FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[BY Chicken Lady]

I wonder that too. I'm pretty sure my #2 will step up to top hen, but she isn't loud. I would certainly hope that Snoop doesn't hand her trait down to the next in line if I get rid of her. I have 2 nest boxes and 4 hens. They only use one of them and a racquet does ensue if it is occupied and someone else wants in. There are a few times I've seen 2 of them in there together.

A friend of mine bathes her hens in a tub in the house and takes pics of them all cuddled up in their towels. They look so cute and content!

I don't remember if I took pics or not...I usually bathed them alone so I may not have. They sure were happy puffballs when I was done with them. I miss those furry buggers.

 

[Meeka3]

She's a beauty, even if a tad bit on the large side!!

She is my biggest hen ( 2.7 kilos ), we have really good red soil where we live and have high rainfall, so there are heaps of worms and grubs around the farm. Yesterday one of my hens ( 2nd biggest) chased a mouse across the paddock, caught it and ran off, with the rest of the flock in tow, she gave it a couple of whacks on the ground and swallowed it whole. I wish I had a video camera because it was so funny, but this is what free range chooks do and we can't control what they eat, so I will continue doing what I'm doing and not worry about my beautiful fat Freckles.

 

[BY Chicken Lady]

She is my biggest hen ( 2.7 kilos ), we have really good red soil where we live and have high rainfall, so there are heaps of worms and grubs around the farm. Yesterday one of my hens ( 2nd biggest) chased a mouse across the paddock, caught it and ran off, with the rest of the flock in tow, she gave it a couple of whacks on the ground and swallowed it whole. I wish I had a video camera because it was so funny, but this is what free range chooks do and we can't control what they eat, so I will continue doing what I'm doing and not worry about my beautiful fat Freckles.

Oh my goodness! Now that would have been a great video! Why do we never have our cameras ready when fun things like that happen?

 

[Tikkijane]

I have my fermented feed feeder on a pallet in my coop. The container is a rectangular ice cream container. I drilled 2 holes in the bottom 5 inches apart and fastened the container to the pallet with a plastic zip tie, permanently. I set another ice cream container (filled with FF) right down in the permanent container. The next day I refill the portable container. They cannot tip this over.

Before I did this, the feed was constantly being spilled. Silly girls!

I think that would work well for small flocks. I like my gutter sections- easy to move around and long, so the kids can pack around each side, in several different stations. I can also get it under the coop when it's raining, which is a must around here.

 

[Tikkijane]

Jane, really lighten up. I don't think @BY Chicken Lady
 came off as an "authority" and never implied that not keeping water over it was inferior. Yes, many of us have been doing FF for a long time, many of us have done tons of research and have read through or been with this thread from the beginning. That doesn't mean we don't welcome newcomers with open arms and everyone is entitled to their opinion of what works for them and what doesn't.

I personally was the one who followed the natural chicken keeping blog and asked on that comment section over and over again about keeping a cover on it. I was told "yes" and I was told to keep water over it. I used a glass jar and tightened down the lid which resulted in an explosion. There is certainly erroneous information out there and the best that we can do is let others know that fact without coming across that our way is the only right way.

She was just offering her guidance of her method to someone who was reaching out for help. Let's keep the peace in this thread

Thanks for the morning giggle. . Reading the entire thread is pretty important, imo. We spend a lot of times going in circles......

 

[ReillyJ]

I think that would work well for small flocks. I like my gutter sections- easy to move around and long, so the kids can pack around each side, in several different stations. I can also get it under the coop when it's raining, which is a must around here.

i NEED to do something, i have 4 hens but i think Thelma gets aced out and she needs to put on weight and i've been putting out 2 plates for them, want to try 2 sections of gutter but how do i keep them for trying to knock it over? They like to try to stand in it and kick food out and i put out an acrylic tub with 4-5" sides and they kicked that over!!

Plus i want to be able to clean it out, they don't eat every single morsel

 

[LindaB220]

We have so many people on the AZ thread who are turning to ducks. Some are even thinning out their chicken flocks for more ducks!

What new breeds do you have and what are you hatching out? I am lucky in that I keep chickens illegally so I can't expand my flock. I do have one chicken who has become so loud I may have to rehome so I am hoping to replace her with 2 of a different breed. I didn't do enough research when I started this journey and have 4 RIR's. I would love to have a variety of colors of birds and eggs as well.

JM Hatchery sells ducks for $6 min of 15. They are a Whte Muscovy and much leaner and less greasy. They don't crow or quack. Just hiss. Easy going I hear and I'm really, really thinking about this. Tastes like veal. 12# in 12 weeks and they are broody and will do 3 hatches in a season. Impressive.

 

[Tikkijane]

i NEED to do something, i have 4 hens but i think Thelma gets aced out and she needs to put on weight and i've been putting out 2 plates for them, want to try 2 sections of gutter but how do i keep them for trying to knock it over? They like to try to stand in it and kick food out and i put out an acrylic tub with 4-5" sides and they kicked that over!!

Plus i want to be able to clean it out, they don't eat every single morsel

The biggest issue I have is getting it from the bowl to the feeder, because they want to jump IN the bowl. Once it's in the gutter, they don't have so much of a tendency to knock it over at all. Morning feeding is waiting for them when I let them out; afternoon/evening feeding, I confess to dropping spoonfuls on the way from the house to the feeder, so some of them are distracted. Otherwise, it's total mayhem and I can't even get TO the feeders. (And don't fall down!

)

I think what helps is that it's flat and lower to the ground, which seems to affect the scratching portion of feeding. It's not so deep that it tips over, but not so shallow that they can tip it over. I *definitely* think that the long section helps crowd control. Two sides plus ends lets everyone have a spot, even if it's a thinner layer of feed in there. They should finish what they need in about 30 minutes; mine take about 10, tops. And often, I have part of the flock that heads out to be wild and free before going back to eat. Certainly, by the time I feed the keetagers and get all the ventilation hatches open and start scooping inside, they are done eating.

For anything that's left in the feeder, you can scrape out with a spatula and put back in the bucket. I don't generally have anything left. I also have to watch the one dog, because she'll go and clean it right up.

 

[Tikkijane]

JM Hatchery sells ducks for $6 min of 15. They are a Whte Muscovy and much leaner and less greasy. They don't crow or quack. Just hiss. Easy going I hear and I'm really, really thinking about this. Tastes like veal. 12# in 12 weeks and they are broody and will do 3 hatches in a season. Impressive.

And Privett Hatchery in NE NM has ducklings, too. I haven't ever ordered anything but chickens from them, but my whole NM flock came from them, and my whole NC less the 6 new brahmas this year came from Privett's. They are the first hatchery I look at for ordering from, for whatever that's worth.

I'd do ducks if we could eat them. Just processed the first 4 boys a few months ago, and my middle daughter won't eat them. We ate the first one last night, actually (he was YUMMY!) but since they were named {this was last January's hatch in the middle of the super cold temps- the first froze to death hatching, so we brought mama and the rest of the eggs inside- the only others to hatch were all male!} and she spent so much time with them, she couldn't do it. I might try some meaties at some point, but this round has been particularly tough.

And, given that my brahma and SLW cockerels were puppy piled on an EE today, I'm thinking at least the SLW and EE {that escaped on processing day} need to get done. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. Particularly since the last lone hatchling turned out to be a male, too, which gives me 6 lf males. *sigh*

 

[GingerCW]

I didn't have time to read through all of the posts. Since the suggestion is to use fermented grains, can spent grains left over from making beer at a brewery be used for chickens? I have a bunch of little breweries in my area and was hoping they would like me to take some of their spent grains off their hands...maybe free?