Since our first year with rabbits we've fed lots of forage, no pellets and grown wheat into fodder for winter greens. I started the first batch soaking last Sunday, drained it after 12 hours and rinsed it in it's plastic container twice a day until dumping it out into a 10"x20" nursery tray on day 3. Some of it has sprouted but now at day 6 many of the grains haven't sprouted so it hasn't formed a mat of roots or started any green sprouts. Looked at the next batch started 48 hours later and the same thing--some sprouts but more left unsprouted.
I think this sprouted seed will just get fed to the chickens.
I'm wondering if whatever makes them not sprout affects their nutritional value when fed as grain. Could being stored in a place that was too hot change the germination rate? We bought several bags each of wheat and oats from our local mill at the end of the summer, instead of getting them at the feed store which is closer to us but has to order the wheat for us and sometimes forgets or runs out of the oats which are supposed to be in stock.
Anyway I'm almost glad now that we ended up with no late summer litters to grow out through the fall. The adults will cope on hay and roots and the willow and nettle we dried.
I think this sprouted seed will just get fed to the chickens.
I'm wondering if whatever makes them not sprout affects their nutritional value when fed as grain. Could being stored in a place that was too hot change the germination rate? We bought several bags each of wheat and oats from our local mill at the end of the summer, instead of getting them at the feed store which is closer to us but has to order the wheat for us and sometimes forgets or runs out of the oats which are supposed to be in stock.
Anyway I'm almost glad now that we ended up with no late summer litters to grow out through the fall. The adults will cope on hay and roots and the willow and nettle we dried.