Winter Fodder

So, before my mom had been the one who would make the fodder that I would feed to my rabbits over summer and fall.  But shortly into the fall season, she slowly got out of the habit of making it.

Since then, the amount of feed I've been going through has been crazy!  I've been (before I got these 16 other bunnies) going through about 300 lbs. of JUST grain.

Consequently, I've just begun making more.  I only started in back up yesterday, so I don't have any grown fodder yet, but within the next week I will :) 

 

With fodder, you have to soak the seeds 24 hours before the 'real' process begins.  These two trays full are the ones I had just made after soaking them since yesterday.

 

I have lots of trays which I'm planning on filling up very soon!

 

For tomorrow I've already set out 3 trays worth of fodder.   A good tip to help keep your fodder from molding is that while it soaks for the initial 24 hours, add a dab of bleach to it.  It's perfectly safe and works like a charm :)

Then lastly, I have this old colander which I use to get the barley seeds out of the water.  It's very nice because the holes are smaller in it. 

One thing to remember before straining the fodder is to scrape off the top layer of seeds.  Any seeds still floating after the 24 hours won't sprout.  So just skim them off the top and you'll be good to go!