sprouted wheat berries

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KimChick
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sprouted wheat berries

Post by KimChick » Mon Feb 18, 2019 4:15 pm

Has anyone ever tried sprouting wheat berries for their hens?
The last time I tried it in my sprouter, some of it looked like it was going moldy.
So this time, I'm getting out the tweezers to pick out the broken bits that will never sprout.
We'll see how that turns out.
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Jaye
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Re: sprouted wheat berries

Post by Jaye » Wed Feb 20, 2019 9:39 pm

What kind of sprouter are you using? I have found that the key to sprouting wheat berries successfully is an overnight soak, drain well, then good air flow and drainage in the sprouting vessel. Ambient temperature also plays an important part: 20C and up seems to work best for me. I have a diy three bucket system with plenty of drainage holes in the bottoms of each of the buckets. Each bucket is set slightly off-horizontal one on top of another, so that rinse water drains out as much as possible. I rinse at least twice a day and take the top lid off once the berries have sprouted and are a good size to allow light to green them up before feeding them to the girls. I have plenty of air holes in my top lid too. I do still get mold on occasion in cooler temps, which is why this year I have only just started to sprout again in the kitchen. We heat with a pellet stove, so the kitchen isn't usually warm enough for sprouting in the winter except when the oven and stove are in use.
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windwalkingwolf
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Re: sprouted wheat berries

Post by windwalkingwolf » Thu Feb 21, 2019 3:03 pm

I do scratch grains on damp paper towel in a baking tray, with a piece of fine hardware cloth folded over top. LOTS of chaff in scratch, so it definitely goes mouldy if too wet, the secret is to not overwater, and to leave space between seeds as much as possible. The hardware cloth 'lid' is so the birds can graze the grass once it's up and robust, but not disturb the seeds and roots too much, so even if there's a bit of yuck down there, they're not eating it. Once the chickens are done cutting grass (or I've trimmed it up with scissors), I let it grow up again. A tray is good for 5 or 6 clippings this way before the grains crap out.
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KimChick
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Re: sprouted wheat berries

Post by KimChick » Thu Feb 21, 2019 4:33 pm

I have a couple of sprouters that I have used often for alfalfa sprouts for myself.
The wheat sprouts are doing fine. I did pick out the broken pieces and have no mold. I think I will wait until I see a bit of green before doling them out to the chickens.
Oh, and because we are using a wood stove in the adjacent room, I have been keeping a dish towel over the sprouters so the top tray does not dry out quickly.
Wheat berries in sprouters
Wheat berries in sprouters
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