The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[chicbaby]

Hi potagergirl, have you tried using buckets to ferment? we got ours from the bakery of our local store for free and we have over 20 chickens. we have 2 buckets that we use very easily that we alternate. i wouldnt mix the ferment with the mash, not only for variety for the chickens but also not sure if the bacteria would remain okay.

hellbender, their poop is actually very well formed and the ferment takes the smell out of it, also flies stay away from our coop, even though we have them by our horses. the flies dont like the poop. its easier to feed since they dont get it all over the place and our day old chicks get started on it as well. its very easy to make. just make sure you dont use any metal. the vitamin content and absorption is also greater.

we also put a little kombucha tea in their water, as well as some vitamin c sometimes, or apple cider vinegar with the mother works well. the key to good health is a healthy functioning gut. conventional feed due to the glyphosate destroys the essential gut bacteria,so nutrients cant be absorbed, so we use only organic feed. fermenting and using the kombucha and vinegar helps keep their gut healthy, as well as ours. our goats and dogs love the fermented feed too and we give them some. our horses make funny faces when i give them some.

good luck with your water issues Jules chicks. hope you get it fixed real soon.

 

[potagergirl]

Do you feed the cooked portion hot? It would be the heat that would destroy the benefits.

That being said, I think adding a little fermented or soaked feed would definitely be beneficial. I offer both types - fermented and dry and let them choose which they want.

I've been playing around with how I feed as well. If you have let the mash cool down to 110 degrees F or lower I think the good bacteria will be fine. When I make yogurt, you heat the milk to 160, then lower to 110 before adding the culture so it doesn't die, so I think staying at or below 110 would be fine. I'm sure you probably wouldn't feed too hot anyhow, though with freezing temps it cools pretty fast too.

I have been fermenting feed that has fish meal and oyster shell in it and it gets really stinky, especially the longer I backslop and keep the ferment going. Lately, since I have been making yogurt at home, I have an abundance of whey and have been basically just soaking their feed overnight with whey and water. This way it makes it more digestible (breaking down the phytates/phytic acid) and begins to ferment from the kickstart of the whey but I don't get the awful stink in my house. Once we move there full time I may mix my own feed and then I can add the meal separate and not into the fermenting bucket. That way I can strain out the grains to feed - right now that takes too much time and I lose the added nutrition that was in the fine meal - and then add a scoop of fish meal or whatever mix I end up using.

Hope everyone is doing well during this busy time. We are battling water infiltration into our coop - so frustrating and I'm worried about the flock with all the moisture but we're band-aiding it until we can find a better solution.

Is the mash that you cook for them a prepared mash bought at the feed store? I recently bought mash instead of pellets, and it was $1 less/bag. That's a win/win situation for me. If you have a square foot of floor space, you have room for a 5 gallon bucket. That should easily make enough FF for your flock. I keep 2 buckets in my laundry room (3 gal each for my 27 birds). That allows me to feed out one bucket each day, while the other one gets an extra day of ferment. It seems that you could easily bypass the cooking, and go straight to fermenting. A bucket doesn't take up THAT much room!

@hellbender I find that my birds have nice firm poop when on FF. Not as stinky, either!

Hi potagergirl, have you tried using buckets to ferment? we got ours from the bakery of our local store for free and we have over 20 chickens. we have 2 buckets that we use very easily that we alternate. i wouldnt mix the ferment with the mash, not only for variety for the chickens but also not sure if the bacteria would remain okay.

hellbender, their poop is actually very well formed and the ferment takes the smell out of it, also flies stay away from our coop, even though we have them by our horses. the flies dont like the poop. its easier to feed since they dont get it all over the place and our day old chicks get started on it as well. its very easy to make. just make sure you dont use any metal. the vitamin content and absorption is also greater.

we also put a little kombucha tea in their water, as well as some vitamin c sometimes, or apple cider vinegar with the mother works well. the key to good health is a healthy functioning gut. conventional feed due to the glyphosate destroys the essential gut bacteria,so nutrients cant be absorbed, so we use only organic feed. fermenting and using the kombucha and vinegar helps keep their gut healthy, as well as ours. our goats and dogs love the fermented feed too and we give them some. our horses make funny faces when i give them some.

good luck with your water issues Jules chicks. hope you get it fixed real soon.

Okay, maybe I am thinking this a bit differently. I have read different posts and I assumed you had to have 3 containers 1=start day, 2=ferment day, 3=ferment/feed day. I'm missing something because it sounds like you are using 1 or 2 buckets at most for your fermented feed?

The mash I make by mixing my own grains. I can't use pre-mixed because anything affordable has wheat/gluten in them. The mash which is mainly rice mixed with the normal feed mix I make, also has all scraps added and bone broth from the large number of bones given to me. I make the mash in the morning and feed it out late afternoon. It's mildly warm by time they get it. I use fish meal in the mash but I can put this in the fermenting feed if it will provide even more nutrition for the chickens.
I used to provide lots of whey and goat milk to the chickens because we have 2 dairy goats. They have been bred and are drying up is why I want to start fermenting.

Still my inside space where the fermenting seed will not freeze in the winter is limited. I have several trees in large containers taking up the floor space in my house. Yesterday I took to cleaning out a few paint cans from a utility closet. The closet stays colder then the rest of the house but I'm sure I can fit at least 2 buckets inside. I am concerned 2 buckets won't be enough because the temp runs about 65 in the closet and I think it will take the feed longer to ferment? A good chance I am over thinking this. I assume you feed fermented feed daily? Which is what I would like to do through the winter at least.

Am I over thinking this?

The chickens also free range all day doesn't matter if it is raining or not I open the doors and let them decide if they want to stay in or peck outside. I use ACV in water daily.

 

[Kassaundra]

Okay, maybe I am thinking this a bit differently. I have read different posts and I assumed you had to have 3 containers 1=start day, 2=ferment day, 3=ferment/feed day. I'm missing something because it sounds like you are using 1 or 2 buckets at most for your fermented feed?

The mash I make by mixing my own grains. I can't use pre-mixed because anything affordable has wheat/gluten in them. The mash which is mainly rice mixed with the normal feed mix I make, also has all scraps added and bone broth from the large number of bones given to me. I make the mash in the morning and feed it out late afternoon. It's mildly warm by time they get it. I use fish meal in the mash but I can put this in the fermenting feed if it will provide even more nutrition for the chickens.
I used to provide lots of whey and goat milk to the chickens because we have 2 dairy goats. They have been bred and are drying up is why I want to start fermenting.

Still my inside space where the fermenting seed will not freeze in the winter is limited. I have several trees in large containers taking up the floor space in my house. Yesterday I took to cleaning out a few paint cans from a utility closet. The closet stays colder then the rest of the house but I'm sure I can fit at least 2 buckets inside. I am concerned 2 buckets won't be enough because the temp runs about 65 in the closet and I think it will take the feed longer to ferment? A good chance I am over thinking this. I assume you feed fermented feed daily? Which is what I would like to do through the winter at least.

Am I over thinking this?

The chickens also free range all day doesn't matter if it is raining or not I open the doors and let them decide if they want to stay in or peck outside. I use ACV in water daily.

I ferment grains, not pellets or "feed". I keep a plastic trash can (33 gallons) and scoop out of it for a couple of weeks until it gets w/I 3-5 days of being used then start a new one w/ the liquid from the old one. I know you don't have the indoor space for this I mentioned it to show the ferment lasts a while no need to have to use it up w/I 3 days, no need to keep separate containers, unless for some reason it is just easier for you. I live in eastern OK and keep mine outside year round, in the summer it goes in a shady place and in winter in a sunny place. The black plastic helps to warm it though the day. It has never frozen solid, it has frozen on the edges of the barrel, but it thaws and is fine. My same ferment has been going for almost 5 years.

 

[Molpet]

potagergirl Here is a link that may help https://tikktok.wordpress.com/2014/04/13/fermented-feed-faq/

 

[chicbaby]

we use two buckets because it takes a day or two for it to ferment real good. so by the time we use the one, the other is ready, then we make more and do it that way. we have our buckets in our spare bathroom. they dont take up a lot of room. our whole house is at 65, thats where we put our thermostat for the winter and the sun warms up the house to 74 during the day and it doest effect the ferment. since you have more chickens,you can go with bigger buckets and that should work.. we also give our girls other stuff to eat as well. our fermented feed smells nice, like bread baking so any place you have room for it should be fine as long as it doesnt freeze. we are having some freezing weather right now so are giving more dry since the other is freezing. otherwise we put out 4 or 5 dishes, we use ceramic bake ware for the girls to enjoy their food in and we take out food two times a day in the winter, 3 in spring and summer. your mash sounds great and i bet they love the whey. we have dairy goats too. our girls will sneak in the chicken pen and eat the fermented food if we dont watch them when we are in there taking care of the chickens.

 

[lazy gardener]

Okay, maybe I am thinking this a bit differently. I have read different posts and I assumed you had to have 3 containers 1=start day, 2=ferment day, 3=ferment/feed day. I'm missing something because it sounds like you are using 1 or 2 buckets at most for your fermented feed?

The mash I make by mixing my own grains. I can't use pre-mixed because anything affordable has wheat/gluten in them. The mash which is mainly rice mixed with the normal feed mix I make, also has all scraps added and bone broth from the large number of bones given to me. I make the mash in the morning and feed it out late afternoon. It's mildly warm by time they get it. I use fish meal in the mash but I can put this in the fermenting feed if it will provide even more nutrition for the chickens.
I used to provide lots of whey and goat milk to the chickens because we have 2 dairy goats. They have been bred and are drying up is why I want to start fermenting.

Still my inside space where the fermenting seed will not freeze in the winter is limited. I have several trees in large containers taking up the floor space in my house. Yesterday I took to cleaning out a few paint cans from a utility closet. The closet stays colder then the rest of the house but I'm sure I can fit at least 2 buckets inside. I am concerned 2 buckets won't be enough because the temp runs about 65 in the closet and I think it will take the feed longer to ferment? A good chance I am over thinking this. I assume you feed fermented feed daily? Which is what I would like to do through the winter at least.

Am I over thinking this?

The chickens also free range all day doesn't matter if it is raining or not I open the doors and let them decide if they want to stay in or peck outside. I use ACV in water daily.

Your utility closet would be fine. Some people use one bucket. Others use 2 or 3. It's all a matter of what works for you. I use 2 buckets that each hold a day's worth of feed, because I don't like to scoop feed out of a bucket to carry outside to then scoop into the feed bowls. I just grab a bucket and head out the door, scoop or dump it into their bowls, and I'm done... refill it and it's ready to go again. With your regimen, you could give them the bones and broth with your table scraps, and save your grains/rice/and feed mix for your ferment. With my 2 bucket system, at a temp of about 50 - 60*, I have a good ferment going within 24 hours. If things slow down, I rob some culture from one bucket when refilling the empty bucket. I use hot water to mix things up, so the slurry is about 110*, then add a scoop of ferment from the full bucket. Lots of nice bubbles in both buckets by morning. If you're giving FF, you don't need to be giving ACV in their water. They're getting plenty of acid in the ferment.

 

[armorfirelady]

Okay, maybe I am thinking this a bit differently. I have read different posts and I assumed you had to have 3 containers 1=start day, 2=ferment day, 3=ferment/feed day. I'm missing something because it sounds like you are using 1 or 2 buckets at most for your fermented feed?

The chickens also free range all day doesn't matter if it is raining or not I open the doors and let them decide if they want to stay in or peck outside. I use ACV in water daily.

I FF my grains as well. Just have one xl glass container I use. I add grains & water as it empties and just scoop of it for the next feeding. I like it simple.




Anyone else hens taking forever to molt? Mine started in October and I got my last egg the 31st & nothing since ............6 long weeks.......most are done molting just missing some tail feathers. I don't if its a combination of warm winter, long molt & less light thats causing it but I have never gone this long without eggs. Of the fact they all started almost at the same time doesnt help.

 

[tjo804]

Same here I didnt think the molt would ever end. I finally added Calf mana to the ff to up the protein level.
I was 6 almost 7 weeks with only Silkie eggs.
Got 1 regular egg on Thursday & Friday and 3 Eggs today. So they are starting back up But the no eggs is a Huge issue this year on a lot of the chat threads.

 

[lalaland]

hey AFL, how are things in your neck of the woods?

my flock is having weird molts this year, in fact one of the girls just started yesterday! And someone else is starting judging from the feathers in the coop. I thought everyone was almost done, but must have missed some. I'm grateful for the mild winter, normally this would be disastrous to have a sudden and hard molt in mid december.

One of the EE actually finished molt and finally laid an egg today, first since early November.

And goldie, the hen that was attacked a couple of weeks ago by a dog is still recovering. She is in a kennel in the coop, and has finally started taking a few nibbles of feed. Has been living off mealworms, kale/clover/spinach, and apples. I might even try her again on some typical favorites (yogurt, scrambled egg, hamburger) . She is going on 3 weeks, and sitll no infection. Nustock rocks!

 

[slordaz]

I am scared mine haven't molted yet, and we are mid winter, they just reduced their laying now we are getting 2-4 outta 9 hens. gonna have to do something though one started to brood and another wanted to help, she got mad and broke all 10 eggs she was sitting on.