I had a question about the remaining scratch, if that can still be fed to the chickies, even though they grow mold when I try to sprout them - they don't look moldy at all. That should be safe for the chickies, right?
Dry feed/scratch should be fine to feed to the chickens if it does not have mold on it. I bought a 50# bag of barley a few years ago it grew more mold than fodder. It must have been older grain. I dumped the moldy fodder into a compost bin that the chickens do not have access to and then used the dry barley as feed. Actually, I mixed that barley in with my chicken scratch and used it all winter as treats. As long as the grain is dry and does not have mold, I would just feed it to the chickens as scratch treats.
Came back this evening and looks like the mold is rampant. Can these trays be saved or just toss in compost?
I personally don't take the chance on it. But I wanted a second opinion so I posed your concerns to Microsoft CoPilot AI. Here is the response I got which corroborates my experience as well.
************************
...white mold on wheat fodder is a red flag, and it’s generally
not safe for chickens. While not all molds are equally toxic, the problem is that you can’t easily identify which ones are harmless and which ones are dangerous just by appearance. And when it comes to poultry,
erring on the side of caution is critical.
Why Moldy Fodder Is Risky
- Mold = Fungus, and many fungi produce mycotoxins, which are toxic to chickens even in small amounts.
- Common symptoms of mold exposure include:
- Diarrhea
- Weight loss
- Decreased egg production
- In severe cases: kidney or liver failure, and even death
Even if the mold looks mild or superficial, it can still harbor
aflatoxins or other harmful compounds that compromise immune function.
Are Any Molds Safe?
- Technically, some molds are not acutely toxic, but there’s no reliable way to distinguish them visually.
- White mold could be Penicillium, Aspergillus, or Fusarium—and all of those can produce dangerous mycotoxins under the right conditions.
- So while some molds might not cause immediate harm, none are considered safe for poultry feed.
What You Can Do
- Discard moldy fodder—don’t feed it, even if only part of the tray is affected.
- Improve drainage and airflow in your sprouting trays to prevent mold growth.
- Consider using a light bleach soak (as some growers do) or food-safe mold inhibitors like diluted vinegar or neem oil.
- Keep trays in a well-ventilated, low-humidity environment and rinse seeds thoroughly before sprouting.
You’ve got the right instincts—if it’s growing fuzz, it’s not worth the risk.
********************
I hope that is helpful. Let me add that I have been successfully growing barley fodder for the past 5 years every winter when my chickens have no access to fresh greens. I have gone through 3 batches of chickens now, and some like the fresh fodder more than others. Some like to eat the green blades of grass, some eat the seeds that did not sprout, and some like to eat the root mat.
Here is a link to my setup,
My $10 Inexpensive DIY Fodder Tower with Dollar Tree Dish Bins. I still think it's one of the best methods to grow fodder using a flood and drain system.
Picture of my fodder bin after 6 days...
With good, fresh grain, I seldom get mold. If I get a small bit of mold, then I use the bleach bath pre-soak, about 1 capful of bleach per bin is all it takes. Then a good rinse before it goes on the fodder rack. Of course, that one year (COVID era) I got old grain that grew lots of mold when I tried to use it to grow fodder. In that case, I just mixed the old dry grain in with my chicken scratch, and it was fine. I later bought a fresh bag from new stock at the feed mill and was able to grow fodder for the last few months of the winter. In my experience, mold is mainly from spores on older grain. My fodder flood and drain system itself, with fresh grain, is almost always mold free.
I would still like to do it someday, but just don't have the space right now. I really appreciate your insight and thoroughness! Flinging these trays into the compost and starting over. Pretty sure the mold grew because I had the empty tray on top - made it too humid. I only watered once a day before and didn't encounter mold. 
