Used grain

[Bonenose]

Hi,
Possibly a bit of a random question but has anyone fed the used grain from brewing to chooks or anything like that?

 

[mtb]

I give my spent grain to a mate for his chickens, he says they go apesh*t over them. Googling will give you more info on the topic - and I'm sure a fair few thrifty brewers here do the same

 

[n87]

I wish i had something to do with it.
Sofar i have offered it to next door for their rabbits... but they dont like it
and put a handful on the chilli plant... but a handful out of 10kg dry is bugger all... the rest goes in the bin

 

[mtb]

I hear you can use them to make dog biscuits too

 

[n87]

My dog does go round cleaning up after i have measured and milled my grain.

Just make sure you haven't mash hopped. Hops are extremely toxic to dogs

 

[Batz]

All my spent grain goes to the chooks, my mate had goats and they loved it as well. I know some micros give it to farmers to feed cattle.

 

[Bonenose]

Wow did not know about hops best keep that in mind

 

[n87]

Wow did not know about hops best keep that in mind

yup, a few articles on it over the interwebs.

I used to tip the kettle dregs out on the lawn (that crappy corner everyone has) until the first 2 brews after we got a pup, he was sick for about a week after each brew day.
These were light hopped beers, most hops go in the cube, and using a hop sock, so there would be sfa hop matter in the dregs. not to mention they were watered down by the rest of the cleaning water dumped on top of it.
Maybe a coincidence, but now the first rinse, and sometimes the second straight into the laundry sink. I dont think I could put myself through testing the theory again.

He hasnt had a problem since... except that day he ate about 1kg of corned beef (5.5kg dog)...

 

[Danscraftbeer]

Chooks and cows will go nuts for it. Pretty sure Horses would go it too. I've heard how brewers trailer it onto farms and the cows chasing it with frothing mouths and try to climb into the trailer for the stuff hah.
I toss it over the lawn and into garden beds. Its just more compostables with malt sugar which is like a catalyst for compost chemistry like worms and microbial activity but you cant cake it too thick. It needs to be spread thin or mixed well with soil. It goes sour real quick if caked too thick and gets some fuzzy mould.

It must be done on brew day though. Left in a bucket until the next day or so its putrid. Like a mate of mine found out when he was lazy to act quick and a 2 day old bucket tipped over in the boot of his car... :lol: :icon_vomit:

 

[Bonenose]

Got a mate gets a pig now and then, was thinking they may go alright fed up on some grain. Normally try and get them during mango season and feed them full of mangoes. Liking the idea of grain fed pig.

 

[JDW81]

Mine goes into the compost bin, with a a little bit onto the lawn for the dogs to clean up.

 

[lost at sea]

I made dog bikkies using a recipe online, cattle dog loves em, only use 2 cups if grain though so still heaps left

 

[niftinev]

Have to starve my chooks to get them to eat it, so don't bother just throw in the compost and only a cup or two to the girls (chooks)

i tink my girls are too well looked after

 

[Phoney]

When I had chooks (2) I'd give them about an ice cream container load and the rest went in the bin. They wouldn't eat more than that and leaving it around or in the compost attracts rats. Also it stinks like hell after a day or two.

 

[timmi9191]

It's great in garden but it's like a magnetic for fruit flies.

Byo did an article on cooking with spent grain.

A brewer from malt shovel told me they shipped there's to a pig farmer

 

[Coxy]

My wife uses a small amount in her sourdough baking (her choice of fermentation hobbies). It goes fantastic in bread. We throw the rest in for composting. It actually goes pretty well for compost. You can throw it in wet as "green matter" and it will stink a fair bit as it breaks down, or dry it out and add as "brown matter", which is the far less stinky option.

 

[Bribie G]

Lion are now directing a lot of their spent grains (Adelaide, Brisbane) to moo farmers who supply Lion-owned dairy companies.

I expect there aren't too many dairy farms near Lidcombe, at present.

Mate of mine on Bribie Island said that too much barley can give the chooks sticky cloacas. I didn't press him for more details. (goats, now that's another story .... gooaaattss...)

 

[Mardoo]

Got a mate gets a pig now and then, was thinking they may go alright fed up on some grain. Normally try and get them during mango season and feed them full of mangoes. Liking the idea of grain fed pig.

Best pork I've ever had was finished on spent grain from brewing. Pasture-raised veal too. Unreal.

 

[Bribie G]

Didn't the buttocks get a bit messy from the grain bed?

 

[TimT]

Chooks. They love it! And then they are mildly enthusiastic about it. And then they're all, like, "what is this shit, I've been eating this for half an hour already, give us the good stuff!"

And I give the rest to our worm farm.