It is winter.
In Connecticut.
There is not much greenery for my chickens. I do buy them the occasional bag of kale or spinach, which they love. They also get all of the table scraps. They will eat anything - except avocado and chocolate. They don't especially like onion or citrus or (interestingly enough) strawberries - unless they are organic. I don't know how they can tell, but they won't touch them.
When there is an abundance of growing things, their eggs are lovely - the yolks almost orange, the whites very clear. Even with out growing things, their eggs are better than those in the store.
I thought I would try to supplement their food with wheat grass. It's cheap and I can put it in my smoothies. Win-win.
I got the wheat from Whole Foods. Enough wheat for two pans cost around $2. That's it.
Start by soaking the wheat (about 1 1/2 cups for one disposable aluminum pan) in water overnight. Drain the wheat. You will see that some of the wheat has already begun to sprout!
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| Day one, after soaking all night |
Take one aluminum pan and put something in it to keep the other pan above the water. I used canning rings because I have plenty.
On the other aluminum pan, poke holes all over - large enough to drain the water but small enough so the wheat doesn't fall through.
Spread the soaked and drained wheat in the pan with the holes. It should be about 1/2 inch thick. It doesn't matter if it is less.
Set the pans in a sunny window.
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| Day 2 - you can see some green |
Twice a day, pour water over the wheat. You will need to drain the excess water once a day.
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| Day 3 - sprouting nicely |
Watch it grow!
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| Day 4 - almost there |
In five days, it should be 3-5 inches tall!
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| Day 5 - ready to go |
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| I just lift the whole thing out for the chickens, or use scissors to mow it for me. |
You can then feed it to your chickens or snip off greens to add to your smoothies. I start one a day, never having more than 5 going, so the chickens get a treat all winter.
Easy peasy!
