Sprouting Barley Question

[SuburbanFarmChic]

So we just found someone selling local whole grain barley for 10.00 a 100wt. Roughly. He always over pours but then charges by the bag vs weighing the truck.


I have wanted to play around with sprouting for a while and I think this is a great chance.

Suggestions? What worked? What completely tanked?

 

[Goatherd]

I sprout grains, mostly wheat, oats, millet and corn. Just never had access to barley, which by the way, your price is very good for barley.

I've included this link to give you an idea of what's involved. My method is similar to theirs with some minor changes. Once the grains are soaked, and before they sprout, I do rinse the grains one to two times a day, which they don't seem to do. For me, this is a safety feature and keeps the potential sprouting grains free of potential harmful bacteria. I also use a small amount of bleach in the initial soaking water.

You have to be diligent when sprouting. If you're not, you will have mold and dangerous bacteria, form and the sprouts will need to be discarded.

If you have the time and patience, sprouting is an excellent way to enhance the nutritional values of grains for your animals and poultry.

Here's the link: http://thepromiselandfarm.org/2011/03/03/sprouting-grain-for-farm-animals/

It'll give you an idea of what's involved and of course, you can modify it to suit yourself.

 

[SuburbanFarmChic]

Interesting. I think I'd more likely be using flats or 1 gal buckets. We aim for about 6 goats at any given point. I'm up a little on that at the moment.

Do you just stick it under a heat lamp in the winter? Or do it in the house?

 

[Goatherd]

In the basement. It's heated and you need to have a warm environment for the seeds to germinate. I imagine a heat lamp could work as well.

 

[dhansen]

This may seem like a really lame question, but.... Why sprout the grain? Is it better for the goats?

 

[SuburbanFarmChic]

It aids digestibility and is generally beneficial. I am looking at either sprouting it or taking it a step further and growing forage. Haven't decided yet.

 

[ragdollcatlady]

Sprouting releases enzymes, I believe it boosts certain vitamin levels and makes them more available for use by the body.