FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[RoseMarie1]

I have to laugh at how hesitant I was to start ff and now I have 3 diff batches 1 layers 2 meaties and 3 nursery

yeah it's great aint it?

Just love the fact it makes the chickens healthier and the eggs they lay as well.

 

[wonkyflock14]

The ONLY thing I can see wrong with this is, all that feed ABOVE the ff will or may mold so the walls needs to be cleaned when you stir or get your food out to feed. That on the top and sides needs to be cleaned off and always kept off the sides so it doesn't get IN the food to grow more.

Ok, so I have a quick question. I moved my 5 gallon bucket of ff out to a side porch because my fiancee was complaining about it (am I immune to the smell already? LOL). I am pretty new to using FF but the birds LOVE it. I am glad I visited the page today because I have a question right along these lines. I have my 5 gallon bucket with an industrial sized stainless steel spoon in it, all covered with a towel, one night was exceptionally hot and when I went out in the morning to feed, white stuff everywhere. I don't know if this has to do with the heat or what, but I stirred it in and have been scraping the sides down since that day. I have not fed any more to my flock though for fear of illness. Should I ditch the batch that all the white fuzz got stirred down into? (I didn't think to take a photo, of course)

 

[onmelissa]

The ONLY thing I can see wrong with this is, all that feed ABOVE the ff will or may mold so the walls needs to be cleaned when you stir or get your food out to feed. That on the top and sides needs to be cleaned off and always kept off the sides so it doesn't get IN the food to grow more.

Gotcha. That makes sense. Tomorrow will be the first day for them to try it. I have chick starter fermenting for the babies and layer crumbles fermenting for the big girls.

 

[kpgoldstar]

Ok, so I have a quick question. I moved my 5 gallon bucket of ff out to a side porch because my fiancee was complaining about it (am I immune to the smell already? LOL). I am pretty new to using FF but the birds LOVE it. I am glad I visited the page today because I have a question right along these lines. I have my 5 gallon bucket with an industrial sized stainless steel spoon in it, all covered with a towel, one night was exceptionally hot and when I went out in the morning to feed, white stuff everywhere. I don't know if this has to do with the heat or what, but I stirred it in and have been scraping the sides down since that day. I have not fed any more to my flock though for fear of illness. Should I ditch the batch that all the white fuzz got stirred down into? (I didn't think to take a photo, of course)

The white stuff should be fine to just stir in and continue. I live where it is VERY hot. FF is a challenge where I am and I get white growth even on the smallest, driest batches I can manage to make. As long as it was not green fuzzy growth that resembles true mold you should be good.

 

[onmelissa]

Agh! They don't like it. 2 girls took 2 bites each and walked away. Even the ducks said "no thank you".
Now what?


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[LindaB220]

Agh! They don't like it. 2 girls took 2 bites each and walked away. Even the ducks said "no thank you".
Now what?


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They'll come back. Leave it as the only food. They are like kids with veggies. Don't want to try it. After they eat it, they will love it. Sprinkle some dry on top. It'll only take a few days but the benefits are immense.

 

[LindaB220]

Ok, so I have a quick question. I moved my 5 gallon bucket of ff out to a side porch because my fiancee was complaining about it (am I immune to the smell already? LOL). I am pretty new to using FF but the birds LOVE it. I am glad I visited the page today because I have a question right along these lines. I have my 5 gallon bucket with an industrial sized stainless steel spoon in it, all covered with a towel, one night was exceptionally hot and when I went out in the morning to feed, white stuff everywhere. I don't know if this has to do with the heat or what, but I stirred it in and have been scraping the sides down since that day. I have not fed any more to my flock though for fear of illness. Should I ditch the batch that all the white fuzz got stirred down into? (I didn't think to take a photo, of course)

That's perfect. The white stuff is the good stuff. Stir it down and feed. Kudos

 

[elroddo]

A couple of questions, whats the best type of feeder for the fermented feed, and how does this work in the cold of winter (won't it freeze?) Got my first batch fermenting now, can't wait to see my girls eat it. They are going to be 5 weeks old tommorrow, wish I'd tried it sooner.

Nm just read the FAQ Jane posted. Thats what I get for posting then reading back a few pages. Looks like i need to make a trough or two.

 

[LindaB220]

A couple of questions, whats the best type of feeder for the fermented feed, and how does this work in the cold of winter (won't it freeze?) Got my first batch fermenting now, can't wait to see my girls eat it. They are going to be 5 weeks old tommorrow, wish I'd tried it sooner.

Nm just read the FAQ Jane posted. Thats what I get for posting then reading back a few pages. Looks like i need to make a trough or two.

Yeah, I have a 6 ft trough for 16 birds.

That's enough for 40. But I'll have other's coming. The key is to feed enough for them to eat it in 20 min. I put it out 2x daily because I like to and am home. You could (in the cold) put it in a heated dog dish like the water but I don't think it's necessary. They eat it too fast. If you have leftovers, dump it out and feed a little less. They will eat the frozen first. What's on the ground. I backed off on my feed a little. I was feeding 5 cups in am and 5 cups pm. Always some left so I now feed 4 cups 9am and 4-5 pm. I usually throw down some scratch at bedtime so they'll have something to do until I get there. Leslie has a lot of birds. She puts cement blocks 5 feet apart and hang a rain gutter in bottom hole for small birds and top for grown birds. I love it.

 

[wonkyflock14]

Agh! They don't like it. 2 girls took 2 bites each and walked away. Even the ducks said "no thank you".
Now what?


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My ducks said no thank you on day 1, too! Now they're there to gulp it down and shake their heads, flinging it everywhere. I feed it out of a medium-sized food storage container, but since the Pekins are so huge, some of the smaller birds just eat what they fling out of their mouths and onto the ground lol! Keep at it, the birds will LOVE it in time.

The white stuff should be fine to just stir in and continue. I live where it is VERY hot. FF is a challenge where I am and I get white growth even on the smallest, driest batches I can manage to make. As long as it was not green fuzzy growth that resembles true mold you should be good.

Thanks so much kp! No green anywhere to be seen, so I feel safe about feeding it to my birds.

That's perfect. The white stuff is the good stuff. Stir it down and feed. Kudos

Thanks Linda! It seems apparent now that the extra hot days we have had and will have throughout the week means extra white stuff each time I take off the towel. Interesting.