll get a 6 to 10-fold increase in weight from a pound unsprouted grain, they fail to mention that the increase (in weight) is almost all water (5,11).
At the same time, there is a strong need for more trials to determine the potential feeding value of hydroponic fodder, particularly with sheep and goats. Studies conducted in Italy in 2009 produced conflicting results with regards to milk production and welfare of sheep and goats (2,8). Another aspect that needs to be investigated is potential changes in the final product (meat and milk) as a result of replacing some of the animals' traditional diet with green fodder.
Other challenges
One of the biggest challenges to producing hydroponic fiber, especially commercial quantities, is mold (5, 11). Moldy sprouts can decrease animal performance and result in animal deaths (5, 11). Pre-treatment of seed with a sterilizing agent (e.g. hydrogen peroxide) is one strategy for preventing mold. Good hygiene in the system is also important. It is recommended that the growing trays be cleaned between crops with a chlorine based cleaning solution (11).
The downside to hydroponic fodder is its high moisture content.
Hydroponic fodder production requires a lot of labor. Time is needed to soak the seed, make up the nutrient solution, transfer the grain to the trays, load the trays onto the shelves, check the fodder daily for growth, remove the sprouted grain from the trays, wash and sterilize the trays, and feed the fodder to the livestock. Automation will reduce labor requirements, but may substantially increase investment costs.
In order to create a controlled growing environment, it can require considerable energy to grow hydroponic fodder (5). Solar power could be used to provide electricity, especially in remote, rural areas or third world countries.
Advantages of hydroponic fodder
Hydroponic fodder has several advantages over conventionally-produced fodder. Hydroponic fodder makes very efficient use of water (4,5,11). There is little waste water, as animals consume the recirculated water along with the feed. Since production is hydroponic, there is no leaching of nutrients into the environment. Hydroponic fodder production requires considerably less land to produce feed for livestock.
While hydroponic fodder is not likely to become a major source of feed for commercial livestock, it could be feasible under certain circumstances.
Dry and drought-prone regionsHydroponic fodder production is probably best-suited to semi-arid, arid, and drought-prone regions of the world. By growing fodder indoors, crop failures would no longer be a risk. Good quality forage could be produced year-round. Feed supplies would be insured. Scarce water resources could be allocated more efficiently (4).
Limited landIn places where land values are extremely high or land is simply not readily available, hydroponic fodder has obvious advantages, as it can be produced in a small footprint. Because the fodder is produced continuously, there is no need for long-term feed storage and no nutrient losses that can be associated with feed storage.
High alternative feed costsWhile this article clearly shows that hydroponic fodder is considerably more expensive than conventional feedstuffs, it assumes that conventional feedstuffs are available and priced competitively. There are many locations in which this is not the case and hydroponic fodder could be more competively priced.
Small-scale producersRequiring smaller amounts of fodder, small-scale producers may be able to build their own fodder systems for a few hundred dollars. When the investment is low and labor is unpaid, the cost of hydroponic fodder is considerably less.
You can build a mini-fodder system for a minimal cost.
Non-ruminantsHydroponic fodder may be best-suited to non-ruminants (horses, rabbits, pigs, and poultry) who would benefit more from the changes in the feed due to sprouting (e.g. less starch, more sugars) as compared to ruminants (sheep, goats, and cows) who are less efficient at digesting high quality feed (6). Hydroponic fodder seems ideal for horses, though the research is lacking. A study with rabbits showed no detrimental effect to replacing up to 50 percent of the commercial diet with green fodder (9).
OrganicHydroponic fodder production seems particularly well-suited to organic producers (6), who already pay high prices for feed or have difficulty sourcing organic feedstuffs. Cereal grains can easily be sprouted in accordance with USDA's Certified Organic Program.
In the future As competition for land and water increases and feed prices continue to rise, hydroponic fodder could become a viable option for more livestock producers.
References1Nutrient Requirements of Small Ruminants (2007) - National Research Council2Evaluation of animal welfare and milk production of goat fed on
diet containing germinating seeds (2009) - Italian Journal of Animal Science 3Fodder Pro (FarmTek) (2012)4Green fodder production and water use efficiency of some forage crops under hydroponic conditions (2011) - ISRN Agronomy5Hydroponic fodder production: an analysis of the practical and commercial opportunity (2011) - The New Zealand Merino Company 6Hydroponic fodder systems for dairy cattle (2013) - Iowa State University 7Performance of feedlot calves fed hydroponics fodder barley (2011) - J. Ag. Sci & Tech 8Improvement of sheep welfare and milk production fed on diet containing hydroponically germinating seeds - (2009) Italian Journal of Animal Science 9Productive response of rabbits fed with green hydroponic oats forage as partial replacement of commercial concentrate (2011) - Acta Agronomica10Productivity and nutritive value of barley green fodder yield in hydroponic systems (2012) - World Applied Sciences Journal11Review of hydroponic fodder for beef cattle (2003) - Meat & Livestock Australia
Homesteading and Livestock Self-reliance and sustainability in the 21st century.
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DIY Sprouted Fodder for Livestock
3/12/2013 2:50:26 PM
By Sarah Cuthill
Tags: fodder, natural feed, sprouted grain, Sarah Cuthill
Sprouting and growing grain for livestock fodder is a simple and efficient way to not only feed your animals a more natural and fresh diet, but is also a practically effortless way to save money. Imagine for a second that the 50 lb. bag of feed you just bought could grow into 300 lbs. of feed that is more nutrient dense in just nine days. Huh wha?! Isn’t just the mere idea of cutting your feed bill worth the try? I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
Sprouting fodder for livestock is similar to sprouting seeds for human consumption, but in an extreme degree. Think more along the lines of sprouting wheatgrass than the little bean sprouts you would put on a sandwich. By sprouting grain and harvesting it (feeding it to your animals) right before the sprouts get their second leaves at about 7-10 days, you do not need to use anything more than water to grow them –not even fertilizer. The action of sprouting amplifies the natural proteins, vitamins, mineral, enzymatic activity, omega 3’s, amino acids, natural hormones, and stimulates immune response. Of course the increase in these wonderful benefits varies grain to grain.
The sprouted fodder, no matter what seed or grain you choose to use, is fed whole; greens, seeds, and sprouts as a whole. Commonly used grains for fodder are barley, wheat, and whole oats. Barley, which is the easiest to grow, has a crude protein percentage of 12.7 percent and a crude fiber percentage of 5.4 percent as a seed. These percentages jump to a crude protein percentage of 15.5 percent and a crude fiber percentage of 14.1 percent after an average of seven days of sprouting. By sprouting, the digestibility of the grain increases from 40 percent to 80 percent so livestock will not need to consume as much fodder compared to commercial feed because they are obtaining more nutrition from a smaller volume of feed.*
As far as setting up your own fodder sprouting system, there are many options out there for purchase. The only problem you will run into is that there are no fodder sprouting systems for smaller operations, like say, a homestead where you only have one horse, or a few goats, or a small herd of rabbits, or a modestly sized flock of chickens. For us, you will be left to build your
own. But no worries folks! A system can easily be set up using materials you already have laying around or using items from the local discount or dollar store. You’re in good hands here DIY’ers.
Before we start, you will need to figure out how much finished fodder your animals will be eating on a daily basis. I have included a rough estimate for the more common homestead animals, but please do your own research on feed amounts and if necessary, consult your veterinarian. As any responsible animal or livestock caretaker, you will not only need to transition your animals onto fresh fodder, you will need to
monitor their growth and maintenance rates to keep them in a healthy condition while you get used to feeding fodder. Some animals will also require roughage or mineral supplements. Please only use these amounts as a guide.
• Horse: 2-3 percent of their body weight in fodder; 1.5% body weight in dry hay
• Beef Cow: 2-3 percent of their body weight in fodder; barley straw ration
• Dairy Cow: 3-5 percent of their body weight in fodder; barley straw ration
• Sheep: 2-3 percent of their body weight in fodder; hay ration
• Goat: 2-3 percent of their body weight in fodder; mineral and hay rations
• Dairy Goat: 3-5 percent of their body weight in fodder; mineral and hay rations
• Alpaca: 2-3 percent of their body weight in fodder; hay ration
• Pig: 2-3 percent of their body weight in fodder
• Rabbit: 3-5 percent of their body weight in fodder; hay ration for roughage
• Chicken: 2-3 percent of their body weight in fodder; grit and calcium supplements
To get started in growing your own sprouted fodder, you will need:
• 2” deep trays (look for inexpensive baking pans or dish pans at your local dollar store) with a moderate amount of small holes drilled in the bottom.
• bulk bag of untreated, feed grade, whole grain seed; barley, wheat, or oats (oats are the more difficult of the three common grain seeds to sprout and is more prone to mold)
• large bucket
• rack or shelf to keep your trays of seed on
Optional: water pump and hose to re-circulate the water used.
For the best growing results, I recommend that the temperature of your fodder system stays between 63 degrees F and 75 degrees F. The fodder can be grown with only ambient light, so although grow lights or direct sunlight can and will benefit your fodder, direct light is not necessary.
When setting up a rack to put your sprouted fodder trays on, keep in mind that the rack will likely become wet during watering. A simple metal “storage” rack would be wonderful to
use especially if a plastic tub of some sort can be placed underneath to catch any water poured through the system. Arrange the fodder trays so that the level below is lined up to catch any water from the tray above. Another good idea would be to drill holes in one side of each tray and then raise the un-draining side by about 1-2 inches. Alternate which side is raised on each consecutive level so that the first tray drains into the second tray, the second tray drains into the third, and so on. You can pour water from a bucket into the first trays or you could set up a small fountain pump on a timer with a hose leading to the top trays to water all of your fodder. Good air circulation is key to keeping mold from growing in your fodder so choose a location for your system that receives plenty of fresh air.
Here is an easy system to follow:
(Remember: in order to keep your sprouted fodder growing in a cycle for fresh fodder every day, be sure to start a new batch of seeds every day. )
Step 1: Soak the needed amount of dry seed/grain in a large bucket. Fill the bucket with cool water at least two inches above the seeds. Allow the seeds to soak for 12-24 hours or even overnight. A shorter soak time may result in less seeds germinated.
Step 2: After the seeds have soaked, drain the water and dump the seeds into the appropriate amount of trays. The seeds should never exceed 1/2 inch deep otherwise mold may develop due to poor air circulation.
Step 3: Rinse or water each tray 2-3 times daily. The goal is to provide water for growth, but not allow standing water in the trays. Be sure after watering that each tray has drained well.
Repeat Step 3 for seven to nine days depending on the growth. Ideally, you will have about six inches of growth by day nine. Growth is very dependant on temperature and water.
Step 4: Harvest! Flip your tray over or pull the fodder from the tray and feel confident that you are feeding your animals a more natural feed! Feed the sprouted fodder whole; greens, seeds, and root mat. Because how densely the root mat that develops over the nine days, the fodder can be cut into serving portions with a box-cutter or knife much like a roll of housing carpet.
It really is that simple to grow sprouted fodder for your livestock. Just soak, drain, water and harvest! The most complicated element of this system will be sourcing grain or seeds to use. Of course if you have a local farm supply store, feed supply store, or local grain mill, it will be the most likely place to find seeds to use. Alternatively, seeds or grain in bulk can be found from online resources like Azure Standard, Tractor Supply Company, and state grain mills. A simple google search will probably find just what you need.
If you would like a day-by-day breakdown on starting a sprouted fodder system, visit Sarah’s website for more information.
* Source: Cuddeford (1989), based on data obtained by Peer and Leeson (1985).
Sarah lives with her husband and young daughter in an old Californian gold-rush town and is learning to be more self-reliant though gardening, animal husbandry, and by making things from scratch. Join her journey from the very beginning and learn along with her on her family’s farm blog, Frühlingskabine Micro-Farm.
Many months ago, we learned about growing fodder for livestock (Growing Sprouted Fodder for Livestock) and how large-scale systems are being developed to reduce animal feed costs, provide better nutrition for animals, and reduce the amount of water needed to produce said feed. The small-scale commercial systems looked great, but the upfront costs and production level were simply too high to justify such a system for a small homestead like ours. We started to look for other options and ways of producing our own fodder at a lower initial cost.
This article details our current process and success at creating a system that can meet the needs of small backyard farmers and homesteaders. For less than $70 in initial setup costs, we have developed our own little home system that is surprisingly time-efficient and effective.
With our DIY home fodder system, we have found we can turn about 30 oz. of barley grain into 12 – 15 lbs. of fodder. This gives us enough fodder to feed about 3 - 4 milk goats or 15 - 20 chickens every day. The cost of fodder seed in our area ranges from $16 to $19 for 50 lbs. of barley, and this translates into $0.60 - $0.71 per day, or $18.00 - $21.00 per month for feed cost (as of December 2012).
System Setup, List, and Cost
Sprouting tubs - 5 small plastic tubs from a dollar store, with holes for drainage drilled in 4 of the tubs - $1.29 each = $6.45
Plastic cutting board - free, as we had one we weren’t using that came with our grill
5 black seedling trays (available at plant nurseries and online) - $2.99 each = $14.95
3 high dome lids (available at plant nurseries and online) – $6.64 each = $19.92
2 low dome lids (available at plant nurseries and online) – $2.99 each = $5.98
Shelving system - $21.32
Total initial system setup cost - $68.62
Our Process
In the morning…..
Every morning we take the fodder out of one tray and prepare it to feed to our chickens and goats. The chickens seem to waste less if the fodder is in one or two large chunks, and the goats like it to be cut up into smaller portions. Both the chickens and goats will eat the entire fodder - root mat, seeds, and green shoots.
After 6 – 9 days of growth, our fodder harvest looks like this -
Slicing through the root mat with a serrated knife -
Fodder prepared for goats -
The chickens seem to go for the hidden barley seeds within the fodder first, but they eat most of the entire thing. There is very little waste.
The goats LOVE the fodder!
After the morning feed, it's time to take care of the fodder-growing system.
Here are the specifics of what we do; the details for your own system could vary depending on the size of your trays and how much fodder you are trying to grow. We experimented with the amounts until we found the right amount to grow within each tray.
1. We put the plastic tub that has no holes in the bottom of our sink and put a plastic cutting board on top.
2. Measure out 2 scoops of barley seed (for us this is about 5 cups, or 30 oz.), and pour into an empty tub with drainage holes. Rinse the new barley seed well, and pour off the chaff, being careful not to pour out any seeds. If you have a catch screen in the bottom of your sink, you can collect the chaff and any seeds that do happen to fall out to feed to chickens. After rinsing the seed, remove the cutting board and nest the tub with holes into the tub with no holes. Cover the seed with water (about twice the level of the seed) and a teeny glug of bleach. Commercial systems use a much-diluted bleach solution to water the fodder, which helps mitigate the growth of mold and fungus. We found that an initial 5- or 10-minute soak in a diluted bleach solution works great.
3. While the seed is soaking in the bleach soak, we water our fodder trays. Our black fodder trays fit perfectly into the bottom of our sink, but we have had success watering them next to the sink as well. We use a hydroponic technique called flood and drain. Each tray is filled with water, and then most of the water is drained off. We water each tray this way.
Drain off the excess water, being careful not to spill out the fodder. Once the fodder has grown a good root mat, this is very easy.
We keep our fodder trays on a shelf in our laundry room. After watering, we cover the trays with plastic dome lids.
4. After watering the black fodder trays, we drain and rinse the seeds that were soaking in bleach water. We rinse a few times, and then nest the tub with the seeds into the tub with no holes, and soak the seeds in fresh, clean water. We soak these for about 12 hours.
5. Cover the tubs on the bottom of the sink with the plastic cutting board. We have a nested stack of another 4 tubs that contain seeds that have been sprouting for 1, 2, 3 and 4 days. Transfer one tub at a time to the sink, and nest each into the tub below. Give the seeds a good stir with your hands. Repeat with the remaining tubs. Once the last tub has been transferred, all of the seeds are easily watered by watering the top tray, and letting the water soak down through the tubs.
Give the seeds some good air circulation by moving the seeds around with your hand.
Repeat with remaining tubs, and nest each tub into the tub below, until all are moved into the sink.
Water all tubs by watering from the top.
We fill up the top tub until the seeds are covered. The water then drains through each tub, watering the one below.
This photo demonstrates how the water will trickle down through each tub, thereby watering all of the seeds.
6. Our seeds spend 4 days in the sprouting tubs, and then they move onto a black seedling tray. After allowing the water to drain through the top tub (which contains the 4 day sprouted seed), we transfer the seeds into a black tray.
Spread out the seeds in an even layer, approximately a ¾” deep. We cover this tray with a dome lid, and put it with our other fodder trays on our shelving.
In the evening….
Our process in the evening is basically the same, except that we don’t harvest any fodder, and we drain and rinse the seeds that we started soaking in the morning. The evening tasks only take about 15 minutes of effort and ensure that all the newly sprouting seeds and root mats remain moist and continue to grow. Previous attempts at growing fodder before developing this system resulted in very slow growth due to a lack of constant moisture in the system. The trays and dome lids seem to really help in this process as well.
Some Additional Thoughts
We are currently growing our fodder in our laundry room, which is a very cool part of our house. The ideal temperature for growing barley fodder is 65-75°. Right now, being the middle of winter, we find that it takes us about 9 days to get a nice, tall growth on our fodder. When the temperature is a bit warmer, the fodder grows faster, and we could harvest within 6 days.
The seeds don’t need any light until the last couple of days. Even with large-scale commercial systems, the fodder spends only its last few days next to a fluorescent bulb. At this time, we are using natural light coming in from 2 windows in our laundry room. If you have to sacrifice one over the other, it is better to have the right temperature rather than perfect lighting conditions.
With our new DIY fodder system, we have significantly reduced our feed costs and have developed an easier way to store larger volumes of "potential" feed for when times are tough or
feed costs rise. With a little extra daily effort, you, too, can grow this great feedstock and have healthier, happier animals overall.
Resources
The video here shows basically what we do with our nested sprouting tubs, and our initial system inspiration came in part from this DIY setup. www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMeLZPHoLq4&list=UUk_bdohEa3v0UtP0PB26Xbw&index=8
Some good DIY inspiration for a more automated system, but still on a small scale. They also have small scale fodder kits available for purchase.http://www.half-pinthomestead.com./index.html
95 page (!) discussion on backyardchickens.com regarding DIY fodder systemshttp://www.backyardchickens.com/t/713334/growing-fodder-for-chickens
FODDER SYSTEM
Fodder Feed Dot Org is an online business that is at the forefront of making available the most innovative fodder feed systems and products for the high quality production of animal and livestock feed.
Whether you are a horse trainer, farmer, or just a livestock owner, you are probably looking to find economical, sustainable alternatives to traditional feeds that provide superior performance and nutrition. We can put all that science has to offer into your hand so that you can effectively grow and produce the right feed.
Whether you need to fatten up that beef cow, or put lean muscle mass on that horse. Fodder Feed Dot Com has the right fodder feed solutions and the right products for you and your livestock.
The science shows that there is great nutritional benefit provided by hydroponic sprouted grain and it is suitable for all livestock including, sheep, cattle, horses, goats, lamas chickens, and provides animals with improved growth and overall health.
Our hydroponic fodder feed systems are producing high quality ,economical animal feed particularly suited to every environment, but especially those environments that experience drought, land shortages, short growing seasons and climate difficulties. A fodder feed system will give you, year round, super nutritious feed for your animals at a great unbeatable price.
We offer the right size system to meet your needs at the right price. You shouldn’t have to pay for a system that produces more feed than you need. Our 6 Tray system produces 15 pounds of fodder to feed a couple horses, or we can set you up with a 18 Tray system that produces 270 pounds of Fresh Fodder that will feed a herd. We can help you figure your needs based on the weight of your animal.
Fodder : The Best Option for Animal Nutrition
Sprouts grown in a Fodder Feed System are a highly nutritious source of animal feed. Sprouts are best incorporated into a feed as a concentrate, grain replacement, hay replacement, or supplement. Always verify planning with your vet when mapping out a fodder solution.
There are many advantages to feeding sprouts grown with hydroponic fodder feed systems. Since sprouts are fed year round, they are considered a ‘living feed’. Advantages that come from the animals having access to sprout fodder solutions include:
Phytate reduction for pH normalization
High digestibility•Vitamins & mineral saturation•Omega 3, amino acids, natural hormone•Enzymatic activity increase
Vitamins and Minerals
Sprouts are saturated with vitamins and minerals. Sprouts are loaded with vitamin A, vitamin B, and vitamin C. There is 10 – 20 times more vitamins than in grain. The minerals that an animal needs in it’s diet are complimented nicely by the sprouts.
Digestibility – TDN
Sprouts are around 90% digestible which is very high as opposed to dry grain and hay which are around 35% digestible.
By digesting the food sprouts more efficiently it cause the animal to use less energy in the breakdown process. In turn this enables animals to use the energy
for such activities as milk production, reproduction, weight gain, and waste management.
Rumen pH
Rumen pH is a critical element in dairy and other ruminants. An acidic environment will tie up minerals making them unavailable to the animal. Likewise, microbial life (such as enzymes and good bacteria) cannot thrive in an acidic environment. Grain comes littered with Phytate. Phytate produce acidic conditions in the rumen. So, feeding grain limits the amount of available minerals to the animal while putting stress on microbial life.
Sprouting grains in the FodderTech System means that you wash the phytates out of the feed. This in turn causes the pH of the rumen to normalize. Minerals are more available and microbial life has the proper pH to thrive.
A Living Feed: Microbial life
Enzyems aid in digestion. If microbial life has the proper conditions to thrive then it will grow exponentially in the rumen. Strong enzymatic activity dramatically improves digestion which means that the animal uses less energy to digest feeds. The net energy gain that results helps generate increased performance and health.
Omega 3s, Amino Acids, and More
Back to Basics
Over thousands of years cows, horses, sheep, goats, pigs, poultry and many other livestock animal have thrived in the spring because they have access to tender, young shoots from cereal grains. Start providing year round spring grasses to your livestock now with a fodder feed system. Fodder Solution is a wave of the future that is now just presenting itself.
Hydroponic Fodder Growing Systems - Easy to Use & Affordable to Operate
Four Seasons Fodder Systems – Simplifying the way you grow fodder!
Four Seasons Fodder Systems have been designed and created to be user friendly, affordable, and practical. Each system is completely automated and programmable by the consumer, and all are designed and constructed to make growing hydroponic fodder easy and enjoyable!
Minimal Requirements! Time, Water, Electricity, Space!
Four Seasons Fodder Systems are stand alone and are not adversely affected by external climate conditions; each system comes equipped with heating and cooling components, both of which are very energy efficient and designed and built in house. All of our FS models are movable by the consumer if needed.
Every Four Seasons Fodder System uses a water recirculation process which allows for no permanent water supply or drainage connections, a simple bucket or hose will do just fine when the time comes to top off the holding tanks. Our recirculation process also allows each system to use very minimal amount of water daily with our smallest unit (The FS1015) using only 3 gallons a day to produce 15 pounds of feed daily!
Forget about high energy costs or 220V power supplies to grow your fodder! Four Seasons Fodder Systems run on a single standard 120V 15A power outlet and many systems draw less power than a small microwave oven!
Your time is priceless! That’s why all Four Seasons Fodder Systems functions are completely automated and programmable by you, the consumer! From watering times, water temperature, artificial lighting functions, climate control, to humidity control, just set once and walk away!
Short on Space? Our smallest unit (The FS1015) is only 30” wide by 4’ long and will fit through any standard size door (As do all of the FS Models)! Our FSS models are metal sided sheds, built in house, that allow the consumer to grow more fodder while upholding all of the Four Seasons Fodder System’s values and functions!
All Four Seasons Fodder Systems are fully assembled, movable, and ready to grow fodder at the time of delivery and set-up, which is always performed by a Four Seasons Fodder Systems LLC technician, NO user assembly required!
Support and piece of mind are our number one priority. Feeding your animals is important to us and support is a quick phone call away. 24 - 7 - 365 we are here to answer any of you questions regarding any or our systems and perform all the necessary actions to resolve any issue our consumers may be experiencing!
We strongly recommend that any person interested in hydroponically growing fodder perform all the necessary research prior to purchasing and operating a fodder growing system and feeding fodder.
Four Seasons Fodder Systems LLC is happy to answer any questions regarding any of its systems features, and functions but will refrain from giving nutritional and health advice on hydroponic fodder as you the consumer should know and research what is best from you and your animals.
“Its not science…
It’s a love of all that is agriculture in an ever changing world…
A love of growing and feeding
excellent feed that produces healthy,
happy animals!”
No Fertilizer or Hormones Just Water and Seed
Day 2 of cycle (Left) - Wheat seeds have begun to sprout roots and head after being soaked for 24 hours before planting.
Day 4 of Cycle (Right) - Tremendous growth in root bed occurs before growth of shoots/ heads. Healthy root beds will create a mass that resembles that of a tight knit carpet lifting the seed
and shoot from the tray.
Day 6 of Cycle (Left) - Root bed is almost fully developed and growth transfers to shoots that have grown to 1"-2" in overall height.
Day 7 of Cycle (Right) Feeding Day - Growth so fast you can nearly see it! Fully developed shoots and root bed ready for feeding. Healthy root beds are hard to seperate and shoots are 5"-
8" in overall height. From simple seed and water comes healthy natural feed with no fertilizer and hormones added.
Facts About Fodder
Sprouting fodder is young tender grass grown from any cereal grain. In essence, the equivalent to fresh spring grass which is recognized as one of THE best livestock feeds.
Hydroponic fodder has been a mainstay in drought prone areas for generations but due to rising feed prices is quickly becoming a popular feed source worldwide. It allows the consumer to produce their own feed in which there is no doubt to quality, nutrition, and availability just excellent green feed 365 days a year.
The benefits of growing & feeding hydroponic fodder are numerous and range greatly:
- Improved digestion and absorption while using less energy in the process of digestion and absorption
- Reduced risk of colic, respiratory illness, and gut ulcers
- Fodder is rich in minerals and vitamins A, B, & C
- Fodder provides an extra source of hydration while feeding
- Fodder has higher digestibility (30%-80%) than traditional dry hay (20%-50%), which means less waste
- Livestock fed fodder experience increased energy levels and improved overall condition
- Growing fodder provides a guaranteed year round feed source, with no question to feed quality and abundance by the consumer
- Minimal space, water, and electricity are required to grow fodder year round
- Feeding fodder equals greatly reduced feed costs, as low as $0.03 per pound, that’s $80.00 a ton
- Feed costs in 2012 reached $12.00 a bale/$0.20 per pound/ $400.00 a ton for horse quality hay
- Growing and feeding fodder means less risk and work than storing and transporting dry hay
- Many cereal grains can be used and grown as hydroponic fodder
Growing and feeding fodder is an excellent source of nutritious feed but some facts should be kept in mind when considering hydroponic fodder and while growing and feeding hydroponic fodder:
-Fodder is an excellent, healthy alternative to feeding solely dry roughage but should still be fed with some dry roughage as it will aid in the digestion and absorption process.
-Fodder may not be a desirable feed source for horses that have a history of founder
-While the time required in growing hydroponic fodder is minimal it is always constant and at times does require extra attention and care
Any persons interested in growing and feeding hydroponic fodder should do all the necessary research before performing such tasks.
Four Seasons Fodder Systems - Unit Pricing
All Four Seasons Fodder Systems are custom tailored and equipped to suite each clients needs, and as such any prices given in this list are general estimates and subject to change accordingly.
All Four Seasons Fodder Systems are sold with a 30 Day Trial period in which time if you are dissatisfied, or have decided that growing hydroponic fodder is not for you we will give you a full refund with the return of the unit. Each system comes standardly equipped with everything needed to immediately begin growing fodder.
“1 Horse Units” - 10-15lbs produced daily/5,475lbs-2.73tons annually, FS1015
-Will replace 50-75% of daily hay used
-When compared to hay prices @ $300.00 a ton this unit could save you $820.00 a year in hay costs!
Approximate Unit Price—$4,099.00
“2 Horse Units” - 20-30lbs produced daily/10,950lbs-5.47tons annually, FS1530
-Will replace 50-75% of daily hay used
-When compared to hay prices @ $300.00 a ton this unit could save you $1300.00+ a year in hay costs!
Approximate Price—$4,899.00
“3 Horse Units” - 30-45lbs produced daily/16,425lbs-8.21tons annually, FS3045
-Will replace 50-75% of daily hay used
-When comapred to hay prices @ $300.00 a ton this unit could save you $2400.00+ a year in hay costs!
Approximate Price—$6,599.00
4+ Horses/ FSS model units please call for all pricing as we want to provide you with a system that works perfectly for you.
Four Seasons Fodder Systems LLC strives for customer satisfaction which is why all of our systems are delivered, assembled, and completely set-up by one of our trained technicians at your location.
Here to Help
Support and piece of mind are our number one priority. Feeding your animals is important to us and support is a quick phone call away. 24 - 7 - 365 we are here to answer any of your questions and perform all the necessary actions to resolve any issue our consumers may be experiencing!
Home » Homesteading » Dead Simple Fodder System
Dead Simple Fodder SystemPosted by: Jack Spirko in Homesteading November 5, 2013 49 Comments 5,341 Views
Over at The Survival Podcast I am always finding new things, thanks to my guests and listeners. Last year I learned about something called a “fodder system”. Fodder systems convert grain and seeds into high quality fodder for livestock. The most popular fodder is barley because it is cheap and grows fast, but you can make fodder from almost any seed that your animals would want to eat.
These fodder systems range from DIY systems using rain gutters and grow lights that take say a hundred or so bucks to create, all the way up to multi-thousand dollar commercial systems with automated timers, complete climate control, and lots of bells and whistles. The selling point of both systems is high quality feed and a relatively fast payback time.
Consider that when you grow fodder, one pound of barley, when grown to fodder, will become anywhere from 3-6 pounds of feed depending on how long you grow it out. We grow ours to about 4 times the weight. I do this mainly because I keep chickens and geese and the chickens don’t like it too grassy. What this means is my 50 pound bag of barley is equivalent to 200 pounds of feed.
High quality chicken feed is generally about 15 dollars a bag. Since we want to avoid both soy and GMOs we pay about 25 pounds a bag for a natural non-GMO, non-soy feed made by Texas Natural. It is made with wheat, sorghum, peanut meal, field peas and some other great stuff. In general, I am happy to pay more for a great product that keeps my birds and my family healthy.
Yet we have about 12 laying hens and as many as 50 meat birds at times along with our geese. So it can get expensive.
So how much does it save us to spout fodder for our birds? Consider that we are paying about 14 dollars for a 50 pound bag for barley and ending up with 200 pounds of fodder. Price per pound is therefore, 7 cents! If growing for goats or cattle and taking it up to 6 times conversion, your 50 pounds of barley becomes 300 pounds, price per pound is therefore about 4.6 cents a pound, less than a nickel!
It gets better though, sprouted grain is a super food not just for people but for animals, too. Now that our birds are on sprouts, pasture and high quality feed, their health is amazing. They also absolutely love sprouted barley and some other sprouted things as well. With your animals loving something that is great for them, has no GMO threat, and costs you less, you can see why someone might invest hundreds or, in some cases, thousands of dollars in a fodder system, I am just here to tell you it isn’t necessary.
My system is made up of the following…
6 five gallon buckets, 5 with holes drilled in the bottom and one with no holes Some cinder blocks for the buckets to sit on and drain
A scoop to measure the barley, this is actually my wife’s scoop for her bird feeders
Buckets at Lowes or Home Depot are about 3 bucks each, most people have or can borrow a drill, you can use anything like even rocks to sit your buckets on but 3 cinder blocks do the trick. New blocks if you have to buy them are, at most, 2 dollars. So even if you buy everything new, including the scoop, my system will cost you a maximum of no more than 30 dollars to build.
I know what you are thinking, well fine but how much time does it take compared to an automated system? Well, I spend about 5 minutes in the morning and 5 minutes in the evening with my system. I do this, drinking coffee in the AM, often with a beer in the PM so it never feels like work to me at all anyway. I could easily double my production if necessary with no more equipment. If I wanted to go up by 4 times, I would need only 6 more buckets and perhaps another minute or two a day maximum of my time. When we did our last meat bird cycle, I simply put in two scoops of barley a batch and once we slaughtered them I backed it down to one scoop.
Day One – Soak one to two scoops of barley in your bucket with no holes for about 12 hours. It is best to start your soaking in the evening.
Day Two Morning – Dump the barley that was soaked overnight into one of the buckets with holes drilled in the bottom. Let it drain and set it in your sprouting area. You want a shady spot that doesn’t get too hot, you don’t need much sun at all for this. Don’t start another batch soaking at this time.
Day Two Evening – Set your bucket of soaked barley on something to let it drain, I do this where the water will be of advantage to my garden. Fill the empty bucket with no holes about 3/4 full, dump that water on the soaked grain to keep it moist and rinse it off. Put a scoop in your bucket with no holes, add water to cover well, return both buckets to your sprouting area.
On the morning of day three you just continue the process, now stack a new bucket with holes inside the one with the two day soaked grain, and dump the grain you soaked overnight into the new strainer bucket. Fill the soaking bucket about 3/4 full, dump into the strainer buckets, let drain and return them to the sprouting area.
If you can set things up so the rinse water will drain to a garden from your sprouting area you won’t even have to move the buckets.
Each day you will notice the barley or seed of your choice is changing a bit. By day two you should see tiny white roots starting to pop out of the grain, day three you will see a lot of roots,
day four a bit of green and day five quite a bit, this is when we feed the fodder to our birds. Each day I just stack all the buckets and dump one bucket of water into the top to rinse the grain and keep it moist. You can feed this grain to your animals at any point along the way or grow it out further. You will just need to decide what they like best and what gives you the best return of investment on your feed costs. Honestly the chickens like it best before it totally turns into a matt with grass on it. But the geese love it matted up and green. So we compromise and stop at 5 days versus the 7 days many grow fodder for.
You really can do this with any grain or seed that will sprout and form something your animals will want to eat. We tried black eyed peas and they were great spouts on 3 days but to our surprise the birds didn’t really like them. While they love to eat field peas, leaves, pods and all in the field where we cover crop with them, spouts just didn’t do it for them. I also tried black oil sunflower. My laying birds ate it and seemed to like it okay but didn’t get really excited. Our meat birds (freedom rangers) didn’t seem to want it at all. I will experiment with some other grains and seeds but for the most part it seems that barley is best.
Many have told me barley won’t sprout at temps much above 60 degrees. Like I said, we keep our buckets in a shaded alley between our garage and house. It is cool in there but we have had great results and our temps have ranged from 45-95 degrees during the time we have been using this system, we have never had a failure to sprout and grow. Will it work in the summer when temps climb well into the hundreds and overnight lows are still in the high 80s? I am not sure, but I am confident it will work most of our year in the south.
The other thing I am not sure of is how cold we can go before we have a failure to sprout. But we will find out. We can always move the system into our garage at that point, again you don’t need much light at all to just start the beginning of green growth and the birds actually like it less grassy anyway. I am going to try sprouting some sorghum and, if they like it, we can go to it in the hotter times of the year if necessary. Sorghum is still a non GMO crop and available in bulk at a low cost just like barley. We also know we can grow a lot of it on site because we ran trials with many varieties this year.
A few simple things to make your spouting successful
1. Don’t let your grain soak more than twelve hours. All grain has wild yeast and lacto fermenting bacteria on it. Left too long it will begin to ferment, it will then stink and likely not sprout well.
2. Drill small holes in your buckets, lots of small holes are better than a few big ones. This will let you try sprouting smaller seeds. Don’t sweat the holes. As long as the bucket drains, you are good. I used a 1/8 inch bit for my system.
3. Our “scoop” holds about 2 cups of grain, it works fine at that rate and we can go to two scoops (4 cups) with good results per each bucket. If you need more fodder, set up a second set of buckets.
4. I find it best to start my soaking in the evening. I am less likely to forget it that way. Since I feed the birds each morning that reminds me to strain it off. But do what works best for you.
5. Try to find a nice cool shaded spot for your sprouting and, again, if you can set it up so you can rinse in place, all the better. A 7th bucket could be used to bring the water in and take it out if you want to do that.
In any event, if you keep chickens, rabbits, geese or other livestock, this is a great and cheap way to cut your feed costs and provide super nutrition to your animals. If you ever decide you want a fancy automated system, fine go for it but try this first. You can always use the buckets as planters if you move up in such a system. Best of all this system requires zero electricity, as long as you have water and can dump a bucket, you are in business.
I have been told by those in the north that their winters are too cold for my method. My response is one cheap grow light and the buckets are likely sufficient in whatever area you would set up your fancy system. Frankly the light need only be placed over the last two buckets in the cycle, if at all. Again this process doesn’t need much light. Unless you are doing a 7 day cycle with major top growth for goat or cattle or something like that, I just can’t see making a much larger investment. So give this system a try, it won’t set you back much, your animals will love you for it, and it will seriously cut your feed costs.
