Re: sprouted grains goats chickens

[Guest guest]

I ran across an article a couple years ago about a dairy farm that had a

confinement herd and was experiementing with sprouting all their grains for

the cattle trying to boost the CLA levels. It's my understanding that once a

grain is sprouted it's no longer considered a grain but it's a grass allowing

a confinement herd to be termed " grass fed " . They were actually sprouting

the grains, then drying them so they would have a dry feed with a longer

shelf life. That's what got me started with sprouting grains for the

chickens, ducks and goats. Originally I was drying them all as well until

the numbers kept increasing and it was no longer feasible. Even the goats

love their sprouted grains and it sure is a lot easier to hide some cod liver

oil in wet grains than dry ones. In the winter months I mix in some shredded

carrots as well. I'm experimenting with a mineral mix for the goats

(copper,dolomite, sulfur and kelp). They don't like it dry at all but take

it when it's mixed in with the damp grains. I find that by adding a little

vinegar you don't have the problem of moldy sprouts. I'm notorious for

forgetting to rinse them in the middle of the day, or leaving them standing

in water too long. The vinegar gives a little breathing room...