Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

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Costa Rica Art said:
Kassaundra,



I've been adding cracked corn to my FF all along, 50/50. I am now into a 4 day ferment which is really being cleaned up. I'm heaping my 4"X30" troughs 3X a day for 30 birds in my flock (22 are pullets and cockerels). Also not being able to get ACV with mother I took some feed and some of my natural raw milk yogurt in a jar with plenty to water to cover and it is fermenting slowly (wish I had a bubbler for my starter). I'll give it a good 4 days then use it as a starter for a new batch of FF. I did check with my friend who is a chemistry professor and he agrees that this should give me the lactic acid ferment I am after. I'll post again after I have used it as a starter and it has fermented for 4 days. Oh yeah, I get nice size eggs with good standing yokes and whites that don't run all over.


The egg on the left is from my black hen, the other is from one of the pullets from our own hatchings.
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I think I'll include cracked corn at least in the winter ferment from now on, that will make my grain mix 1/3 oats, wheat, and cracked corn. They also get oats and wheat sprouted, and access to 18% layer 24/7. The layer lasts a looooong time, it isn't thier favorite they only eat it if they don't get full on the other stuff and yard forage. They also get old bread when we have it (SIL has a restaurant and a lot of time they get a loaf or two per day for the whole flock, what they don't eat soft (since they don't like it dry) gets soaked in ferment grain water and fed that way which they think is heaven.
 
Lacy Blues said:
Quote: I think I already sent you the information on the Thyme and how I used it. I don't know what caused the problem except stress to cold weather maybe, but it was respiratory and the thyme tea and dried herb in their ferment mix on occasion works wonders!

Y'know, I've been fighting a sore throad, post sinus gunk and tried some oregano tea last week as I don't have any oil to gargle with.

I'm not sure if it was the oregano or if I was grinding my teeth that night but the next day was pure misery! I don't think I'll be doing that again. Thyme tea, was nowhere near so hard on me.
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Sally Sunshine said:
QUESTION   FF is really messing my silkies face head feathers, suggestions please? they really love it, but the gals have bob marely do frozen in place right now!! And should I wash them? so afraid its still cold!! I dont think it will hurt them like that, but it has to be annoying dangling in shreads at their faces! 
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The ff dries on the feathers and you really just need to rub them between your fingers and it will drop away.
 
Ashdoes said:
Question for all of you with ducks...my FF is all flock and scratch, is that ok for ducks? I'm really considering Runners, but need to keep everything simple, so I would prefer not to have two different kinds of FF.
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I feed my ducks the fermented flock raiser as well. I haven't added scratch so I can't answer on that... maybe someone else can? The ducks took a little longer to take to the ff than the chickens, but they are fine now. However, we usually use an organic mash that I order from the co-op (www.azurestandard.com) and we ran out before I could get the next order in. So... my only alternative was to go down to the local feed store and pick up some Purina flock raiser crumbles. I tried fermenting that and feeding it and neither the ducks or chickens wanted anything to do with it, even though they were raised on it before I switched to organic and ff. I had to feed it to them dry for them to eat it until I got back to the organic mash and then they were all fine with the ff again. I guess they only eat organic.
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Honestly though, I realized that I did not like dealing with ff crumbles... the mash I get is sooo much easier to drain and not near as messy - and smelled better...imo.

Oh, and wanted to add one more thing... in just 2 days of going back to dry crumbles, the coop was stinkier. I really notice a difference in smell when they are not eating their ff.
 
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Some FF silkies below. And a Polish who had to be given a haircut as well hehe. Believe it or not, they all have haircuts already. I don't want to make them look terrible.. Most of the FF in their crests/beards was there prior to the hair cut. I'm going to wash all these guys once it's warm enough to do so.




 
aoxa said:
Some FF silkies below. And a Polish who had to be given a haircut as well hehe. Believe it or not, they all have haircuts already. I don't want to make them look terrible.. Most of the FF in their crests/beards was there prior to the hair cut. I'm going to wash all these guys once it's warm enough to do so.




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