Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Back to Basics - Little Sprouts!

Winter has not been a totally happy time for my hens - they don't like the snow and cold, for one thing. For another, there's no fresh greens and bugs flying around for them to munch on. They have only the bagged feed I provide, and what goodies I can toss in to keep them from getting too bored. "Grandma" (my mom!) saves them table scraps such as tomatoes, peas, and biscuits. The hens cherish these treats, but I don't get to see their Grandma every day. In between time, I give them scratch seed, and have also been feeding them wheat grass.

Wheat and oat grass is easy to sprout yourself. Instructions for sprouting different seeds can be found at SproutPeople, and they also have sprouting contraptions they will sell you, seeds, kits for sprouting, and several styles of juicers. I found it an interesting site to explore! I have flax seed and am going to sprout that for my hens next. The fresh greens aren't hard to grow, and the hens just gobble up the tasty tidbits, clamoring for more! It is good for them, good for their eggs, and ultimately good for ME!

Below is a really fun, short video of sprouting in action! And, if you are interested to learn more about growing your own sprouts for your hens, for your sandwiches, or growing pet grass, be sure to check out sproutpeople!

7 comments:

Olde Dame Penniwig said...

Halloo dearie...those sprouts are such nice treats...I used to round up all the garnishes left over at University functions and give them to one of the staff who had chickens -- that was the first I had heard about them enjoying kale and such...

Marjorie (Molly) Smith said...

Nice treats you have for your little henny pennys...momma always feed her's greens left over from the table and bread and crackers too.
Hope your babies get some warm weather and fresh bugs to chase soon.
Molly

Unknown said...

I grow wheatgrass with my students when we study the environment. They plant the seeds in a cup that they decorate with a face.
Love your Corgi valentine!

Unknown said...

Oh THANK YOU again for all the informative info! My 5 chickens are going crazy being cooped up and I can hardly wait for that first thaw for them to go out again! They are always soo happy when they get out! :)

Angela said...

I noticed yesterday that my neighbor who has chickens had put down some straw on the ground so they could come out of their house I suppose. The sun melted a lot of the snow in her yard so they were running free today and looked so happy!

ocmist said...

I was wondering about your poor hens and all that cold! I LOVE sprouts on salads and sandwiches... I probably need to go check out that sight soon.

I've been swamped with this Mango Minster thing, getting up a much extended CafePress Store with a LOT mor designs and sections in my main store. It's really gotten me behind on my blog reading! Linda

ocmist said...

I was wondering about your poor hens and all that cold! I LOVE sprouts on salads and sandwiches... I probably need to go check out that sight soon.

I've been swamped with this Mango Minster thing, getting up a much extended CafePress Store with a LOT mor designs and sections in my main store. It's really gotten me behind on my blog reading! Linda