FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[bbhorsefly]

It was just suggested to me that I need to add more food. My starter puffed up and became more in food, it expanded. This grower is strictly brown powder / crumbs. I'll add less water and some scratch and see what happens ,
Thanks

Just went out and studied my feed...haha. My starter is a pellet. It expands. The pellets are pressed and they get released by the water. My grower is more powder and it's not compressed, so it doesn't expand. It doesn't puff up and doesn't absorb as much water.

 

[jockeyeba]

Question: are tea leaves any good to feed chickens?

 

[Beekissed]

I don't think it would hurt any. If they will eat them, they are likely alright.

 

[snow5164]

Ok so I changed my ratios 2 cup water to 1 cup feed because it was too soupy. Now I tried 1 cup water to 1 cup grower crumbles and 1/4 c scratch and I got this

top one not stirred , bottom one is stirred , is it mold??

 

[bbhorsefly]

Ok so I changed my ratios 2 cup water to 1 cup feed because it was too soupy. Now I tried 1 cup water to 1 cup grower crumbles and 1/4 c scratch and I got this

top one not stirred , bottom one is stirred , is it mold??

That is the scoby that ferments it. My food has that white film every morning. Just stir it in!

 

[snow5164]

Ok .. Til now I just got bubbles , thanks

 

[Nofowlplay]

One of my hens poops her feed out nearly undigested and hasn't laid eggs in over a month. Would the fermented food help? She has plenty of access to grit and has a well balanced diet with lots of yard time. None of the other girls have this problem. She looks and acts normal. This started with a bout of sour crop that has seemingly cleared.

 

[Beekissed]

Might help...couldn't hurt. Could be she just has a genetic defect and won't ever be right but FF won't add to that and could help in some ways.

 

[beverly evans]

Hi Bee, So nice to see you on here still busily educating all these "newbies" to FF. We couldn't do without you! I saw the comment about your new and improved trough, so went back weeks to find the foto of it. The one I built years ago as per your instructions is still serving me well. Only I added little strips to form lips on the tops or edges of each side, further preventing their billing out the ff. Seeing your new trough with the bar across the top gave me an idea. One would have to buy a dowel of the right size and a plastic snap around cover people put on shower rods. I would use this instead of the branch. Your way is of course the more practical and free, but the plastic cover will spin and not allow the girls to roost on it or poop into their feed. Just an idea I am going to try because I like the idea of having a handle on it as well as that it keeps them out of the trough. Speaking of foul smelling ff........with out 100 plus summer heat, you put your hand into the cooler full of ff and it is at least 10 degrees warmer inside! And talk about rank! Geez Louise it's awful! The amount of white stuff that forms overnite is amazing but I stir it in and they don't get sick so I guess it is okay, but it really is gaggingly nasty.

 

[Beekissed]

Hey!! Good to see you! Funny thing, that branch over the trough never gets roosted on at all....haven't had any poo in the feed yet. My chickens are out free ranging all day and when they roost they actually get onto the roosts, so the branch on the feeder rarely ever sees chicken feet. If they do get up there at all, it's just briefly during the feeding frenzy in order to switch sides.