# Spent Grain What To Do With It ?



## michaelcocks (19/9/10)

Hi guys
Was just doing clean up in the garden and realized i have a few dumping areas for grain
Swimbo is starting to moan about flys and it looking untidy

What do you guys so with spent grain ?


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## RdeVjun (19/9/10)

Yes, dumping it in one big pile means it will go pretty naff quite quickly, so I just spread it thinly around the garden as a mulch. 

Any fowl? I hear they like it.


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## Gavo (19/9/10)

Like RdeVjan I spread mine out as mulch, only I spread mine out on the grass. Clay soil here and couldn't get the grass to grow until I did this.

Gavo.


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## dug (19/9/10)

I either dig it inot the vegie patch or it goes straight into the worm farm, (does smell a little funky :huh: )


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## RdeVjun (19/9/10)

:icon_offtopic: Yeah, I've got heaps just now Gavo, about three bags- worth that I had to unexpectedly dispose of!!  
I only jest, your grain is safe here with me!


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## aussiechucka (19/9/10)

I chuck mine in the compost bin. still waiting to see how it turns out. Haven't got to it yet after a few months. Will have to see how it goes. Trying to talk swmbo into getting some chooks to eat the spent grain. 
Cheers
Chucka


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## ianh (19/9/10)

Mine goes into the compost bin too.


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## matho (19/9/10)

Chooks, I have 5 chooks and they can't get enough of it plus I get 5 eggs a day 

By the way does anybody wants some eggs


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## Rodolphe01 (19/9/10)

eggs in beer, or pickled eggs with beer - it's the circle of life, don't fight it


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## tavas (19/9/10)

Rudi 101 said:


> eggs in beer, or pickled eggs with beer - it's the circle of life, don't fight it



Pickled eggs + beer = pickled egg beer farts

Now that's completing the circle :kooi:


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## sunburnt (19/9/10)

The cows love it, as do the sheep but it's best for the chooks.


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## warra48 (19/9/10)

It either goes into the compost bin, or it gets dug into the vege garden.


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## Gavo (19/9/10)

RdeVjun said:


> :icon_offtopic: Yeah, I've got heaps just now Gavo, about three bags- worth that I had to unexpectedly dispose of!!
> I only jest, your grain is safe here with me!




Yeah good onya Ralf. Don't worry I will turn that grain into mulch sometime.

Gavo.


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## alkos (19/9/10)

I make cookies 

250	g white flour
250	g spent grain
250	g raisins+seeds+nuts
150	g sugar
100	g peanut butter
100	ml milk
50 g tahina
2	tsp vanilla
2	tsp baking soda
1	tsp salt

Bake until golden @ 160C. My GF looves them!



The rest is eaten by my compost bin


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## chadjaja (19/9/10)

I make dog biscuits

2 cups of flour
2 cups of grain
1 cup of peanut butter
1 egg.

Mix together and press flat into a baking tray and score shapes lightly. Cook for 30 mins at 180. Then break up cookies and place back into oven for 6 hours plus at a low 100 to completely dry out. Dogs love em!

The rest goes on the lawn and its finally starting to take off.

Looking at making some bread with some soon.


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## canon1ball (19/9/10)

sunburnt said:


> The cows love it, as do the sheep but it's best for the chooks



Why doesn't my chook love it???
Only got one, given to me, loves scratching around in it, but wont eat it!


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## Stuffa (19/9/10)

The chooks are happy again as they used to get it then I got some pigs. Fed it all to the pigs to fatten them up, now the pigs are in the freezer and the chooks get it again.


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## manticle (19/9/10)

I turn my spent grain into a rather smart casual jacket.


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## felon (19/9/10)

I find that it gives my dog gas.


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## Carboy (19/9/10)

A little water and fertiliser... all good :super:


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## The_Duck (19/9/10)

Worm farm, compost and or the greenwaste bin depending on how full everything is.

Right now, after the weather Melbourne has had in the last few months, my grass doesn't need ANY encouragement to grow. But come summer when it all dies off and goes brown, I might spread some spent grain lovin on my lawns.

Also.. possibly explains why I have a couple of patches of REALLY green grass. It is where I throw the little bit of beer out when I clean my glass out when switching brews from the taps. :blink:


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## dpadden (19/9/10)

The_Duck said:


> It is where I throw the little bit of beer out when I clean my glass out when switching brews from the taps. :blink:



You do what!!!???


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## The_Duck (19/9/10)

Paddo said:


> You do what!!!???




Fear Not !! There is method in what appears to be utter madness.

The glass gets drained and maybe a "nip" of beer goes into the glass from another tap. As my keg fridge lives in the garage, I have little control of who or what decides to sample my brew's.

I have had a few nasties that decided to move if for a session, come out of my taps :icon_vomit: 

So sacrificing a small amount just to be sure nothing is in there is no big deal for me. 

Duck


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## Banshee (19/9/10)

Porridge for the kilds.


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## fcmcg (19/9/10)

I've bought a live piglet...
It's called Dennis....
It's geting fattened on spent grain....
When he gets to the right size.......
Straight into the wood fired oven...Roast Dennis !
Cheers
Ferg


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## praxis178 (19/9/10)

Chooks, have 9 and get 7-9eggs per day, and they will turn 6kgs of spent grain into ~one 2L ice-cream tub of guano in 24hrs, which after composting goes on my hops. Now _THAT_ is the circle of life! LOL


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## Acasta (19/9/10)

Thomas J. said:


> Chooks, have 9 and get 7-9eggs per day, and they will turn 6kgs of spent grain into ~one 2L ice-cream tub of guano in 24hrs, which after composting goes on my hops. Now _THAT_ is the circle of life! LOL


haha nice one! i wonder what you could do with spent hops? Maybe use them to fertilize a barley field? Thats a circle my man. You have a 3/4 circle.


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## haysie (19/9/10)

but chooks shit everywhere, foxes come from nowhere in search of the dumbasses, the pig thing ferg is just terrible but then i seen the hats you wear, the lawn?????? it stinks to high heaven and screws it. Dont feed the shit to your dogs, grain isnt part of their natural diet.
Chuck it in the bin makes more sense.


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## HoppingMad (19/9/10)

Used to put my grain in the backyard dug in - following suggestions of some well meaning folk on this forum.

Then climbed into my roof space a month ago and found spent grain bits everywhere. Bloody mice grabbed it, then took it into the rafters for a feed! The husks they didn't eat then became nesting material. Never had such a mice problem until I did this. Have been rat baiting like crazy this winter. 

Not the people that recommend this idea's fault - but I guess I have a few more critters around near me than they do. 
Now I bag it and bin it. Not very enviro friendly, but mice pooping in the roof space ain't either.

On the pig idea be careful ferg. Spoke to Jeff Whyte (Brewer at Jamieson's Brewery) a while back and he told a tale of 
donating some spent grain to a pig farmer and it killed some of his stock. He said now he only gives grain to farmers 
in the area that's within a few days old. The older grain can do evil things to the belly of some beasts.

Hopper.


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## bricho (20/9/10)

I had a similar experience to HoppingMad, dug it into the garden, but then had a couple of mice digging tunnels through the mulch and top layer of soil to get to it. The mice seemed to be out there every second night looking around for new deposits.
I then dumped it in the reserve garden over the road to try attract the mice over there, which has seemed to work ,as i haven't seem them again.


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## wakkatoo (20/9/10)

fergthebrewer said:


> I've bought a live piglet...
> It's called Dennis....



Love it! Nothinmg better than naming an animal that will end up in your freezer  As a kid we had a pet lamb - we named her Chops. I'd have a pig if I had a little more space. At the moment the grain get shared between the chooks, veggie garden, compost and worm farm. From there it ends up either around the hops or fruit trees.


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## jonw (20/9/10)

Mine goes on the compost, but that encourages the local rat population. I think I'll try the lawn trick, because I have clay soil too, and the grass is struggling. Hope it doesnt just expand the rat playground.


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## Bretto77 (24/9/10)

Yeah my chooks are a bigger fan of brew day than me. They love it, all goes back into into healthy eggs too. Prior to having chooks a put it in the compost as long as its in a contained bin of burried a bit (keeps the flys away) composts very well adding much needed nutrients to the soil, a great benefit for those that grow hops as hops are very nutrient hungry. 

Cheers
Brett


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## staggalee (24/9/10)

jonw said:


> Mine goes on the compost, but that encourages the local rat population. I think I'll try the lawn trick, because I have clay soil too, and the grass is struggling. Hope it doesnt just expand the rat playground.



I can hire this bloke out to you, was 12 when this pic was taken, 16 now and still going strong.
Deadly on vermin.

[and chooks} :lol: 

stagga.


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## Fents (24/9/10)

does anyone know a farmer or anyone who owns animals on a property close to Heidelberg that wants about 200KG+ of spent grain for nothing? has to come collect from our brewery when its ready.


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## Uncle Fester (10/1/12)

I'm hoping that waiting overnight before letting the chooks loose on it will not allow it to ferment too much.

Cant see it being very handy giving it to them whilst it is hot, and anyway, 90% of my brewing is done after tea, when the girls are all roosting anyway.



Fester Out.


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## QldKev (10/1/12)

Uncle Fester said:


> I'm hoping that waiting overnight before letting the chooks loose on it will not allow it to ferment too much.
> 
> Cant see it being very handy giving it to them whilst it is hot, and anyway, 90% of my brewing is done after tea, when the girls are all roosting anyway.
> 
> ...




If your brewing late, and then dump it in the morning I do not think you will have any issues

QldKev


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## WarmBeer (10/1/12)

Uncle Fester said:


> I'm hoping that waiting overnight before letting the chooks loose on it will not allow it to ferment too much.
> 
> Cant see it being very handy giving it to them whilst it is hot, and anyway, 90% of my brewing is done after tea, when the girls are all roosting anyway.
> 
> ...


I dump about 10+ litres of cold tap water in the mash tun after I've completed sparging.

This brings the temperature of the grain right down to about ambient, then I let that drain out overnight. The grains are cool, and ready to go to (a friends) chooks the next morning.

I once made a mistake of not cooling the grain down, and closed the lid on my esky. Next morning the smell almost made me retch :icon_vomit:


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## Nick JD (10/1/12)

My local Bluetongue likes it.


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## punkin (10/1/12)

Fents said:


> does anyone know a farmer or anyone who owns animals on a property close to Heidelberg that wants about 200KG+ of spent grain for nothing? has to come collect from our brewery when its ready.





You need a method of drying the grain, it's perfect for animal feed then as we only take the sugar but leave the protiens.



Might make the difference between getting rid of it for nothing or even a little cash recovery and paying to have it disposed of.





Some kind of tumble drying system. :unsure:


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## flano (10/1/12)

I wait until it cools down..
then get one of those big black plastic garabge bags and very carefully tip it into the bag.
I then twist the bag and tie a knot in it.

Then I just chuck it in the red bin.


ta da ..gonski.


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## Yob (10/1/12)

do not throw it on the roses... and def. do *NOT* cover it with pea straw when it starts to stink... SWMBO, I can attest to, will *not* be impressed no matter how helpful you think you are being


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## sama (10/1/12)

Ive found with a cap of tuna oil mixed into a bucket of spent grain makes excellent bream berley off the back of the boat.


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## flano (10/1/12)

sama said:


> Ive found with a cap of tuna oil mixed into a bucket of spent grain makes excellent bream berley off the back of the boat.




COOL IDEA.

I will give it s crack.


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## mmmyummybeer (10/1/12)

Compost bin for me, or in the garden except when there's a mouse or rat plague then it goes to either chooks or local landfill. 

Has anyone else seen in the compost isle at bunnings that they actually sell dried spent grains to assist worm farms and compost's? Anyway I found it interesting.


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## RobW (10/1/12)

Yep, excellent for worm farms as a layer over the food scraps.


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## QldKev (10/1/12)

Put it in the bosses car boot :icon_vomit:


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## drsmurto (10/1/12)

Uncle Fester said:


> I'm hoping that waiting overnight before letting the chooks loose on it will not allow it to ferment too much.
> 
> Cant see it being very handy giving it to them whilst it is hot, and anyway, 90% of my brewing is done after tea, when the girls are all roosting anyway.
> 
> ...



By the time you dump it after the wort has been drained from it it's really not that hot.

I dump the spent grain in the chook run whilst the wort is coming to the boil so the grain still has steam coming from it. It cools down quickly.

The chooks smash it! :beerbang:


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## drew9242 (10/1/12)

I do the same DrSmurto. Just chuck it in while I'm busy boiling.

The chooks love it and will wake up in the night to have a go at it.


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## punkin (10/1/12)

DrSmurto said:


> By the time you dump it after the wort has been drained from it it's really not that hot.




Maybe so, but i still advise not having a couple kilo's fall on your thonged foot :unsure:


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## Bongchitis (10/1/12)

DrSmurto said:


> By the time you dump it after the wort has been drained from it it's really not that hot.
> 
> I dump the spent grain in the chook run whilst the wort is coming to the boil so the grain still has steam coming from it. It cools down quickly.
> 
> The chooks smash it! :beerbang:




Do you chook feeders have issues with spent grain causing the chooks to be egg bound? I cant remember where I read it and perhaps it was 5kg for 2 chooks or some dumb shit like that....dunno. My dad breeds bantam chickens and if my spent grain kills one of them it will be equivalent to accidentally releasing his specially bred black canary when I was 4... he has never forgotten!

How many choocks do you have and how often do you brew? to get a feel for a healthy/safe grain to poultry ratio.

Thanks guys..........Bong


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## Spork (10/1/12)

Jusdt 2 chooks here, and they demolish 5-6 kg of grain. The dog usually gets a handfull or 2 out of it as well. Hasn't hurt my chooks yet, but have only done about 8 AG brews.


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## argon (10/1/12)

I've tried in the compost... too stinky. Smells like someone's layed a cable on your front step
I've tried in the garden... rotting carcass anyone?
I've tried offering to the next door neighbours chooks... no good, apparently they didn't go for it (I call bullshit as i reckon she just didn't want it hanging around)

Now i just scoop it out into a couple of garbage bags and chuck it in the bin. If i had chooks of my own i'd probably feed to them, with an eye out for mice and rats.


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## drew9242 (10/1/12)

I have 3 chooks, I brew 5kg a week roughly and the chooks love the stuff. I don't feed them thier laying pellets on a brew day just the spent grain.

Had no problems with grain affecting their egg laying either.


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## Batz (10/1/12)

Chooks eat all of mine, but then at night.





Bandicoots




Possums


Batz


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## Batz (10/1/12)

Drew9242 said:


> I have 3 chooks, I brew 5kg a week roughly and the chooks love the stuff. I don't feed them thier laying pellets on a brew day just the spent grain.
> 
> Had no problems with grain affecting their egg laying either.




Don't feed your chooks laying pellets, just course grain.


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## benno1973 (10/1/12)

We have 8 chickens and they take down 10kg at a time, within a couple of hours. Never had a problem with egg-bound chickens


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## Superoo (10/1/12)

DrSmurto said:


> By the time you dump it after the wort has been drained from it it's really not that hot.
> 
> I dump the spent grain in the chook run whilst the wort is coming to the boil so the grain still has steam coming from it. It cools down quickly.
> 
> The chooks smash it! :beerbang:



Same here, neighbours chooks love seeing me climbing over the fence with the biab bag. 
They get stuck right into it hot. 
But i do try to leave it half an hour at least.


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## Wimmig (10/1/12)

Uncle Fester said:


> I'm hoping that waiting overnight before letting the chooks loose on it will not allow it to ferment too much.
> 
> Cant see it being very handy giving it to them whilst it is hot, and anyway, 90% of my brewing is done after tea, when the girls are all roosting anyway.
> 
> ...



I give it to the chickenss hot, and they get right into it. They love crystal more than anything. Keen on carapils too. Apart from that you can mix it with soil, pea straw/mulch and dig it in. Worms love it. Need to do a good rotation though, otherwise you just end up with nasty grain in the soil / gas pockets.


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## kieran (12/1/12)

Black bin bag here. 

Rats are evil bastards. 

They eat my snail pellets! I can only wonder what they'd do to my spent grain.
F*&kers. Shitting everywhere.. spreading disease.

I'd lace the grain with Bromokill or something, but then it'd end up killing possums too.


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## crazyhorse (12/1/12)

My three chooks plow through 5kg of spent grain. Gotta be fast to beat the Labrador to it!


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## drsmurto (12/1/12)

Bongchitis said:


> Do you chook feeders have issues with spent grain causing the chooks to be egg bound? I cant remember where I read it and perhaps it was 5kg for 2 chooks or some dumb shit like that....dunno. My dad breeds bantam chickens and if my spent grain kills one of them it will be equivalent to accidentally releasing his specially bred black canary when I was 4... he has never forgotten!
> 
> How many choocks do you have and how often do you brew? to get a feel for a healthy/safe grain to poultry ratio.
> 
> Thanks guys..........Bong



4 chooks, they demolish a 5kg batch in quick time. Double batches or double brewdays, still no issues.

You can spend a lot of money buying grain mixes for chooks rather than standard layers pellets.

I've also read that breeders/hobbyists give their chooks a monthly worming mash which is a mix of grains (barley, wheat, oats) with turmeric, garlic and chilli.




argon said:


> I've tried in the compost... too stinky. Smells like someone's layed a cable on your front step
> I've tried in the garden... rotting carcass anyone?
> I've tried offering to the next door neighbours chooks... no good, apparently they didn't go for it (I call bullshit as i reckon she just didn't want it hanging around)
> 
> Now i just scoop it out into a couple of garbage bags and chuck it in the bin. If i had chooks of my own i'd probably feed to them, with an eye out for mice and rats.



No need to keep an eye out for mice when you've got chooks. My chooks eat mice. Saw the cats chasing a mouse across the backyard and it must have thought it was safe when it snuck through the chook fence only to be ripped to shreds by the chooks. Cats didn't look too impressed.

The next door neighbours have chooks too and all theirs line up along the fence watching my chooks eating the grain. Almost felt sorry enough to throw some over the fence. Almost.


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## going down a hill (12/1/12)

punkin said:


> You need a method of drying the grain, it's perfect for animal feed then as we only take the sugar but leave the protiens.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Tumble dry in a bag (tdiab)


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## mfeighan (12/1/12)

make me want a couple of chooks


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## Fodder (12/1/12)

DrSmurto said:


> No need to keep an eye out for mice when you've got chooks. My chooks eat mice. Saw the cats chasing a mouse across the backyard and it must have thought it was safe when it snuck through the chook fence only to be ripped to shreds by the chooks. Cats didn't look too impressed.



Mine are the same. Murderous little buggars when they want to be. I've removed a number of pigeon carcasses from their coop when the silly little 'rats with wings' get in there going for their feed and then are too stupid to find their way back out. Ended up having to put one out of its misery when I came home to find it half dead and not moving. Chooks where having a great old time though...its like some sort of blood sport for them.


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## sim (12/1/12)

pity they wont knock the bush turkeys over.


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## Kingbrownbrewing (12/1/12)

My 3 chooks know when I'm brewing and start carrying on like idiots and making all sorts of noises.

They wont settle down until I've dumped the grain for them to forage through.

10kg of warm grain in about an hour.

Fat little bastards.

3 eggs a day guaranteed since we bought them.


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## seamad (12/1/12)

Just poured some beer for myself and my boatbuilder, chooks came bolting to me from out of the blue, must have recognized the smell from eatingbthe grain. Saw an interesting show on chooks on the abc recently. They have one eye always looking for food and the other switches from looking for predators and food, plus they see movement much faster than us, no wonder the lizards and bugs get munched.
Also trained them to find food under a particular shape (0 or X), so not that stupid.


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## Yob (12/1/12)

sim said:


> pity they wont knock the bush turkeys over.



:icon_offtopic: 

awww cmon, Colins are great  





Pic from Chrissie... and yes he's been pulling quite well :lol:


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## benno1973 (12/1/12)

DrSmurto said:


> No need to keep an eye out for mice when you've got chooks. My chooks eat mice. Saw the cats chasing a mouse across the backyard and it must have thought it was safe when it snuck through the chook fence only to be ripped to shreds by the chooks. Cats didn't look too impressed.



Yep, same here. Whatever mice the cat doesn't eat, the chooks make short work of. If one of them gets a mouse she runs around and around the place with 7 other chickens chasing her, all trying to eat the mouse. I've never stayed to see how they get it past the beak, but a few minutes later and the mouse is gone.


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## seamad (12/1/12)

Bought myself and my 5 yo boy nerf guns for xmas, worked well at first on the turkeys, now the feking things grab the bullets and bolt off with them, might need something biggeer


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## Batz (12/1/12)

sim said:


> pity they wont knock the bush turkeys over.




I got something that does


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## Doubleplugga (12/1/12)

i put mine in the compost bin at the moment. chooks will be coming next year. but compost bin=worms which =rich compost which = nice healthy hops. its a great cycle


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## davo4772 (12/1/12)

Dry it out nice. Put it in a bag. Give it to a mate and tell him the grain is excess to your needs. Then laugh at his pathetic 10% efficiency.


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## Doubleplugga (12/1/12)

thats just plain evil. its like telling him to put it outside his open window and just let the breeze carry it through the house. beautiful used grain smell!!!!!


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## ekul (12/1/12)

my next door neighbours chooks will knock over15kg of grain in a day! I had bout 10kg (i think) of grain i was trying to malt. It got a tiny bit of mould on it so i gave it to the chooks. They didn't want to know about it, which i thought was odd as it would have more goodness in it than spent grain. They each took one peck and then went to look for something else


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## drtomc (13/1/12)

+1 to the chooks.
+1 to the chooks eating mice. Our mice have wised up - evolution at work. I have to catch them out of the compost bin with a bit of PVC pipe for the chooks. h34r:


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## Murcluf (13/1/12)

Chooks


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## Aces High (13/1/12)

Was cleaning up today and moved some green waste and found 3 rats hiding underneath, just next to me spent grain rich compost pile. They ran off as I was trying to whack them with a stick. Time to start throwing it in the bin me thinks


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## HoppingMad (16/1/12)

Time flies. I think I posted on this thread 2 years back! (page 2)

I'm no longer black-bagging and binning mine. Now it's in the compost. The garbo actually left my bin behind on a couple of occasions after black bagging - possibly because my 20kg of spent grain (after I'd done a couple of double batches) was making the bin too heavy. Got desperate and wound up having to split and share it between other people's bins in seperate bags - a ridiculous situation to deal with on bin night. Way too much hassle plus not a great way to get along with people in your street :lol: .

Now reckon composting is the way to go. Hoping that with the grain decomposed in a sealed composting bin it will be less of a magnet for mice and critters once composted down. Time will tell on this.

Hopper.


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## capsicum (18/1/12)

Mine goes in the compost tumbler, helps the texture. Otherwise I've made some pretty impressive bread using a bit of it.


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## QldKev (18/1/12)

I like to collect about 15kg and put it in the bath tub. Fill with warm water, and jump in and relax. It's extremely good for your skin.


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## stux (18/1/12)

QldKev said:


> I like to collect about 15kg and put it in the bath tub. Fill with warm water, and jump in and relax. It's extremely good for your skin.



I'm not sure if you're joking :-/


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## proudscum (18/1/12)

My chooks cant get enough of it,so if you are in the inner west i will gladly take it off your hands for some fresh eggs.


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## RobW (18/1/12)

It makes good dog biscuits too. 
Mix some up with flour, eggs, peanut butter and a stock cube, form into biscuits and cook for 30 minutes in a moderate oven then leave to dry right out in a very low oven.
Dogs love 'em.


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## Florian (18/1/12)

I empty my 'mash tun' into a large plastic bag and sit it on the lawn. 
Then I sit my daughter in front of it and she happily eats away for about half an hour, giving me enough time to clean up the rest of the brewery. When she is finished I close the bag and chuck it in the bin. 

If this wasn't a public forum for everyone to see I'd post a picture of it.


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## manticle (18/1/12)

Stux said:


> I'm not sure if you're joking :-/



Kev has super smooth skin.


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## gravey (18/1/12)

As enthralling as it was to read post after post about chooks and compost......does anyone make bread out of it? I watched that cooking show on ABC, Poh's Kitchen, where she visited a Brewery (possibly Bright Brewery, cant remember) and then took the spent grain to someone who made bread out of it. Saw the cookie post, but I'm more interested in making some bread, so if anyone has a recipe to share that woud be great!


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## Florian (18/1/12)

gravey said:


> Saw the cookie post, but I'm more interested in making some bread, so if anyone has a recipe to share that woud be great!



Not bread, but slice: http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...showtopic=37532

bread: http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...st&p=214265


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## gravey (18/1/12)

cheers bro


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## felten (18/1/12)

gravey said:


> As enthralling as it was to read post after post about chooks and compost......does anyone make bread out of it? I watched that cooking show on ABC, Poh's Kitchen, where she visited a Brewery (possibly Bright Brewery, cant remember) and then took the spent grain to someone who made bread out of it. Saw the cookie post, but I'm more interested in making some bread, so if anyone has a recipe to share that woud be great!


There's a recipe on braukaiser as well.

I've made it once before, came out a little doughy in the middle but definitely goes great with some schmalz.


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## punkin (19/1/12)

Florian said:


> I empty my 'mash tun' into a large plastic bag and sit it on the lawn.
> Then I sit my daughter in front of it and she happily eats away for about half an hour, giving me enough time to clean up the rest of the brewery. When she is finished I close the bag and chuck it in the bin.
> 
> If this wasn't a public forum for everyone to see I'd post a picture of it.




How old is your daughter? Sounds like she's very regular


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## booargy (19/1/12)

Bread with spent grain is good. Sunday was brew and bake.





When I make bread I pretty much just throw every thing in.


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## gentlearts (25/1/12)

I just made my first all grain and just chucked them in the garden. Bloody fly's everywhere.
I ask for some feedback on my Home Brew Wednesday Video on youtube about this subject.
Some people are suggesting you can make dog biscuits out of them and it's also possible to make
cookies out of them. I have also heard that if you grow mushrooms they are the best feed for mushrooms you can get.
If you want to have a look at some the suggestions check out my youtube channel 
http://www.youtube.com/thegentlearts


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## billygoat (29/2/12)

This is what happened to my spent grain today, around 6 kilos of Maris Otter and medium crystal.
Billygoat loves it.


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## stux (29/2/12)

billygoat said:


> This is what happened to my spent grain today, around 6 kilos of Maris Otter and medium crystal.
> Billygoat loves it.



Almost looks like the chooks are waiting for it to come out the other end...


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## Ross (29/2/12)

billygoat said:


> This is what happened to my spent grain today, around 6 kilos of Maris Otter and medium crystal.
> Billygoat loves it.




Hate to give you bad news, but spent grain can be deadly to goats  

Ross


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## Yob (29/2/12)

I'm tuning my spent grain into eggs, the next door neighbour has a few chickens so after brew day I wander over and feed them, in return he gives me eggs, Effing brilliant, even my brewing waste has value, 

We do plan on having chickens but is a ways off due to the brewhouse (shed) redevelopment that's happening soon

The chooks are getting very happy to see me wander through the gate


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## billygoat (29/2/12)

Ross said:


> Hate to give you bad news, but spent grain can be deadly to goats
> 
> Ross



Billygoat doesn't know that, he has been eating it for a couple of years.


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## Ross (29/2/12)

Seriously, if he overdoses it'll kill him...... it's your call, just giving you the warning.

Ross


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## Batz (29/2/12)

Ross said:


> Seriously, if he overdoses it'll kill him...... it's your call, just giving you the warning.
> 
> Ross




I never knew that either and I gave it to my goats years ago, they loved it. Does in bloat them Ross or is it actually toxic?

batz


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## billygoat (29/2/12)

Ross said:


> Seriously, if he overdoses it'll kill him...... it's your call, just giving you the warning.
> 
> Ross



I've had this goat for 12 and a half years. Also his twin sister. Both have eaten spent grain for a couple of years without a problem. I think the key is not to over do it. I usually feed it to them over a couple of days. Goats are known as a poor mans cow and they have a very similiar stomach set up. Cows eat spent grain as well, but the same thing, you can't over do it. He even likes abit of beer.


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## [email protected] (29/2/12)

Yeah i would say BG goats gut would be use to the spent grain by now.
Where as is you took a goat that had been on forage only for its entire life then gave it a few KG of spent grain it could end up with acid gut problems. 

Even then, as mentioned if you only give say half kilo amounts each day for a week they would prob be fine as long as they have grass or hay to eat as well.

Whole grains are better for small ruminants where as cows and horses can tolerate crushed grain better.


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## Ross (29/2/12)

It was a thread by goatherder that first brought it to my attention

Thread here

Cheers Ross


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## seravitae (29/2/12)

take spent grain.. re-infuse it with CSR sugar.. resell spent grain to unsuspecting brewers as "fast-conversion grain" h34r:


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## Nick JD (29/2/12)

Bluey loves the stuff!


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## seravitae (29/2/12)

on a more serious note in the past I have innoculated spent grain mixes with mushroom mycelium (after sterilization/pasteurization), works fine for growing a nice bed of edible mushrooms if you can get clean spore or mycelium. Although a single batch of AG grains is a significant amount of material to sterilize, which is best, though pasteurization is not that difficult, as its pretty much pasteurized right from the mash tun due to mashout temps 

I don't even like mushrooms, in fact I hate the taste, but they're pretty and fun to grow. Maybe a mushroom eating AG'er would be more interested in it than I was. I can see it would be another craft/hobby to add to the repertoire of DIY foodstuffs (beer, wine, cheese, next.. mushrooms).

[if someone is seriously interested in giving this a go I can track down some shiitake spore/mycelium or other edibles. And no, I won't help you find spores for the psychoactive/poisonous mushrooms!)


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## booargy (29/2/12)

sera said:


> I won't help you find spores for the psychoactive



Party pooper


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## husky (29/2/12)

Anyone know what micros and commercial breweries do with their spent grain? I have seen some newer (big)brewery designs use it as fuel to provide power to the plant which sounds interesting. Micros would produce a consideral amount I would have thought, where does it go?
I mix mine in with my vegie garden soil.


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## beerbog (29/2/12)

Put it in a garbage bag and pop it in the bin. :beerbang:


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## Batz (29/2/12)

husky said:


> Anyone know what micros and commercial breweries do with their spent grain? I have seen some newer (big)brewery designs use it as fuel to provide power to the plant which sounds interesting. Micros would produce a consideral amount I would have thought, where does it go?
> I mix mine in with my vegie garden soil.




What happens to your spent grain Ross?

batz


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## Bongchitis (29/2/12)

sera said:


> on a more serious note in the past I have innoculated spent grain mixes with mushroom mycelium (after sterilization/pasteurization), works fine for growing a nice bed of edible mushrooms if you can get clean spore or mycelium. Although a single batch of AG grains is a significant amount of material to sterilize, which is best, though pasteurization is not that difficult, as its pretty much pasteurized right from the mash tun due to mashout temps
> 
> I don't even like mushrooms, in fact I hate the taste, but they're pretty and fun to grow. Maybe a mushroom eating AG'er would be more interested in it than I was. I can see it would be another craft/hobby to add to the repertoire of DIY foodstuffs (beer, wine, cheese, next.. mushrooms).
> 
> [if someone is seriously interested in giving this a go I can track down some shiitake spore/mycelium or other edibles. And no, I won't help you find spores for the psychoactive/poisonous mushrooms!)



Good Idea! Spent grain would be a great medium for many varieties.

I know Punkin is the king of mushrooms with many varieties to offer. He sure knows his shit!!! I'm not sure if he uses spent grain though.


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## cam89brewer (29/2/12)

Make bread, Inspired by Hammo7. I found this recipe... http://www.beeratjoes.com/index.php/beer-d...ain-beer-bread/ I use this recipe and it turns out like a nice Turkish bread.


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## Nick JD (29/2/12)

Batz said:


> What happens to your spent grain Ross?
> 
> batz



Wages for the brewminions?


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## Batz (29/2/12)

Nick JD said:


> Wages for the brewminions?






> What happens to your spent grain Ross?
> 
> batz



Very interested in what happens to spent grain in the city.


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## Midnight Brew (29/2/12)

husky said:


> Anyone know what micros and commercial breweries do with their spent grain? I have seen some newer (big)brewery designs use it as fuel to provide power to the plant which sounds interesting. Micros would produce a consideral amount I would have thought, where does it go?
> I mix mine in with my vegie garden soil.




Few of the Vic micros have a deal with local farmers. The farmer gets free grain for his cattle as long as he picks it up from the brewery. Brewery gets to dispose of their left overs for free and farmer gets free cattle food.


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## Nick JD (29/2/12)

Midnight Brew said:


> Few of the Vic micros have a deal with local farmers. The farmer gets free grain for his cattle as long as he picks it up from the brewery. Brewery gets to dispose of their left overs for free and farmer gets free cattle food.



Same thing happens in Brisbane, except instead of giving the spent grain to cattle, Ross shovels it out to fat heifers in Logan.


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## donburke (29/2/12)

Batz said:


> Very interested in what happens to spent grain in the city.



i have on a few occasions a ute or 2 waiting outside the malt shovel brewery in camperdown

i presume they were chook farmers

anyone in inner west sydney have chooks that need feeding ?


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## ekul (29/2/12)

I wonder what kind of efficiency they get? When i'm broke i could borrow a ute and fill up a 44 with some. Give it a little sparge and make some beer 

I have been giving my grain to the neighbours chooks. Last week she was away so i had to do something with it. I put 5kg in the bin then thought better of it. The rest (15kg+) was distributed evenly over the lawn.

I'm not sure if it was the 5kg in the bin or the 15kg on the lawn, but it smelt like shit for a week. Note to self, don't brew the day *after* bin day.


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## JDW81 (29/2/12)

Nick JD said:


> Same thing happens in Brisbane, except instead of giving the spent grain to cattle, Ross shovels it out to fat heifers in Logan.



:lol:


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## Ross (29/2/12)

Our grain is collected by a local farmer for his cattle. We also feed to our chooks.

cheers Ross


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## sirotilc (8/5/12)

Some ideas from the WSJ 

One of the comments suggests maintaining the overall moisture of the dough is the key to using spent grains in breads/pizza bases etc. 

I wish I'd kept some of the grain from my Biere de Garde I brewed on the weekend to put into a nice dark bread.


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