Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[crunchynut]

Meaties from Welp came! They've got their two broody Faverolles mamas and are running around like mad! I'll try to get a picture later, but here they are just 2 days old and already foraging around in the grass and dirt with their moms. With the heat we're having right now (though not as bad as other parts of the country) they don't even seem to need body heat from their mamas. Drinking a ton, but not too interested in the fermented feed yet.

 

[crunchynut]

Ok, here are our little chicken nuggets.

They're in a 20x28 covered run and will stay there for the first few weeks (as long as they're on starter since my other chickens are soy-free). For shelter each broody has a wire dog kennel covered with a tarp and filled with shavings. We use urine around the run and shelter to deter predators (and it has worked well with us for our laying flock for a year now).

Relaxing in the shade




and a few very adventurous ones are exploring further away on their own

 

[binders]

They are sooo cute!!! Thanks for sharing your pictures.

 

[MonsterClucker]

Ok, here are our little chicken nuggets.

They're in a 20x28 covered run and will stay there for the first few weeks (as long as they're on starter since my other chickens are soy-free).  For shelter each broody has a wire dog kennel covered with a tarp and filled with shavings.  We use urine around the run and shelter to deter predators (and it has worked well with us for our laying flock for a year now).

Relaxing in the shade




and a few very adventurous ones are exploring further away on their own

So do u actually use human urine?
I caught my nephew taking a wiz behind the coop, and I told him to stop because I didn't want it to sm3ll like pee aroumd the chicken coop. I doubt it will actually smell with his little bladder but should I tell him to pee AROUND the coop to keep the predos away?

And on a side note.

I got the braggs and yeast yesterday, I had my chicks starter fermenting and i decided to give my layers some just to try out. I thoight they'd act funny because of it like peanut butter consistency.
They loved it!! The bowl was almost clean like there was never any feed in it. Lol. So I have abatch for them brewing now of they're own layer feed.

I got my chicks this morning from the post office. All survivors! 15 jumbo cornish x, 10 barred rock pullets and 2 Broad breasted white turkeys.

The turkeys automatically tore into the feed that was in the trough feeder. The rest of the chicks your kind of reluctant at first, so I put a few spoon fills on the paper towels. The thought it was poop or something until a few of them started eating then the rest stampedes to get some grub! Lol thyre hilarious!

Thank you EVERYONE most of all Beekissed (i saw your YouTube videos before I was even a memeber here at BYC) for starting me on this fermentation quest lol.
I'm gonna post up some info and pictures from time to time and Shaw how my progress is with the FF.

Have a blessed day

 

[MonsterClucker]

Arent they still supposed to drink water with the FF? They haven't drank any water since the first time out of the box. My mix is pretty wet. Is that enough to hydrate them?

 

[Beekissed]

Yes, they will still drink water but not as much. There is a lot of moisture in the FF even when the mix doesn't seem very sloppy wet. As they age they will drink more water but my chicks really seemed to be pretty satisfied with the moisture they got from the feed.

 

[trifecta]

2 questions, and forgive me if they're already answered... I haven't finished reading all 87 pages!

I finally found some Bragg's yesterday- with "the mother". Based on what the bottle says, it sounds like it doesn't actually have any kind of active culture- the label just describes "enzymes". Is this true? I ask because I am trying to innoculate other regular ACV to extend the life of my Bragg's bottle and I think this would only really work if there was some kind of organism in it.

I saw a comment a page or 2 back about not using metal buckets for the feed- why? I just bought a metal trough chick feeder because I hate the plastic ones and want to make sure this is OK to feed them from.

I have 10 CX, 10 "black broilers", and 5 Cornish pullets arriving (hopefully this week). What is the longest you will let the feed ferment in the bucket before feeding it? I'd like to have some ready when they arrive.

 

[Beekissed]

2 questions, and forgive me if they're already answered... I haven't finished reading all 87 pages!

I finally found some Bragg's yesterday- with "the mother". Based on what the bottle says, it sounds like it doesn't actually have any kind of active culture- the label just describes "enzymes". Is this true? I ask because I am trying to innoculate other regular ACV to extend the life of my Bragg's bottle and I think this would only really work if there was some kind of organism in it.

I saw a comment a page or 2 back about not using metal buckets for the feed- why? I just bought a metal trough chick feeder because I hate the plastic ones and want to make sure this is OK to feed them from.

I have 10 CX, 10 "black broilers", and 5 Cornish pullets arriving (hopefully this week). What is the longest you will let the feed ferment in the bucket before feeding it? I'd like to have some ready when they arrive.

If you use the ACV or just about any fermented fluid it has enough acid in it to leach the metals out of your metal containers....the resulting corrosion and leaching can make your animals sick of metal toxicity.

All you can do is try your Braggs....mine did indeed impart yeast cultures into regular, pasteurized ACV, so you can only give it a try. Enzymes sounds better than mold cultures to the general public, so it just may be a choice of descriptors on the label.

You don't actually NEED ACV cultures to start fermentation of your grains....just water, warmth, aeration will do the trick. Either way you will have some acid formation that will corrode metal containers.

 

[Costa Rica Art]

Ok, here are our little chicken nuggets.

They're in a 20x28 covered run and will stay there for the first few weeks (as long as they're on starter since my other chickens are soy-free). For shelter each broody has a wire dog kennel covered with a tarp and filled with shavings. We use urine around the run and shelter to deter predators (and it has worked well with us for our laying flock for a year now).

Relaxing in the shade

I'm curious, what is in your water that causes it to appear orange? As far as adventurous chicks, we've always had at least one in every brood that just can't stay with the group. Someone asked about how to start the fermentation process, I used just a little regular yeast and a little sugar and the process took right off. Now it does not need anything added and boy is it working at the end of 36 hours, the chickens get right after it.

 

[jrsckn]

I have a packet of vitamins and electrolytes to mix in water and when I do, it turns it orange.

The liquid in my bottom bucket went baaaadddd! Apparently my 2 bucket system wasn't working and mixing properly; there was only a half inch of liquid with "mother" in the bottom bucket so my top bucket wasn't draining into it. It smelled repulsive! Thankfully my top bucket wasn't contaminated and still smells fine. I think my mash is too thick and my buckets fit too close together to get proper drainage. I'm just glad I pour the bottom bucket over the top every couple weeks or this could've been really gross when it finally contaminated the top bucket.