While hydroponic methods are used to grow plants, primarily vegetables, the use of hydroponics to grow animal feeds has been less tested. Through hydroponics, stable harvests of high quality feeds can be produced on an industrial scale in special facilities. Over an eight-day cycle, grain seeds such as oats, barley, rye and wheat germinate and turn into sprouts, forming a thick, green, grassy cover with interwoven roots. This product is a highly effective, particularly nutritious feed, rich in vitamins and enzymes.
Hydroponic feeds are 95-98 percent digestible, unlike unsprouted grains, which are at best 30 percent digestible. During the growth process, the amount of fodder increases fivefold. The cost of raising livestock therefore decreases, since approximately half of the cost of raising livestock is for feed. Also, between 60 and 75 percent of the diseases that afflict animals result from their feed; hydroponic feeds decrease disease and the ensuing veterinary expenses. The feed is appropriate for all types of animals and birds raised for agriculture, and it can also be used to feed carp.
A hydroponic system was set up in eastern Kazakstan, three kilometers from one of the largest titanium/magnesium plants in the world. In this area, where winter can last 250 days, the death rate of newborn cattle was extremely high. The contaminated environment and unfavorable weather conditions made healthy fodder difficult to come by. With the introduction of hydroponically grown feed, the death rate has fallen sharply and the surviving animals are stronger and healthier.