Our Experiment with Fermented Food for Meaties

[Urban Rustic]

I'm wanting an update as well!! I found this thread last week when I was looking on info on fermented feeds. I started feeding my layers fermented Blue Seal Extra Egg and they *love* it. Some things I noticed are, the birds seem to almost glow, seriously....they combs seem redder and their feathers shinier....I noticed this within 3-4 days of starting them on fermented foods. They now barely touch the dry food, far preferring the fermented....that took 3 days. I still give them some dry for snacking on though. Their poop is FAR, FAR, FAR less. Like shockingly so. I now have to look for poop in the run, because it isn't just everywhere and noticeable. I notice ZERO poop smell, even with my head in there when someone poops. They don't need their waterer filled as often either. Hehe They have always been sweet birds....now they like me even more!! Since it is fall, I try and make sure I throw in scraps of veggies/fruits/oatmeal, etc. They love looking for treasures in their food. LOL

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Urban, I love the idea of 'hidden treasures'. I have a question for you, when you get feed are you buying crumbles or pellets. Also, are you using 2 five gallon plastic drums? I haven't started mine on fermented feed yet and am still wondering about a few things.

 

[Urban Rustic]

Hi! I'm using pellet right now, but it all disintegrates into nothing but mash. LOL I have it in a 2Gal glass jar, because in fermenting our own food, I know fermentation can cause leaking of chemicals in the plastic into the food, as it pulls toxins out...and will do that out of the plastic. Since we only have 7 chickens, this is feasible for us.

When I started my ferment, I started with AVC and whey both and filtered water. It is continuous and I scoop out some of the mash, however much I need to feed them, with a slotted spoon. Most of the mash is thick enough that it just scoops it out wihtout being too soupy. Towards the end of getting the days food out, it gets more soupy from being stirred around, so at the end, I do usually about 2 ladles of the soupy food to top it off.

I feed them and when I come back in, I add more food, more water, give it a few good stirs as the food swells and make sure it is covered in water, and that is it until the next day.

I'm filling up the water-er less. They seem to be eating less. The leave the dry for the fermented food and even though they always have dry available, they always have plenty left to snack on when I feed them the next day....but the fermented food is gone and the bowl is DRY. LOL

Their poop is definitely less, less smell, less....there at all.

 

[cutechick2010]

This is very interesting to me as well. Is the fermented feed you are all talking about the commercial crumbles/pellets that you then set up to ferment before feeding? I am curious if this would work with a grain mixture too, and if so would the grains be soft enough for little chicks to eat as well?

 

[Beekissed]

Here's a thread that may answer your questions...many, many folks here doing fermented feeds now.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/644300/fermenting-feed-for-meat-birds

 

[Urban Rustic]

I made it about 20 pages into that thread before I said, "Forget it! I'm just doing it!" LOL That is a LOOOOOOOONG thread!

 

[kizanne]

Yes some of the most interesting and informative threads have become too long for someone just trying to find some good info. The broody hen thread is like that it has 1467 pages. So if someone just wants some broody tips they have to wade through pages and pages of my hen went broody, that's great, here's the chicks. All of which is interesting but not informative and takes forever. I have also found sometimes I wade through all the pages and still don't find the info I was looking for.

 

[figsonwheels]

Our birds are 75 days old now and are still doing great. We are pretty sure the White Broilers are bug enough to butcher and the Red Rangers are close. It's hunting season, so the chickens will have to wait. They are all healthy and walking around (not just plopping down like our others did). We do notice that those on fermented feed are MORE mobile. I think we will weigh them all eat this week and start butchering. I'll post the results here.

Some answers to a few questions:

We measure the food BEFORE we put it in the fermenting water.

Both pens clean out their feed troughs. We have been upping their feed as we've gone along and now each tractor gets about 30 cups a day and its eaten within a few hours of feeding.

We have started moving the tractors almost every day and the birds still love to eat the grass and bugs.

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Are the chooks that are eating FF eating less? I've always been told that fermenting your feed cuts feed costs, are you finding that as well?

 

[mrsamplias]

Our birds are 75 days old now and are still doing great. We are pretty sure the White Broilers are bug enough to butcher and the Red Rangers are close. It's hunting season, so the chickens will have to wait. They are all healthy and walking around (not just plopping down like our others did). We do notice that those on fermented feed are MORE mobile. I think we will weigh them all eat this week and start butchering. I'll post the results here.

Some answers to a few questions:

We measure the food BEFORE we put it in the fermenting water.

Both pens clean out their feed troughs. We have been upping their feed as we've gone along and now each tractor gets about 30 cups a day and its eaten within a few hours of feeding.

We have started moving the tractors almost every day and the birds still love to eat the grass and bugs.

Any results to post?