FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

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Good idea. They have a big following and this isn't the first time I've heard of misleading information being sourced from that blog about FF, not to mention about other things as well. It really confuses newbies to the method and causes some people to give up on it altogether because they feel it's too complicated to understand if they are going to ferment feed or merely feed their chickens spoiled grains. It's a shame but there's really nothing I can do to get them to put out correct information.

Do you mind if I quote about your glass jar incident on the larger FF thread so that others can learn from it?
 
Go right ahead and share my experience. I was fortunate it happened when it did. The glass jar didn't totally explode, mainly buckled between the rounded bottom and upright portion. I have had the same thing happen with sun tea jars. I could tell that this one was from a fairly strong force. Regardless of how the glass broke I still wasted food and had a giant mess to clean up, not to mention if I had any other pets who might have found the feed and eaten it. Thankfully, no I don't.
I got replies back on NCK that they will TOTALLY go back through all the posts to be sure they mention air flow and ventilation. They thanked me for providing the information about my glass exploding and will take measures to be sure future followers have the precautions in place.
Where is the larger ff thread as I would like to join that group?
 
It's in the meat bird section of the forum...ya can't miss it!
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I'm glad they took your results seriously and are going to attempt to correct their original stance on attempting to create an anaerobic system in their fermenting. I think it just stems from a basic misunderstanding of exactly what anaerobic really means in regard to these organisms.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/644300/fermenting-feed-for-meat-birds/10050#post_12207959
 
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Yes, after the explosion and a few days ago of coming home in the evening to what appeared to be starving birds, my husband actually said we should go back to dry food!! ACK, NO!! We have already noticed a difference in their poo, less stinky, harder consistency. Plus the growth and health of our chicks... I am not giving up on FF. If anyone can benefit from my experience the better.
 
Yes, this is a method of feeding that requires a learning curve and some tweaking to get it right at first...but once you get the hang of it, it then becomes just as easy as feeding dry feeds, except it has an incredible advantage over the dry feeds. I can't imagine a day of going back to dry feeds any longer...and that's coming from someone who has fed dry feeds to chickens for over 35 years and my mother before me and my grandmother before her.

I think my Grandma Ruby would LOVE what happens when fermenting chicken feed and she would also love the simplicity of it all, with that one little step making the difference between average nutrition~ and super food, sweet smelling coop and incredible health benefits to the flock...not to mention the mild flavor of the eggs and larger yolks. It's like exchanging a Pinto for a Jag.
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Thank you. I really am happy with these new birds.

So that feather overlap is that ok as it was before feed? I'll take pictures late this afternoon for comparison. Will this help to determine amount of feed?
 
Well...it's something to look for when determining condition of the flock at any given time..a little overlap when crops are empty and in some breeds is expected(I have a little New Hamp hen that shows an overlap when she is in high production mode and less of one when she is not laying much) but when birds who normally don't have that overlap start showing it, I increase the feed ration a little until I no longer see that whether their crops are full or empty. It seems like it only takes a few days of that before I see some fully chests starting and then I just keep it at that level for a bit to see how they tolerate it. It all seems to be just minor adjustments of 1/2 to a full cup either way that will get them back on track or bring them down off being too lumbering and fat.

Post some pics of your flock if you can and let's take a look at them.
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These pictures were taken at 530 pm. They had their breakfast at 8 am. the last photo is when they're eating. I just gave them a little snack at 530.





 

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