Sprouting Whole Grains for Geese why and how
Understanding the grazing and digestive system of domestic geese
Geese are spacial in more ways than one! One of the most unique things is there ability to thrive on quality pasture. But how many of us have perfect pastures 12 months out of the year. Im lucky here on a dry hill in Colorado to pull off a pasture 2 moths a year and nibble for 3 more months. So I am constantly studding how I can give them as natural of a diet as I can. One of the most interesting things I learned is how geese are different. It starts with there teeth that line both there beak and there tong. This incredible set up is for ripping plants. In order to break down those plants it has been equipped with a stronger mussels through its full digestive system in order to break down the cells of thous plants. Creating almost 2 times the digestive pressure of ducks. They are also equipped with a longer larger intestine to absorb the nutrition. Its a fun fact to research
Why Sprout
The optimal time for feeding spouted wheat is when the grain is just starting to emerge its little wonder for me that is around day 3 when the grain still contains all of its Nutrition but all of its defenses are gone, in order to prepare to became a plant.. The grain now is now most digestible form it has let down all its guards.
At this point it has not started to use its energy to start growing the actual plant. Once it begins to grow into a plant it is begins to spend its energy it just released to develop into a plant.. What happens in the first 3 days of sprouting is a chemical process were the seed is preparing its natural energy to grow. It is my belief at this time is the healthiest time to feed. You still have your full dry matter its nutrition is now more digestible.to thinking spring is here.
The optimal time for feeding spouted wheat is when the grain is just starting to immerge its little wonder for me that is around day 3 when the grain still contains all of its Nutrition but all of its defenses are gone, in order to prepare to became a plant.. The grain now is now most digestible form it has let down all its guards
At this point it has not started to use its energy to start growing the actual plant. Once it begins to grow into a plant it is begins to spend its energy it just released to develop into a plant.. What happens in the first 3 days of sprouting is a chemical process were the seed is preparing its natural energy to grow. It is my belief at this time is the heathiest time to feed. You still have your full dry matter its nutrition is now more digestible.
Keep in mind a full diet of sprout's will not give your birds everything they need but can be 1/2 there diet or more depending on the other feed you give them with it. .
How I Sprout
Day one soaking (bucket with no holes and bucket with holes inside). Even if you do no more than soak your grain overnight you have just increased the digestibility of the grain. Whole grains are seed whose main purpose it to reproduce and comes with a protective shell both on the gran and on its germ. Softening it and waking it up but as long as you went this far why not take it to the next level and let it convert all that gluten to sugars and strengthen its vitamin’s and digestible proteins.
Day 2-3 rinsing (buckets with small holes). Rinsing off your grain but giving it the ability to breath gives the grain time to really prepare for its new life as a plant. Its not spending its energy it converting it for a new life.
Cost savings and nutritional value
If you have read a feed label lately the protein is listed by Crude Protein. There is the potential protein available in your feed. What they don’t usually list is Digestible Protein that is the protein your bird will be able to digest from the feed. Wheat has a average of 14% crude protein. but by sprouting it we are taking that 14% and turning it into all digestible protein eliminating allot of the sticky gluten's that protect its proteins from being digested. When feed mills grind the grain to put it in feed they do make the grain’s protein more available to your birds but they don’t make it more available and digestible.
Digestible Protein Verses Crude Protein
If you have read a feed label lately the protein is listed by Crude Protein. There is the potential protein available in your feed. What they don’t usually list is Digestible Protein that is the protein your bird will be able to digest from the feed. Wheat has a average of 14% crude protein. but by sprouting it we are taking that 14% and turning it into all digestible protein eliminating allot of the sticky gluten's that protect its protines from being digested. When feed mills grind the grain to put it in feed they do make the grain’s protein more available to your birds but they don’t make it more available and digestible.