It's called sprouted grains...
This is a phenomenal way to save money on your feed bill, which has saved me thousands. It's also much easier to do than you might imagine. I'm surprised more people don't do it! It's likely because most of the techniques out there are complicated, requiring lots of space, specialized equipment, or both. Mold can also be a concern if not properly done.

My method just needs two 5-gallon buckets, a lid, and some whole grains. Most systems demand that you have multiple "stages" going at once, which is complicated to keep organized and a pain to manage. Instead, I just start the soaking process every 24 hours, feeding what I need during that time and restarting the process over again in the same bucket. No grow lights necessary. No specialized growing trays. No need to have grains soaking in separate bins each day to cover all the stages.

Simple. Cheap. Efficient. Just the way I like it. 

How To Get Started...

I can feed around 15-20 Milking Nigerian Dwarf does from one pair of buckets. 

One bucket acts as my strainer, and the other catches the water that runs through. I recommend feed-grade buckets (I found mine at TSC). Using a saw, cut some 1-2 inch deep slits across the bottom outside corner of one bucket. Make the slits about 2-3 inches apart all the way around. This is the strainer bucket, which sits inside the other bucket. 

​I feed my goats twice per day, so on the evening feeding (usually about 5pm), I add roughly 30% less grain (by volume) than I expect to use the following day to my strainer bucket. You may have to adjust that amount up or down the next time you fill your bucket based on how much you ended up with, but you'll get a feel for it pretty quickly. 

Once you have your grain in the strainer bucket, drop that bucket into your other one. Fill the buckets with enough water to go 3-4 inches over the top of your grain. The grain will absorb a lot! So you may have to add more or less next time to compensate. Like I said, you'll get a feel for all this pretty quickly. 

Soak the grain for anywhere from 2-6 hours. For me, it's easiest if I strain the excess water when I come back a few hours later to do my final evening barn check before bed. Simply lift your strainer bucket with all the grain inside out of your other bucket and hang it from your hydrant. All the excess water will drain in just a minute, and then you can empty the water somewhere away from your hydrant so as not to make a mud pit in your walk area. Drop the strainer bucket back inside the other bucket, pop a lid on to keep critters (or the goats if you have a jailbreak!), and leave it in your barn for the night. 

The following morning, you'll want to give the grains a quick rinse under the hydrant before feeding half the contents. Pop the lid back on after your morning chores, and leave the grain somewhere cool. The only tricky part about this whole process is maintaining a safe temperature. If it's below 45 or above 75 outside, then it's best to set the bucket in the house unless you have some other space that can maintain that 45-75 degree F temperature. The reason for not letting the grains get above 75 is that they will mold. Definitely don't want that as it's very dangerous for the goat's liver! Better to play it safe and bring your bucket indoors where it's cooler. If it gets below 45 outside then it isn't a huge issue, the grains just won't start their germination process, which is largely what gives this process the bulk of its health benefits. 

That evening, I feed the rest of my soaked grains (which are sometimes just starting to show the tips of roots by now), and start the whole process over. By starting over fresh every 24 hours you avoid much of the challenge that others have faced with keeping mold away, and you also don't get disorganized trying to manage multiple buckets in different stages. 

It's crucial when starting out that you begin feeding anything new slowly so as not to get an acidosis/enter-toxemia  response. For one of my milking Nigerian does I will start her at 1/2 a cup 2x per day and work up to about 1 1/2-2 cups per feeding over a week long spread. 

Grain Recipe...

Soaking the grains raises the available protein levels significantly, especially in legumes. So I have found that even with the lower protein of most whole grains, it's more than enough to supply all the needed protein for my herd of high-producing Nigerians which I show and who perform on 305 day DHI competitions. 

It's critical to use WHOLE grains. By that I mean the original grain product after coming out of the field and getting sifted. You don't want any rolled, pelleted, or cracked grains. The whole intact seed is what you want. I prefer Organic grains (I buy through Azure or Modesto Milling, both of whom have nearby drop points for my area) because I feel strongly that the chemicals used to farm conventional grains are a major contributor to a lot of  health issues. Cancer as you know is getting worse all the time for people, but did you know that cancer is becoming a more and more significant issue for goats as well? I have known several goats (owned by others) who have died from cancer in the last several years. And it's increasing. The herbicides/pesticides used HEAVILY in conventional farming are a major reason for so many health conditions in people and animals alike. You are what you eat, and that phrase goes for animals as well. 

As mentioned, I feed a high-performance herd of Nigerian Dwarf goats that compete in extended lactations (10 months out of the year with only 2 months off) ​to prove their milking capabilities to the max, along with showing to prove the structural soundness of my dairy stock and quality of my breeding program. An excellent feed program is essential, to say the least. I have tried probably four or five different grain recipes, and this one has given me the best results. 

• 3 Parts of Oats
• 3 Parts of Barley
• 1/2 Part of Black Oil Sunflower Seeds (BOSS)
• Optional: 1 Part Field Peas (when extra protein is needed)

​I only add the peas when my milk test results show low MUN levels (short for milk uric nitrogen, which means in the case of high MUN levels (in general, I consider anything above 22 for goats to be high) they are getting more protein than they can use, so some of the excess is showing up in the milk). 

I measure the grain by weight as I mix it into a 55 gallon steel drum using a shovel. The drum also has a metal lid for the top, so I never have to worry about goats or mice breaking into it.

Observations...

In all, the extra time it takes me to soak my grains each day probably only adds 5 minutes to my chores.
​My 40% savings is an estimate, but I think a conservative one. It will seem like at first that your grain isn't expanding anywhere near enough to save you 40%, it probably looks closer to 25%, but you'll find that in time you keep having to lower how much you feed or else your does get fat. It's kinda crazy because it seems like the expansion that happens to the grain from the water would mean you have to feed a greater volume of the soaked product to get as much of a result as with the non soaked product. What happens is that the water removes the phytic acid, which is a blocker to nutrient absorbtion when your animals digest non-soaked grain. The phytic acids serve their purpose only in dry grain, acting as germination inhibitors for the seed, which protects it from sprouting in the wrong conditions. It's designed to be released as soon as the grain gets wet, which then lets the seed germinate. That's why soaking your grains before feeding gets rid of it so well. All pelleted feeds still contain the phytic acid. 
With the phytic acid out of the way, the grain kernels can begin the germination process. The first of which converts the grains natural acidic PH, to alkaline by forming grape sugars. This sweetens the grains (naturally and not in the way that bagged "sweet feeds" harm the kidneys), which also makes the nutrients more bio-avaliable by moving towards the same PH as the body. 

I think that there is still a lot to be discovered about the health benefits of soaking grains before feeding. I know for one that scientists have determined in all, that soaked grains have 300 to a 1000% MORE nutrition that's only made digestible by soaking! That's amazing!! Think how much nutrition goes wasted right through your goats digestive tract by not soaking those good wholesome grains before feeding!

I have found that most of my farm animals seem to relish the soaked grains. The chickens love it, and our dogs actually enjoy an occasional sprouted grain treat. Actually, the dogs will gobble up a whole bucket full if it's within reach, so watchout! A little is fine as long as they aren't grain sensitive to your knowledge, but it can cause GI issues for them if you let them have free choice. Our barn cats will actually try some from time to time as well. Seems like all the animals know that there's just so much healthful goodness in those sprouts! I haven't tried this for horses, so if you do let me know what their verdict is! I'de be curious to know how they perform with it long term as well. I would imagine the sprouts are especially useful for elderly horses and other senior farm animals, since they are softer on the mouth and easier to digest. 

Trouble Shooting...

Mold is the only real problem I have had to figure out, at least that I have encountered. I originally tried to let my grains sit for several days after getting soaked to get them to start showing roots, but mold was impossible to prevent that long. Especially because my oats I had access too weren't perfectly cleaned. They had some chaff and other bits of harvesting leftovers which quickly molded over. 
The main solution I figured out was not to keep buckets of moist grain for more than 24 hours, which not only proved better for preventing mold, but was way more efficient since I only needed one pair of buckets. 
Even with 24 hour moist periods you will start seeing mold of you leave your bucket somewhere above 75 degrees F. So in the summer I have to bring the bucket indoors after my morning chores, but it can typically stay at the barn overnight. 
You can also try adding a glug of raw apple cider vinegar (ACV), which is said to discourage mold from developing over the grains. The ACV also has other beneficial health benefits, so it's not a bad thing to do anyhow. In the past, I have bought raw ACV in 5 gallon buckets from Azure, which is probably the most economical. 

Closing Thoughts...

I spend quit a few hours writing the articles you get in my newsletter, and from my website. I work hard to make sure the info I share is sound and based on my own hands on experience. I really appreciate it getting shared with others so that it can benefit as many as possible. So if you have gleaned anything useful from reading this, consider posting this link on your social media to spread this helpfulness far and wide. I appreciate knowing that my time spent writing is helping people succeed with raising goats, and having the most joyous time doing it! Thank you!!! 

As a final note, per the FDA since I'm not a medical professional, the information I share here is meant for educational purposes only, and is not intended to treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Nor is it meant to replace the advice of a trained veterinarian.