Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds - Page 42

I'm using the 5 gallon pail method described earlier and mixed grower pellets with scratch. Rather than stir the mixture I lift the inner bucket and let it partially drain to aerate - couple times a day. The pellets were soft of course when it was ready but they still had a bit of their original shape - kinda fluffy.

The Chickie version of lapping the cake batter bowl. 

Too funny - I took my fermented feed out to the meaties for the first time. A bunch of them gathered around the feed bowls. A few took a small sample - most just stood there dumnfounded. Then one big fatty came in from outside, pushed his way thru the crowd up to the bowl. Took one bite. Paused about 3 seconds then started to stuff his face like he hadn't eaten for a month. Well, that was it - game was on!!! The food bowls disappeared under a shimmering blanket of white feathers. I was a bit concerned that they may be eating to much to fast -thought about taking the food away, but I didn't want to lose a hand.

I wish I had my camera. I took this shot later when the feeding frenzy was over.

The dual purpose guys love their yogurt.

Edit - forgot to mention that the meaties were hatched only one day before the guys in the second picture.

I'm very excited that my chicks come on Friday! I hope that I have everything ready. :) I bought my Braggs and  I'm going to ferment the first batch of food tomorrow night.  Fingers crossed!! :)

DH said I gotta get pics of the 3 silkies with the Mohawks. That's the only bad thing about it, they do seem to get it on their heads and beards. I have seen some of the smaller chicks cleaning FF off the faces of some of the bigger fluffy faces. Lol Too cute. The Turkeys look like Giants and there are chicks in there 3 weeks older, everyone growing like weeds. 

Well I have started feeding my crew the FF.  So far they seem to love it.. I feed in the morning before work in 5 foot gutter troughs and even though the ducks are slobs & tend to sling it everywhere, everything & everyone is clean by the time I get home in the evening. I am using the 2 bucket method but I probably don't need to since I have no overhead place to lift the strainer bucket.  Instead I use a 97cent wire strainer form Wally's  to scoop into a 4 quart bucket then I divy that between the 2 troughs.  I have to get the feed out before I let the beasts, er...birds out or they jump in the bucket.  But then I need to watch because my dogs then try to get the food.

I feel like I am back on the raw dog feeding boards but, OMG......the poops are amazing.  Duck stuff is usually a gross, watery, stinky mess.  This week when I go in the coop I keep seeing these black piles of poop that didn't use to be there (the chikens mostly poop on the roost board),  Tonight i realized that it is the duck poop!  It used to be so liquid that it would soak into the bedding and just leave a stinky, dark wet spot.  Now it is a normal pile of dry poop that barely smells at all!  So wonderful :o) 

One question I have, I am not sure how much to feed.  I used to feed one 3 quart scoop plus a little bit of scratch thrown in,  So now I have increased to about 4 quarts(of the combo) to account for the swelling of the feed.  I am using layer pellets and scratch & my birds free range on an acre during the day.

I would love to try whole grains but at this point I don't have a place to store a lot of 50# bags.  I even checked with my horse friend to see if I could buy a little from her & I found out she is a pellet only feeder.  Any ideas on which whole grain would be best to add if I could only add one? Hopefully a bunch of my Ameraucana eggs hatch so I can have some more mouths to feed.  I'm also contemplating getting some red rangers to grow out...I found someone to process them for me (my huge concern) but I'm not sure if they need a separate coop or if they can go in with my layers & runners.  Will probably wait until later this year to try it out.

Thanks to Shadow & Bee for starting this thread & opening my eyes to the possibilities of feeding something healthier & cheaper!.  That is my philosophy with my dogs & cats so no reason I should do it differently with my birds!

Really glad to see this thread develop.  Using the FF feed on a batch of FR and added in on a batch of CX that are finishing.  Much like the pictures presented, the birds will actually sit there and fuss with the containers until there is no discernable feed residue left.  

Ok, a bit confused. I have been doing the FF for about a week now. I had watched the bantams' food intake drop down from 4 qt sized feeders of dry crumbles a day to about 1 1/2 cups of FF a day and there still be just a smidgeon left over at the next feeding. All of a sudden yesterday and today they have DEVOURED the food. I'm back up to probably 2 qts a day, and the bowls are spotless clean. They mob the bowls at feeding time and have fits while they watch me drain the feed before giving it to them. Not sure why the sudden spike.... Growth spurt maybe?