# Barley fodder for beef cattle



## warrick (Jun 4, 2013)

I have purchased two pregnant black angus cows. I am interested in growing my own fodder in my barn so i dont need all the machinery or have to buy all of my hay and corn. Does any body have experience with this?


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

So you plan on buying barley and sprouting it?


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## Wellrounded (Sep 25, 2011)

Here's a link to an Aussie Company building self contained units.

http://www.fodderfactory.com.au/

I grow a bit here but not in any way climate controlled. We use sheets of corrugated iron (usually about 6 foot sheets), throw presoaked seed in the valleys and keep damp till ready to feed out (4 inches high or there abouts). This is all outside on the ground under sprinklers. The site is slightly sloped so water drains off naturally. We feed it to chickens, pigs and cows. 
Barley needs a pretty low temperature to germinate so we only grow it in winter, we find triticale germinates for us most of the rest of the year. In the heat of summer everything gets too hot so we stop for a few months.
I tried using all sorts of other containers and found it was too labour intensive or just didn't work. You can just pick up a strip off of the sheets of iron and throw into the trailer/barrow. We also found it's better to keep the seed layer pretty thin to stop it rotting.


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## warrick (Jun 4, 2013)

I have been doing a few trays this spring with different amounts of seed and water to see what works the best. This spring i planted about 2 acres of barley in hopes of getting some seed so i dont have to buy so much seed to sprout. My plan is to plant enough myself so i dont need to buy any at all.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

So I have always been a bit confused about the reasons for this.

Is it to avoid having the machinery required for cutting and baling? That would seem to make sense in a lot of situations.

In our area, cutting green barley would yield at least 3 tons of dry matter, possibly as high as 5 with peas mixed in, this can be fed straight to the cows.
Whereas we would get 1-2 tons of grain if we harvest it, (plus the straw). I don't believe there is a substantial increase in dry matter in "fodder" production, if I am wrong please let me know.
Intensively managed pasture will yield 2 or more tons/acre with no machinery.

So maybe I am missing something or maybe it is just something that works in some situations but would not be useful in ours, wouldn't be the first time I saw that


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## warrick (Jun 4, 2013)

Growing the fodder will be for the winter months when there is no pasture to feed. I live in upstate New York so the winters can get pretty harsh. The fodder would replace the need for large amounts of hay. They would be getting fresh barley sprouts all winter from growing the seeds indoors.


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