FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[Sidhe13]

@Beekissed haha that is awesome! I love hearing what other people do and don't do for their chooks...i figure if their chooks can survive then mine will too!

 

[lazy gardener]

Update on the polish, I couldn't make the feed drier and not kill my bad nerves on stirring it so I decided to try squeezing her feed to near-dry with cheese cloth to strain right before serving. It didn't do too much for the mess until I started rolling it in to bite sized balls. It is a bit of extra effort but has been working very well! This would be a terrible solution for a whole flock, but for one gal it isn't so bad. I'm about to give Modesto Milling's a try, I hope this will work for crumble/pelleted as well as it does for whole grain.

If all else failed, she and the silkie have gotten very good at preening each other's crests, and still do it even now that they're all clean

I guess it must feel nice

If my feed is too wet when I go out to feed, I simply add an other scoop of dry. By the time I'm dishing it up, it's soaked up the extra moisture and is plenty dry.

Beekissed, I fermented food for my girls a couple of times but stopped doing it cause my dogs would end up eating the food the minute I turned my back. I now just water down the food each morning when I make the girls breakfast... It's not fermented but it gets soft and they still like it. Is there any benefits to the birds for wet feed even if not fermented???

I've read a study that states that there is even some benefit to feeding wet feed over dry. That study stated that the chickens had increased villi in their intestines similar to the healthy intestines seen in chickens on FF. But, the fermentation process makes the nutrients in FF more bioavailable, and puts a healthy flora in the gut.

So I have a feed question. And since most here seem to have the same rather simplistic view of things that I strive for, you're my chosen experts. My oldest are coming up on 18 weeks! (Yay! Egg watching begins!) so I'm thinking I need to start getting a layer feed lined up, oyster shell, neat boxes, etc. I went to the local tractor supply. I thought I'd read people with mixed age flocks just let everyone eat layer after they are out of the brooder and integrated into the rest of the flock. I'm out of starter/grower and Id rather get my older girls on layer than have them start laying on starter. Is that thinking wrong? The very youngest in my flock are about 6 weeks. When I went to check out, they told me that "you can't feed layer to a chicken under 6 months old. They HAVE to be on grower only until then. Their digestive systems can't handle anything more than grower." That even conflicted with the feed packaging. This is the first time I've ever heard this. I've seen them eat all kinds of things and never had an issue. I have a hard time believing they are that sensitive. I see no way to try and separate everyone by age so they get the "appropriate" feed. Is it as crazy as it sounded to me? Or is it really that urgent that I keep my big girls on starter/grower because there are younger kids in the flock that might eat the layer?

It's always amusing to go to a feed store and have those conversations with the staff. My most recent one was that I had to keep my chicks on starter for a full 8 weeks. This after I just told the guy that I would never buy medicated starter. His response: "Well, the reason that you have to keep them on starter for 8 weeks is because they HAVE to have medication for that long. I've been told that they'll die without it. I've never used medicated feed, never intend to, and have never had a chick with coccidiosis. The 6 months for layer: I'd have probably choked to death laughing at that one.

 

[Exotica]

I'm pretty sure I know from whence that information has come and it's a totally unreliable source for factual information on FF....we get a lot of folks from over that way who have been misled and it's all crazy stuff they've been told. Weird, really.

I'm so happy you're here Bee! I woudn't trust anyone else but you when it comes to FF.

 

[Pent]

I've had that exact same conversation at least a hundred times or more and each time it's like talking to someone who has been indoctrinated into some cult from birth and are taught to say the exact same things in these situations(I too use the invisible fencing, keep dogs outside at all times and free range my chickens....a nigh perfect life for all animals concerned). No matter where I've went in this country or how many people I talk to in the world via the internet, the exact same phrasing is used....do they all check out a book and memorize their lines?

How can that many people from all over the world be that steeped in ignorance and irrational thinking, even down to using the exact same words and phrasing? It boggles the mind to think on it.

Some celebrity said it. Guaranteed. Some bimbo in California gets an opinion on something, and suddenly the whole world is yelling "Stop the seal hunt!" "Garcia fruit is made of magic and dreams" "Beef contains Horse meat! Horse meat is unsuitable for human consumption!" "everyone should wear skinny jeans!"
Its insane. My dog goes to the vet if she gets sick. My birds get medicine if they get sick. I feed my animals and my family the healthiest food I can for what we can afford, and that includes fermenting our feed, no matter what the current hype. "Eat butter!" Never eat butter!" "Actually do eat butter, its healthy!" "Actually don't eat butter, its deadly" And around and around... Same for red meat, large fish, coconut oil...
I should add that my dog is a very healthy 8 years old, and any chicken loss I've had is generally due to raccoons. Evil little vandals...

 

[Exotica]

Sorry, I have one more question - is it okay to feed the FF in a galvanized steel trough?

 

[Beekissed]

Sorry, I have one more question - is it okay to feed the FF in a galvanized steel trough?

Nope. You'd be surprised how quickly the acetic acid in the feed will corrode that metal~a couple of days only, causing leaching of the metals into the feed...not a good idea. I've used the metal rain guttering for a bit, as it has a type of paint sealant on the inside, but that soon wore off and I had to change that out to avoid the leaching of that metal as well.

 

[lazy gardener]

... and any chicken loss I've had is generally due to raccoons. Evil little vandals...

Bet your coons are healthy! Yes, they are evil little vandals. Right now, I'm thinking that hawks are equally as evil.

 

[Exotica]

Nope. You'd be surprised how quickly the acetic acid in the feed will corrode that metal~a couple of days only, causing leaching of the metals into the feed...not a good idea. I've used the metal rain guttering for a bit, as it has a type of paint sealant on the inside, but that soon wore off and I had to change that out to avoid the leaching of that metal as well.

Okay, thank you! I ended up not buying it. I'll buy the cheap plastic trough instead!

 

[Beekissed]

That will work! If it's too flimsy you can always reinforce it with a wood frame to get it to go the distance for you. Here's a good idea that will help you feed the FF in your trough....punch some drainage holes in the bottom to drain off excess fluids so you won't have to do it manually.

 

[bbhorsefly]

I have chip dip trays I bought at the Dollar Tree that I feed out of! My babies have a couple baby plates I serve theirs up in. I bought a 5" (?) pvc pipe that I cut in half and am making into troughs to get it up further off the ground. There is always that one or four chickens that insist on standing in the middle of the trays/plates and scratching at the mash. Silly birds.