I remember growing up as a kid my Mom would have jars of alfalfa and other types of sprouts up in the kitchen cupboard. Yes, it was the 70's and yes, she was into healthy eating (whole wheat bread, unsalted natural peanut butter and tofu) way before it was en vogue. A woman ahead of her time, she inadvertently gave me an idea for healthy treats for our chickens this winter ! I've been trying to think of inexpensive, healthy treats for them since now with more than thirty chickens and ducks, it's just too expensive to buy them produce at the grocery store like I used to do when we only had eight. Turns out, sprouts are extremely nutritious and easy to grow. If YOU have also been wondering what you can give to your flock for healthy treats this winter when they can't get out to forage, and when produce isn't plentiful, why not sprout some seeds or beans for them? It's inexpensive and give the chickens much-needed nutrition when they can't be out eating grass and weeds.
You can sprout all kinds of things: clover, alfalfa, mung beans, peanuts, lentils, peas, quinoa, radish, mustard seeds, grains, clover, oats, garbanzo beans, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, among others. Check your local health food store or online for organic beans and seeds for sprouting. (Caution: dried beans contain a toxin called hemaglutin and should never be fed RAW to chickens, however cooking or sprouting destroys the toxin. I would still suggest avoiding the larger beans such as lima, kidney and the like, and stick with grains, seeds and smaller beans like mung or lentil instead)
I recently sprouted some mung beans for our chickens. Here's what I did:
Materials Needed
Pint or quart canning jar with lid
1 rounded Tablespoon of mung beans (or other sprouting beans or seeds - organic is best)
Grapefruit Seed Extract or White Vinegar (optional) Cut the shelf liner to fit inside the ring part of the jar. This allows air to circulate inside the jar. You can buy pre-made sprouting lids, but this way is easy and inexpensive and works just as well.
Pour one rounded Tablespoon of beans into the jar and cover with cool tap water (optional: add a few drops of Grapefruit Seed Extract or White Vinegar as a sanitizer).
Let soak for about 8 hours and then drain the water. Refill the jar with plain tap water and swirl the beans to rinse them well and then drain again. Hold the jar upside down and shake a few times to be sure all the water has drained out. (Alternatively, you can set the jar upside down in a bowl at an angle or in your dish drainer rack until all the water has drained.)
Set the jar on the counter in a spot with low light and continue to rinse and drain twice a day for several days. All you are doing is keeping the beans moist. Be sure to drain the jars well of all water each time you rinse.
By the second day you should see sprouts starting.
Once the beans have cracked open and started to sprout, move the jar to a sunny location, but not in direct sunlight - a southern exposure windowsill is perfect, to allow the sprouts to green up a bit. Continue to rinse and drain the sprouts twice daily until they are done. The mung beans took five days until nice green leaves had grown and the sprouts were done and ready to be eaten.
It's as easy as that, and both your chickens and ducks will love them. Sprouted seeds and grains are actually more nutritious than either feeding them whole or grinding them into feed. Try a different kinds to see which are your flocks' favorites.
I am planning on keeping five jars going all the time this winter, starting a new one each morning so one jar is ready to eat each day, for a constant healthy treat source for our flock.
P.S....YOU can eat them too! Add the sprouts to salads or sandwiches or just munch on them by the handful.
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Grandfield Oklahoma,
including Sussex Chickens, Welsummer Chickens, Turken Chickens and more.
Be sure to check out the Bargain Specials, as you can combine different
egg layers in smaller amounts and buy as an assortment. Grandfield
Oklahoma also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Grandfield Oklahoma, bantams for sale, ducks for sale, geese for sale,
turkeys for sale, guinea for sale, peafowl for sale, pheasant for sale,
chukar partridge for sale, bobwhite for sale, many different breeds of
baby chicks for sale in Grandfield OK.
Baby Chickens And Heat Lamps in
Grandfield, Oklahoma
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Grandfield Oklahoma
catalog is a yearly traditions in many houses. My kids and I eagerly await
the Murray McMurray Hatchery catalog. We love looking at all the cool and
different chicken breeds available. Catalogs are free so head on over to
their site and request one if you are interested.
Typically hatcheries online offer both standard breeds
and bantams. Bantams are fun hardy little chickens, they lay tiny eggs
that kids especially love collecting. Bantams typically weigh less than 2
pounds when full grown. Just like ordering anything online there are pros
and cons to ordering baby chicks online. Pros of buying baby chicks in
Grandfield Oklahoma * Big Selection - If you are wanting a large
variety of different chicken breeds and egg colors, you will find the best
selection at an online hatchery. * Both Bantams and full sized chickens
available * You get to choose what sex you want. If you want a mixture of
both male and female then choosing a "straight run" will save you money
and you will get a mixture of male and female chicks. You can also choose
all males or all females too. * Weekly specials. Hatcheries have sales on
chicks, you are likely to get a good deal if you are flexible with the
breeds you are wanting. Cons of buying baby chicks in Grandfield
Oklahoma * Order early to get the best selection. Certain breeds sell
out fast, sometimes as early as 6 months in advance of shipping! If you
are wanting a certain breed it's best to order your chicks in the fall
before their orders sell out.
Baby Chickens By Mail in
Grandfield, Oklahoma
Quantity - you must order a certain number of chicks. Typically hatcheries
will require you buy a minimum of 25 chicks at a time. The number is
necessary for the chicks survival during shipping. All 25 chicks are put
in one small box without heat. They are crowded in the box and produce
enough body heat to arrive in good shape. * The wait - If you choose to
buy chicks from a feed store you will have them the same day but if you
choose to go with a hatchery you have to wait until they are ready to ship
and then wait for the chicks to arrive. Ordering baby chicks online in
Grandfield Oklahoma is easy and has always been a very pleasant
experience of me. It can be a little frustrating waiting for the chicks
but it's so worth the wait. When the post office calls and you hear all
those little "cheeps" or "chirps" in the background you'll know the wait
was worth it! How to Care for your new baby chickens in Grandfield,
Oklahoma Baby chicks are quite
cute and
hard to stand up to,
yet it's best to prepare for their
arrival prior to you get them. Prepare first
by collecting not just the
appropriate materials, however
additionally the correct
expertise to look after
them. Raising baby chicks is relatively
easy, you merely have to give them with the following: A
clean and also cozy
habitat Plenty of food as well
as water Interest and
love Environment Your environment can be a basic box, aquarium,
cat carrier, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels and
coverings (without loosened
strings!) to begin, and after a
couple of weeks make use of straw over paper.
Keep in mind: Avoid making use of just
paper or other sandal
surface areas-- or your chicks legs could grow
malformed. You also need
something to provide food and also
water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water
dish from the feed store, or a pickle jar
lid for food and also a family
pet bird water dispenser from an animal shop. Additionally, as the chicks get
older you could present a perch
into the environment to obtain them
educated on perching. Warmth To
maintain your chicks warm you have to
offer them with a heat resource.
This could be as simple as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp design lamp from a
hardware shop, or an infrared reptile warmth
bulb additionally function effectively (my
referral). Chicks need this
heat 24/7 till their downy fluff is
changed with feathers (which can occupy to two months). The recently
hatched need a temperature level
in between 90 and also 100 levels,
and also each week this could
be reduced by
roughly 5 levels approximately. The warmth source must be on merely one side of the cage
to enable chicks a range of
temperatures. The chicks are your best
thermostat- if they are hiding in the
opposite corner of your warmth
light, you need to
decrease the temperature. If
they are smothering each other under the
heat (not merely snuggling),
you need to include some warmth.
Housekeeping
Cleanliness is vital and also it keeps your chicks healthy. Be sure to alter
the bedding
commonly and
constantly give clean
food as well as water Food and also water.
Chicks grow very quickly
which requires a lot of tidy
food and also water. Provide
enough in any way times as well
as inspect
commonly to prevent parched and also
starving chicks. Chick food is different than grown-up chicken food, as well as it can be found in both medicated as well as non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the
very first 2 months, after that
switch over to a raiser food (~ 17 %
protein) for one more 2 months,
then to a somewhat
lower healthy protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have levels). Soil Some chicks like to get a head start on taking
dust bathrooms, while others will not take
up that task up until they are
older. If you have the room in your chick
enclosure, present a tray of sand or
dirt for them to bathe in.
Interest and also love There are a couple of benefits to spending quality time with your chicks. First off, they will certainly most
likely bond with you and also
not flee as grownups. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily as well as
enjoy their behavior, you can
catch ailment or various
other problems earlier. Keep an
eye out for hissing, limping, or
other harmful
indications. Make certain to
also check out
their poop, as looseness of the bowels can cause matted plumes as well
as blocked cloaca.
Last but not least, it is very
important to keep an eye out for social issues, such as the
smallest chick getting picked
on. Empty nest disorder So your
chicks are now completely feathery
and also its time for them to leave the
safety of your home
and also move outside right into a
coop. Have a look at our
part on chicken coops to get more information
about cages and also
appropriate cage habitats.
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