5th Annual BYC New Year's Day 2014 Hatch-A-Long

[chickengirl1193]

The jury is out on covering. I place a lid on the bucket. Keep in mind that it grows. I've read that it does need to be covered to aid the anaerobic bacteria and that source said as long as there is water covering it that will suffice. Some people lay a towel across the container. Some use a cooler and close the lid.
Some people just use feed and water, relying on free yeasts in the air as in sourdough bread. The danger is that you'll get the wrong kind.
Some just put a glug of ACV in it for the beneficials that are in the organic mother.
Some use buttermilk for the lactic acid. I think yogurt would work.
Any probiotic should work. I found one specifically formulated for chickens from research done in in Egypt.
http://www.gro2max.com/
It goes a long way, one packet for 28 gallons of water or 400 lbs. of feed. It would probably go even farther in a good FF blend since the bacteria/yeast would continue to populate.
If you are using city water or you chlorinate your well water, you'll need to use a de-chlorinator to keep it from killing the bacteria.
Most cities use chloramine to treat their water and it isn't sufficient to let it stand as the chlorine won't vent off till the chlorine/ammonia bond is broken.
I just use an aquarium de-chlorinator without any fin treatments or other additives. It's usually just called a tap water conditioner and it takes 3 times as much for chloramine as it does for chlorine. Follow instructions, mine is 3 drops per gallon and works instantly.

thanks again! I think ill try it with just water at.fist and see how it goes. I have well water so all is well there! at first ill just add their feed some flax and some kelp. im curious if fermenting the scratch grains increases the protein? Cuz I got a big bag with corn wheat milo BOSS and something else can't remember and I wanted to increase the nutritional value of it. also I remember reading somewhere that it's not good to feed chicks fermented feed but I can't remember why not... but it sounds like for chicks its extremely beneficial because of the possibilities abd the water. I think I'll give my chickies a good start and ferment for them st least half of their feed. I also already sprout for my chickens but not ferment yet!

 

[Cynthia12]

my silkies get their fros spiked from the rain.....my white rooster looks like he walked in chocolate!

 

[Cynthia12]

It should be loaded with yeasts and beneficial bacteria that populate the gut. That's a huge benefit right there for health, growth and feed utilization. It supposedly firms up the feces which doesn't smell as much, probably for the same reason.
The feed goes much farther for 2 reasons. Because it's moist, the chickens don't bill it out and waste it like with dry feed. It also seems to grow. I half fill a 5 gallon bucket with a mix of grower feed, some seeds like wheat, flax and sunflower, a couple pinches of crumbled kelp, a pinch of a mineral supplement, a dab of yeast and probiotic powder. I fill the bucket the rest of the way with de-chlorinated water and a glug of ACV. Within a few hours it is full to the brim with feed and continues to grow. I have to keep pulling some out and add it to the finished FF bucket I'm feeding from. All those ingredients other than the feed and water are unnecessary, it's just how I do it to boost the nutrition. I still keep the bulk dry feeders full so they don't run out of feed but those feeders are lasting 2 weeks now instead of one.
Fermenting breaks down the anti-nutrient and anti-digestive components in the feed grains.
Because of a few processes, fermenting makes phosphorus, calcium, magnesium and copper more bio-available.
The main goal of fermenting is to increase lactic acid content. That contributes to biosafety of the feed to limit pathogens.
Moist feed improves hydration. It increases weight gain in poultry.
Some people claim the egg shell quality improves.
In chicks, access to semi-moist feed stimulates gastrointestinal development and prevents dehydration. The ability of chicks to keep their crop moist prevents good gut function fed conventional diets. I imagine this should limit the incidence of pasted vent.
For the last couple years, I've gotten probiotics into chicks the first couple days of life. For this hatch, I'm planning on dividing the chicks into 3 groups. one with regular water and dry feed, one with probiotic water and dry feed and one with fermented feed. Then compare weight gain, feed conversion and health/survivability.
After this hatch I'll do it again but without the control group of the non-probiotics. I'm convinced of the need for early colonization of beneficial bacteria.
More info here.

http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com/p/fermented-feed.html

http://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajb/article/viewFile/60378/48610

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19373724

Ahh..thanks for all of this info! I have not been giving my new chicks probiotics. Just may have to give it a try.

Has anyone tried doing the fodder for the winter..for those that don't have a blade of green going on in their yard? Thought I had a photo..but I don't.

 

[SilkieSensation]

I just skipped 2 days worth of posts. Went & looked at a house yesterday. Put the deposit on it & will be moving right after New Year's. We are renting for a couple months until JJ's settlement comes then will be buying. If we take all the land available it will be almost 3.5 acres. Most is nice & flat. A lot has been cleared. There are several buildings & shelters that can be converted to coops. Looks like I will be back to hatching very soon too. The girls have decided the strike is over.

 

[chicken pickin]

I just skipped 2 days worth of posts. Went & looked at a house yesterday. Put the deposit on it & will be moving right after New Year's. We are renting for a couple months until JJ's settlement comes then will be buying. If we take all the land available it will be almost 3.5 acres. Most is nice & flat. A lot has been cleared. There are several buildings & shelters that can be converted to coops. Looks like I will be back to hatching very soon too. The girls have decided the strike is over.

CONGRATS! And Good Luck with it all, it sounds great!!!

 

[draye]

I just skipped 2 days worth of posts. Went & looked at a house yesterday. Put the deposit on it & will be moving right after New Year's. We are renting for a couple months until JJ's settlement comes then will be buying. If we take all the land available it will be almost 3.5 acres. Most is nice & flat. A lot has been cleared. There are several buildings & shelters that can be converted to coops. Looks like I will be back to hatching very soon too. The girls have decided the strike is over.

Bet you can hardly wait. Congrats.

 

[carriebain]

Ha

Sell the kids make some money. Just make sure you post they are goats or the cops might be knocking on your door lol.

hahaha! I was picturing someone selling their "kids" at the local auction to pay for feed!!!! The look on the poor "kids" face!

 

[carriebain]

Who sells jubilee orpington eggs?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

thanks again! I think ill try it with just water at.fist and see how it goes. I have well water so all is well there! at first ill just add their feed some flax and some kelp. im curious if fermenting the scratch grains increases the protein? Cuz I got a big bag with corn wheat milo BOSS and something else can't remember and I wanted to increase the nutritional value of it. also I remember reading somewhere that it's not good to feed chicks fermented feed but I can't remember why not... but it sounds like for chicks its extremely beneficial because of the possibilities abd the water. I think I'll give my chickies a good start and ferment for them st least half of their feed. I also already sprout for my chickens but not ferment yet!

A lot of people on the FF thread use scratch grains.
I can't speak to the protein content of FF.
I do know that protein(and vitamin content) is increased in sprouted grains as they get to the root stage and then protein slacks off again when they get to the leaf stage.

 

[chickengirl1193]

A lot of people on the FF thread use scratch grains.
I can't speak to the protein content of FF.
I do know that protein(and vitamin content) is increased in sprouted grains as they get to the root stage and then protein slacks off again when they get to the leaf stage.

oh okay that's interesting to know. thanks again!