Fermented Feeds

[Mom2Sav]

I didn't like the crumbles at all , pellets were better...... I found a mill an 1 1/2 hr away that sold organic milled grain that was cheaper and looked like real food. I do not know where you live, but look for grain mills or Amish to get good feed that hasn't been processed to death.

Thanks, I am in Southern MA not far from RI. I'm just not finding anything organic close by. Organic food from a local mill would be my first choice since who knows how long some of these bags have been sitting around. And there are no Amish around here. I was thinking of going with the New Country Organics. It's so expensive to ship though. I'm hoping at least it will be fairly fresh. It will come to $50 for 50 lbs. I'm hoping it goes a long way.

 

[Molpet]

Thanks, I am in Southern MA not far from RI. I'm just not finding anything organic close by. Organic food from a local mill would be my first choice since who knows how long some of these bags have been sitting around. And there are no Amish around here. I was thinking of going with the New Country Organics. It's so expensive to ship though. I'm hoping at least it will be fairly fresh. It will come to $50 for 50 lbs. I'm hoping it goes a long way.

yeah I do not see anything in the USDA data base by you https://apps.ams.usda.gov/integrity/
are there any Mennonite? It would not be certified but you could ask what they use on it

 

[balloonflower]

@Mom2Sav

Are you looking at the actual grain bags, or just looking online at ingredient lists. I have found more generic info in the online listings, but if you're looking at the bag at TSC, it should have a better ingredient list and date as well. Hopefully!

My bunch of 7 goes through 50lbs in about 2 months. I do get a 20% protein mix that allows me to add in some oats to stretch, plus treats and yard free range (they love the compost pile)

 

[Mom2Sav]

@Mom2Sav

Are you looking at the actual grain bags, or just looking online at ingredient lists. I have found more generic info in the online listings, but if you're looking at the bag at TSC, it should have a better ingredient list and date as well. Hopefully!

My bunch of 7 goes through 50lbs in about 2 months. I do get a 20% protein mix that allows me to add in some oats to stretch, plus treats and yard free range (they love the compost pile)

I was looking online. So what is the 20% mix called? On another thread someone said that they felt layer feed was lower quality I think due to the lower protein content. Should I give them corn in the winter? So 50lbs in 2 months isn't too bad. I think we might have up to 10. I'm not exactly sure how much my neighbor is going to give me. She is bringing the older chickens to a farm.

 

[Mom2Sav]

yeah I do not see anything in the USDA data base by you https://apps.ams.usda.gov/integrity/
are there any Mennonite? It would not be certified but you could ask what they use on it

No there are not any Mennonite that I know of in this area. I do not need it to be certified. The more local and fresh the better.

 

[balloonflower]

Mine is sold as a 20% layer ration, without a specific name. You may have noticed from various threads that names are deceptive, and don't transfer between brands. Layer simply means they add calcium, which is good if your flock is only laying hens as mine is. But you can just make sure you keep oyster shell out if you don't feed layer ration. 16% is simply the minimum protein requirement for health, and as the protein components are generally the most expensive ingredient many feeds/brands stick to the lowest number for cost savings. Many of us prefer a higher percentage and believe it is healthier, but you usually pay for that. Chick starter/grower feed is usually a little higher (18-20%) and mixed/all-flock types vary as well, but generally in that range. Gamebird feeds are usually higher in protein still. Also, fermenting bumps the protein up a couple percent as well. I pick the 20 because I can mix in some whole grains that are lower (10-12%) and still end overall at a good protein level.

I do feed a bit of scratch cracked corn to my bunch as I'm penning them for the night for warmth. The feed I use does contain corn as well. Don't stress too much about what you get to start--you can always change and will be able to make more informed decisions as you learn your flock and how much they eat. It will vary if they range--I've had a couple days recently where they hardly ate their ff, as they had access to our compost pile and filled up there. Days where I keep them to a smaller section of yard they eat more ff.

 

[NickyPick]

I've been doing FF for just over 3 years now and I started with the small buckets, but as my flock grew to near 60, I had to find another way. I use a 35 gallon feed drum, filled about 1/2 - 2/3 full. I started with the Apple Cider Vinegar way back when, but since that first batch, I've never added anything but more feed and more water. The FF gets stirred in the morning when we start the morning chores. I'll scoop up some to a hanging bucket with holes in the bottom and let that drain out the excess liquid while I feed the horses. Then, I'll put that feed in a 1 gallon bucket and fill up all the troughs for the hens. I only feed in the mornings and I know I got it right when it's all gone by the end of the day. Lately, I've been adding a bunch of cayenne pepper to the feed to keep the durn squirrels and rats out of the feed during the day!

 

[FlyWheel]

I have a question that I feel is pretty safe to say hasn't been asked yet: Everyone here says that the feed should smell so-and-so when it is fermenting properly, but what If one doesn't have a sense of smell? I lost mine in a bicycle accident 40 years ago, so unless the smell is really strong, and I'm talking acetone or menthol strength here, I cannot smell it; sometimes I can smell concentrated ammonia it it's held right under my nose (think: Smelling salts).

I think it's safe to say if the FF ever gets that strong its not a good idea to give it to my flock, but is there another way to determine if it is right?

Taste is closely related to smell, could I use that instead, like a fingertip to the tongue? And if so what would I be tasting for? If the chickens can gorge on it I doubt it would cause me any harm, but I seriously doubt fermented Flock Raiser would taste anything like sourdough bread.

And before anyone says it, strangely enough my lack of smell has had no effect on how food tastes, things taste the same to me now as they did before I lost it.

 

[lazy gardener]

I have a question that I feel is pretty safe to say hasn't been asked yet: Everyone here says that the feed should smell so-and-so when it is fermenting properly, but what If one doesn't have a sense of smell? I lost mine in a bicycle accident 40 years ago, so unless the smell is really strong, and I'm talking acetone or menthol strength here, I cannot smell it; sometimes I can smell concentrated ammonia it it's held right under my nose (think: Smelling salts).

I think it's safe to say if the FF ever gets that strong its not a good idea to give it to my flock, but is there another way to determine if it is right?

Taste is closely related to smell, could I use that instead, like a fingertip to the tongue? And if so what would I be tasting for? If the chickens can gorge on it I doubt it would cause me any harm, but I seriously doubt fermented Flock Raiser would taste anything like sourdough bread.

And before anyone says it, strangely enough my lack of smell has had no effect on how food tastes, things taste the same to me now as they did before I lost it.

Loosing the sense of smell is a hardship for sure, But you are blessed in that it hasn't affected your taste! What a boring world that would be! Do you live alone? If not, you could ask other members of your family to help you out here. I think I'd simply start a batch, and give it a few days till it's bubbling, and go with that. You should get to the point where you can anticipate how much feed your flock will use, and simply plan on making that much. In the summer, I can use a single bucket, mixing as much as they will eat in a single day, and feeding it out the next day. So, every day, after I feed the flock, I mix the next day's feed. Even if I mix it in the evening, it's nice and bubbly the next morning. In the winter, I'm more apt to use 2 buckets: so each bucket gets about 48 hours, maybe a bit longer before being used/refilled.

 

[FlyWheel]

Loosing the sense of smell is a hardship for sure, But you are blessed in that it hasn't affected your taste! What a boring world that would be! Do you live alone? If not, you could ask other members of your family to help you out here. I think I'd simply start a batch, and give it a few days till it's bubbling, and go with that. You should get to the point where you can anticipate how much feed your flock will use, and simply plan on making that much. In the summer, I can use a single bucket, mixing as much as they will eat in a single day, and feeding it out the next day. So, every day, after I feed the flock, I mix the next day's feed. Even if I mix it in the evening, it's nice and bubbly the next morning. In the winter, I'm more apt to use 2 buckets: so each bucket gets about 48 hours, maybe a bit longer before being used/refilled.

That's what I have been doing, however I would like to be able to determine for myself because one, I really don't want to have to bother them every time I want to check, and two, neither is very knowledgeable about chickens, and not at all about fermenting, so sampling the 'brew' myself is going to be more accurate that relying on someone else's description based on their interpretation of my description. Try and describe the smell of a rose to someone who has never even seen a flower.

More than one poster has mentioned their brew was bubbling and visually looked fine, but smelled wrong. For example if a batch were to alcohol ferment rather than lacto-ferment it might look OK, but not be OK. And without being able to smell it I wouldn't know.

Quote:

@beekissed: You use fermented feed in a wooden trough? What did you use to seal (waterproof) the wood, and how did you build it without metal screws or nails, as I heard that FF and metal are a no-no? I ask because I do need a bigger trough, and wood and I are old friends.