You are probably looking to find economical, sustainable alternatives to

traditional feeds that provide superior performance and nutrition. And the
production of hydroponic green fodders or Alfaculture is one such through
which you can effectively grow and produce the right feed for your livestock.
The nutritional benefits of hydroponic green fodders (sprouted grains) are best
fit for all livestock including, sheep, cattle, horses, goats, lamps chickens, and
provide animals with improved growth and overall health.
Hydroponics technology has come up to grow fodder for farm animals, as an
alternative to conventional method of green fodder production. It is a wellaccepted fact that feeding dairy animals is incomplete without including green
fodder in their diet.
The word hydroponics has been derived from the Greek word water working.
Hydro means water and ponic means working and it is a technology of
growing plants without soil, but in water or nutrient rich solution for a short
duration. The hydroponics green fodder production unit consists of a
greenhouse and a control unit.

The size of the green house is approximately 25 feet (length) x 10 feet (width)
x 10 feet (height) and has a potential to produce 600 kg of green fodder daily
in seven days. Inside the green house, racks are present and each rack
contains a number of rows, in which trays containing soaked seeds are
accommodated. Pipes containing micro-foggers are fitted just above the trays
for water fogging, which ultimately maintains the greenhouse humidity.

Hydroponic Fodder
Although the methods of hydroponic fodder production date back to the 1930s,
there is renewed interest in hydroponic fodder as a feedstuff for sheep, goats,
and other livestock.
Hydroponics is a method of growing plants without soil. Only moisture and
nutrients are provided to the growing plants. There are many advantages to
hydroponics. Hydroponic growing systems produce a greater yield over a
shorter period of time in a smaller area than traditionally-grown crops.
There is a reduction or exclusion of pesticides and herbicides because the plants
are in a more protected growing environment. Hydroponics is a year-round
growing system that produces a consistent quantity and quality of plant
material, regardless of outside weather.
Fodder (livestock feed) can be grown hydroponically much the same as
vegetables, flowers, and other plants. Hydroponic fodder systems are usually
used to sprout cereal grains, such as barley, oats, wheat, sorghum, and corn, or
legumes, such as alfalfa, clover, or cow peas. Barley is the most commonly
grown forage, because it usually gives the best yield of nutrients (4). Forage
mixtures are another option.

Is it a viable option for feeding sheep,

goats and other livestock?

Hydroponic fodder systems make very efficient use of water and

While it island.
possible to grow hydroponic fodder in any building, including a garage
or basement, a greenhouse is ideal because temperature, light, and humidity can be
precisely controlled. Efficient, year-round production of green fodder is not
possible unless environmental conditions are optimal: approximately 70F, 60
percent humidity, and 16 hours of light. For this reason, hydroponic growing
systems usually require significant investment.
Hydroponic fodder systems come in a range of sizes and capacities. Large fodder
sheds may produce several tons of fodder per day, whereas a mini-fodder system
may produce only 10 lbs. per day. It is possible to build your own system, or a
turn-key system can be purchased from a commercial company. Investments
range from a few hundred dollars to six figures.

As feed for livestock

Fodder sprouts are tender and young, the equivalent of fresh green grass. As
such, they are highly palatable and nutritious to all types and classes of
livestock. On a dry matter basis, hydroponic fodder compares favorably with
other nutritious feedstuffs.
Comparative nutrition of different feedstuffs (DM)
mcal/kg
Feedstuff
% CP1 % TDN1
ME1
NEm1
NEg1
Alfalfa Hay
17
58
2.1
1.3
0.6
Barley grain
12
84
3.0
2.0
1.3
Barley sprouts3
21
71
2.6
0.75
0.47
Orchardgrass,
24
65
2.4
1.5
0.8
fresh
Orchardgrass hay 10
59
2.1
1.3
0.6
Soybean meal
49
84
3.0
2.0
1.3

NEl1
1.3
0.9
0.74
1.5
1.3
1.9

Sprouting changes the nutritive characteristics of the grain. Enzymes break

down storage components into more simple and digestible fractions; for
example, starch to sugars, proteins to amino acids, and lipids to free fatty acids.
There is an increase in fiber and some vitamins and a decrease in phytic acid,
an anti-nutritional factor (11).

If you do not consider its high moisture content, the per pound price of
hydroponic fodder seems very economical, around $0.06 per pound (or $120 per
ton) (3). Without further analysis, this sounds like a great way to reduce the cost
of feeding livestock. But when the wet cost is converted to a dry matter basis, feed
cost becomes very high. At 12 percent dry matter (DM), wet feed that costs 6 cents
per pound actually costs 50 cents per pound of dry matter. This is considerable
more expensive than most other feedstuffs, as shown in the tables below.
Comparative costs of different feed costs (as-fed)
Feedstuff
Cost
Unit
Barley sprouts3
$0.06
pound
Orchardgrass hay
$60
700-lb bale
Alfalfa Hay, mid bloom
$250
ton
Barley grain
$6
bushel
Soybean meal
$480
ton
Feedstuff
Alfalfa Hay
Barley grain
Orchardgrass hay
Soybean meal
Barley sprouts3

Cost per pound of dry matter (DM)

$/lb
% DM1
0.125
89
0.125
89
0.086
88
0.24
91
0.063
123

$/lb
0.060
0.086
0.125
0.125
0.240
$/lb DM
0.14
0.14
0.20
0.26
0.50

Because of its low dry matter content, the cost of nutrients in hydroponic fodder
is also considerably more expensive than other feedstuffs.
Feedstuff
Barley grain
Orchardgrass hay
Alfalfa Hay
Barley sprouts3

Cost per pound of energy (TDN)

$/lb DM
% TDN1
0.14
84
0.10
58
0.14
58
0.50
71

$/lb TDN
0.17
0.17
0.24
0.70

Feedstuff
Soybean meal
Alfalfa hay
Barley sprouts3

Cost per pound of protein (CP)

$/lb DM
% CP1
0.26
49
0.14
17
0.50
21

$/lb CP
0.54
0.82
2.40

Nutritional requirements of livestock are based on dry matter intake. If fed

to livestock at a rate of 2 percent of their body weight (a common
recommendation), hydroponic fodder will only meet a fraction of most
animals nutritional requirements, especially the higher producing ones.
Thus, hydroponic fodder, while excellent feed, is only a nutritional
supplement and an expensive one at that.

Energy (TDN) requirements met by feeding fodder @ 2% BW (as-fed)

lb. fodder fed
Animal
Stage of production

lb. TDN
supplied
by fodder

TDN requirements
lb. DM/day1

% TDN requirements met by hydro

fodder

As-fed

DM

154-lb. ewe
maintenance

3.08

0.37

0.26

1.36

19.3

154- lb. ewe

late gestation, twin lambs

3.08

0.37

0.26

2.66

9.9

154-lb. ewe
early lactation, twin lambs

3.08

0.37

0.26

2.88

9.1

176-lb. ewe, parlor milked

(5.2-8.7 lbs milk/day)

3.52

0.42

0.30

4.42

6.8

Growing, 44-lb. Boer buck

( 0.44 lb/day)

0.88

0.11

0.07

1.41

5.3

Growing, 66-lb. lamb

(4 mos. old, 0.66 lb/day)

1.32

0.16

0.11

2.18

5.2

132-lb. doe, parlor milked

(10-14 lbs milk/day)

2.64

0.32

0.22

5.50

4.1

Calculations in table
lb. fodder fed (as-fed) = BW x 0.02. [Example: 154 lbs. x 0.02 = 3.08 lbs. as-fed]
lb. fodder fed (DM) = lb. fodder fed (as-fed) x 0.12 (% DM). [Example: 3.08 x 0.12 = 0.37 lbs DM fed]
lb. TDN supplied by fodder = lb. fodder fed (DM) x 0.71 (% TDN). [Example: 0.37 x 0.71 = 0.26 lbs. TDN]
% TDN supplied by fodder = lb. TDN supplied by fodder TDN requirements (DM). [Example: 0.26 1.36 = 19.3% of TDN requirements]

Full feeding of sprouts is usually inappropriate due to the high moisture

content of the feed, the high cost of the feed, and the scale which would
be needed to produce sufficient dry matter (11).

Advantages of hydroponic fodder

Hydroponic fodder has several advantages over conventionally-produced fodder.
Hydroponic fodder makes very efficient use of water (4,5,11). There is little waste
water, as animals consume the recirculated water along with the feed. Since
production is hydroponic, there is no leaching of nutrients into the environment.
Hydroponic fodder production requires considerably less land to produce feed for
livestock.
While hydroponic fodder is not likely to become a major source of feed for
commercial livestock, it could be feasible under certain circumstances.
Dry and drought-prone regions
Hydroponic fodder production is probably best-suited to semi-arid, arid, and
drought-prone regions of the world. By growing fodder indoors, crop failures would
no longer be a risk. Good quality forage could be produced year-round. Feed
supplies would be insured. Scarce water resources could be allocated more efficiently
(4).
Limited land
In places where land values are extremely high or land is simply not readily
available, hydroponic fodder has obvious advantages, as it can be produced in a
small footprint. Because the fodder is produced continuously, there is no need for
long-term feed storage and no nutrient losses that can be associated with feed
storage.

High alternative feed costs

While this article clearly shows that hydroponic fodder is considerably more
expensive than conventional feedstuffs, it assumes that conventional feedstuffs
are available and priced competitively. There are many locations in which this
is not the case and hydroponic fodder could be more competively priced.
Small-scale producers
Requiring smaller amounts of fodder, small-scale producers may be able to
build their own fodder systems for a few hundred dollars. When the
investment is low and labor is unpaid, the cost of hydroponic fodder is
considerably less.

You can build a mini-fodder system for a minimal cost.