What Exactly is Fodder?
Fodder is simply any food grown for livestock. In this case, the word fodder is referring to sprouted seeds that are fed to livestock. So when we needed a way to supplement our animals’ nutrition during the long Wyoming winter, growing our own fodder became the obvious solution, particularly when the hay we purchase may not be the best quality.
Just like everything else you have considered adding to your homestead, a fodder system has its pros and cons. You should look into both to figure out if a fodder system is right for your situation.
Pros of Having a Fodder System
Fodder is nearly completely digestible, so your feed budget benefits the animal instead of going straight through the ground!
When the grain is sprouted, and grown hydroponically, nearly all the starch in the grain is converted to sugar and is better utilized by the animal’s rumen.
The best part is that the whole process, from sprout to ready-to-feed-fodder only takes 6-8 days. Quick!
The animals eat everything, the sprouts, the seeds, and the roots so nothing is wasted!
You control part of your animals’ feed source
Adds extra nutrients to your livestock feed routine
Having a fodder system growing in the dining room also takes care of my gardener’s need to be growing something year-round.
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Cons of Having a Fodder System
You still rely on an outside seed source
This helps supplement your feed but doesn’t replace the main diet
A fodder system if bought can cost a lot for small operations
Can be very time-consuming depending on the number of animals you feed
Need ideal growing conditions, which could mean a greenhouse
There are pros and cons to everything that is added to a homestead, you need to weigh and compare them to your specific situation. This is how we came to the conclusion that we would try and build our own version of a fodder system.
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