5th Annual BYC New Year's Day 2014 Hatch-A-Long

[Penny Hen]

1st update:

~~My purpose for the following experiment was to compare the way I raised chicks a few years ago with the way I raised them last year and the way I hope to raise them in the future.
~~With all the discussion of better growth with probiotics and feed savings using fermented feed, I wanted to test the postulates on my birds. Using all the same breed and starting early should help.

~~I just started a probiotic and FF experiment. I had 34 chicks hatch last week. The first 3 days they were together and were fed 22% grower crumbles and de-chlorinated water containing probiotics and vitamins. I then separated them into 3 groups, selected randomly.
Group 1 (control group) is getting 22% grower and plain chlorinated city water.
Group 2 is getting the same 22% grower and de-chlorinated water with Gro-2-Max probiotic powder.
Group 3 is getting FF using the same 22% grower and de-chlorinated water without the probiotic powder.
I weighed them when first hatched were 3 days and will weigh at 7 days and every week thereafter. After about 4 weeks or less, if I see a significant difference, I'll start the control group on probiotics but continue the FF and non FF experiment. I have also weighed the feed each group is getting. For the FF group, I'm weighing the feed dry before fermenting so I'll have a better handle on actual dry feed consumed and it will be an apples to apples comparison.

If anyone has suggestions on something I should consider or that I'm missing, feel free to chime in.

On 1 week age weighing:
Control group 1 - 59% weight gain.
Group 2 (only probiotics in de-chlorinated water) 65% weight gain.
Group 3 (fermented feed/no probiotics but de-chlorinated water) 65% weight gain.
This is very preliminary but after a week, I surmise that regardless of whether the probiotics come from the water or feed, feed conversion is the same. .
The FF is the same 22% starter with yeast, ACV and the same probiotic powder added that is in group 2's water.
If it continues like this, feed conversion will be simpler just with the probiotics in the water. Feed conservation, on the other hand, is probably better with FF. I've been keeping track of how much food each group goes through and it is too early to tell. Groups 1 and 2 are using about the same amount of dry feed. Currently, I'm mixing 500 gram batches of FF so it will probably be at least 3 weeks before I get a good handle on how much feed they're using.

~~Another discovery which I plan to keep a closer eye on is pasted vent.
Group 1 had several with some degree of pasting, 2 were severe.
Group 2 had just slightly less and only 1 severe.
Group 3 had very few but 1 was severe.
So after 1 week, my takeaway so far is that the FF somewhat limited pasting.

Or the de-chlorinated water is somewhat limiting the pasting. This is the only problem I see with your set up. They either need to be all on de-chlorinated water or on chlorinated water for you to be sure that it is only the probiotics or FF providing the benefit. I think this is very important because I have seen in myself and my daughter a reduction by half of allergy reactions by drinking de-chlorinated water. I have also experienced lesser gastric upsets when drinking de-chlorinated water after all stomach acid (in mammals at least) is hydrochlorine. It is a wonder we don't all have ulcers. Having the different water types muddies the data. If you want to know how chlorine affects them stage a different test later, or you will need to subdivide your groups into non-chlorine and chlorine.

 

[chickydee64]

Just get a commercial black...LOL...plenty of times I've gone to collect the eggs (which, btw, should be all brown) there's been a pink egg. No lie. Then there are some that are a peachy-pink. Tried to hatch two for this hatchalong, and neither were fertile (both ended up being clears). Next hatch, though, I'm gonna try again...to see if it was just bad luck picking the two peach/pink eggs that weren't fertile, or if all those eggs I get are not fertile. I'll get my camera out and take pics of them, but you know how cameras and lighting go...sometimes you just can't capture the true color...but I'll try!

I get a beautiful very pink egg almost every day............It comes from my layer flock, a mixture of purebreds..........
I have not been able to catch the egg at a time when I could figure out who is laying it.............
Going to make it a mission

 

[Wisher1000]

Quote:
Very interesting.

Thank you for sharing your hard work.

X2 Please keep us posted! I think a new thread would be in order for this topic.......

One question, I have more issues with pasty vent when the temps are colder or if there is a heat failure while brooding. Are the brooding conditions identical in all three groups? Just curious....

 

[ronott1]

X2 Please keep us posted! I think a new thread would be in order for this topic.......

One question, I have more issues with pasty vent when the temps are colder or if there is a heat failure while brooding. Are the brooding conditions identical in all three groups? Just curious....

Stress causes pasty butt. It really does not matter what the stress is. Pro bio-tics(plain yogurt and etc.) is a treatment for pasty butt. Fermented feed is full of pro bio-tics. It also converts soy from a toxin to a healthy food.

Bid Ole Bird can help with growth and health too.

Great experiment!

Lisa, are you going to start a new thread for this?

 

[Wisher1000]

Quote: Chicken Canoe is doing the experiment, I only made the suggestion that it would make a great stand-alone thread.

 

[ronott1]

Chicken Canoe is doing the experiment, I only made the suggestion that it would make a great stand-alone thread.

Yes!

I want to be a part of that thread so if one starts up will the thread starter let us know?

 

[Gardeningmama]

Quote:
x2, I would definitely like to follow this one!

 

[chickengirl1193]

[COLOR=800080]x2, I would definitely like to follow this one![/COLOR]

me three! I think that is very interesting and it's going to be interesting to see if the benefits are from the FF or just the addition of probiotics. also I feel this experiment will just lead to more...

 

[abmaddox1981]

I couldn't take it any more. I just set 22 eggs.

 

[ronott1]

I couldn't take it any more. I just set 22 eggs.

What did you set?