Growing Sprouts: A Flock Favorite

Posted on November 27, 2022 by Weekend Homesteader

With the winter cold coming and no more grass until spring, I like to provide my flock with sprouts throughout the winter. Wheat berries are one of their favorites! These are one well-balanced and nutritious food to include in a chicken’s daily diet!

Here's why: Wheat berries are the least processed form of the plant, and they generally retain most of their nutritional value. Wheat berries provide a balance of protein and macronutrients and contain methionine, an amino acid that is important for a chicken's growth.

Wheat berries have a high fiber content that helps chickens with digestion too. The fiber also slows down the absorption of sugar, preventing unhealthy blood sugar spikes.

And the benefits don't stop there, they also contain calcium and phosphorus, which are needed for bone formation. Lastly, wheat berries have high vitamin C levels, which promote iron absorption.

Ever since I started with chickens, friends and family love sharing posts and chicken tips with me. Facebook loves to share too since the algorithm picked up my interest in chickens.

My daughter shared an interesting post on wheat berries, and after a little research on my own, this was something I wanted to add to my chickens' diet ... and they LOVE it!

There are multiple ways to feed wheat berries ... dry, soaked, or sprouted. Since my flock gets scratch grains too, I decided it would work best to sprout them for the highest nutritional value.

Newly sprouting wheat berries.

Sprouted wheat berries for tomorrow.

Newly added wheat berries that will be ready in 4 days.

Sprouted wheat berries ready to feed.

In addition to the wheat berries, I also sprout alfalfa. On most days the flock gets a mix of both now that I have the sprouts on a perfect schedule. The 4 tray system for the wheat berries works like a clock ... and those buggers grow fast. As you can see in the far right photo, they are pushing out of the tray ... they were in there nicely this morning but were popping out by the afternoon ... just in time for the flock's afternoon treat.

Our feeding schedule: Out of the coop and breakfast (fermented grains) by 7:30 am. Sprouts at 2 pm and a little scratch at 3:30 pm before bedtime. This late snack gets their metabolism going to help keep them warm on the cold winter nights.

To sprout wheat berries or alfalfa, soak them for 24 hours then put them in a sprouting tray or mason jar. Water daily and after 4 days, they should be ready to go.

As an alternative, you can sprout your chicken's scratch grains. We use Hen Up Scratch Grains.

On the left is my set up for my sprouts.

Below are the products that I use. These are affiliate links and I may receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you choose to purchase from one of my links.