Arizona Chickens

[Demosthine]

Hi there! I am just a newbie too and got my first chicks, Rhode Island Reds on Monday, 4 of them. They were 2 weeks old. Welcome to the AZ thread! Everyone here is so friendly and helpful! So for everyone else out there, what is fermented feed?

The Natural Chicken Keeping blog is where that previous link got her information and it's a better reference than the one posted. The process is extremely simple and is great for your flock. I've been doing mine for coming up on a year now and could not be happier. Unlike the dry feed, they will "act" hungry at all times. For some reason, it's like chicken crack. You think they go crazy of scratch? It does nothing compared to fermented feed. So just a warning, many of us start referring to them as little velociraptors the way they act.

Yes, it will reduce your feed costs because the feed expands to about 2 1/2 times it's original size and the nutrients are more readily available. Just take a bunch of feed, throw it in a five gallon bucket, cover it generously with water and stir it every day. Make sure there is ample air circulation (no closed lids) or you can start developing a mold problem. Once it starts bubbling or forming a "film" on top, you'll know it's fermenting and going well. Top off the feed and water daily with non-chlorinated water and you're done. Unpasteurized apple cider vinegar is not necessary at all, nor is any other starter culture.

 

[Twinklin]

If I ever had to stop free ranging my girls I would probably start fermenting. Currently I give them plain yogurt or kefir every morning mixed with a couple handfuls of pellets. They looooooove it. Tea screams bloody murder at me while I'm mixing it because apparently the 10 second wait is too much. I have a ton of scratch my boyfriend bought instead of feed accidentally that I might ferment but it got those stupid black bugs in it which I know won't hurt the girls because bugs are food but not sure how it would affect fermenting. I guess it would just drown the bugs and they'd float to the top.

 

[Demosthine]

If I ever had to stop free ranging my girls I would probably start fermenting. Currently I give them plain yogurt or kefir every morning mixed with a couple handfuls of pellets. They looooooove it. Tea screams bloody murder at me while I'm mixing it because apparently the 10 second wait is too much. I have a ton of scratch my boyfriend bought instead of feed accidentally that I might ferment but it got those stupid black bugs in it which I know won't hurt the girls because bugs are food but not sure how it would affect fermenting. I guess it would just drown the bugs and they'd float to the top.

The bugs would just be a bit of extra protein. The meat proteins like bugs and fishmeal do make the fermented feed have a stronger sour smell to it, but after awhile I almost find it a semi-pleasant comforting smell because it means everything is going well in the buckets. I don't think the amount of bugs that are in there would be enough to affect your batch, though.

 

[Twinklin]

The bugs would just be a bit of extra protein. The meat proteins like bugs and fishmeal do make the fermented feed have a stronger sour smell to it, but after awhile I almost find it a semi-pleasant comforting smell because it means everything is going well in the buckets. I don't think the amount of bugs that are in there would be enough to affect your batch, though.

do you have a chlorine filter on your hose or do you buy bottled water for it? I was considering getting a chlorine filter for our hose for watering the garden but wasn't sure how much of the chlorine really got out of the water that way.

 

[Demosthine]

do you have a chlorine filter on your hose or do you buy bottled water for it? I was considering getting a chlorine filter for our hose for watering the garden but wasn't sure how much of the chlorine really got out of the water that way.

You'll have to check with your water company to determine what they use and what their water test results were. Certain types of free chlorine can off gas if left out between 12 to 24 hours, while others don't off gas at all. If they use free chlorine, like the tablets you find in your swimming pool, leave it in a large container or bucket for a day and you should be fine. Also, by checking the test results, you can find out how critical this is. EPA limits are 4 mg/L, while my area was tested between .24 and .98 mg/L.

I just picked up a two gallon candle jar from Goodwill for $1.49 and leave it sitting there filled with water at all times. Whenever I need it, it's ready to go. So far, it has worked well and hasn't killed off the bacteria. You can just as easily use a plastic bucket.


Oh, and I do have a reverse osmosis unit under the sink for our drinking water and ice maker, so we eliminate the chlorine there, too. The less crap in our water, the healthier my family is. I just heard that parts of Europe are adding flouride to their milk because the children don't have good teeth, even though there are dozens of studies on how bad ingesting flouride is.

 

[LadyKotaDoria]

If I ever had to stop free ranging my girls I would probably start fermenting. Currently I give them plain yogurt or kefir every morning mixed with a couple handfuls of pellets. They looooooove it. Tea screams bloody murder at me while I'm mixing it because apparently the 10 second wait is too much. I have a ton of scratch my boyfriend bought instead of feed accidentally that I might ferment but it got those stupid black bugs in it which I know won't hurt the girls because bugs are food but not sure how it would affect fermenting. I guess it would just drown the bugs and they'd float to the top.

I had bugs in mine, no problem at all. Some do, some don't, the mixing incorporates them in the mash.

 

[Twinklin]

You'll have to check with your water company to determine what they use and what their water test results were. Certain types of free chlorine can off gas if left out between 12 to 24 hours, while others don't off gas at all. If they use free chlorine, like the tablets you find in your swimming pool, leave it in a large container or bucket for a day and you should be fine. Also, by checking the test results, you can find out how critical this is. EPA limits are 4 mg/L, while my area was tested between .24 and .98 mg/L.

I just picked up a two gallon candle jar from Goodwill for $1.49 and leave it sitting there filled with water at all times. Whenever I need it, it's ready to go. So far, it has worked well and hasn't killed off the bacteria. You can just as easily use a plastic bucket.


Oh, and I do have a reverse osmosis unit under the sink for our drinking water and ice maker, so we eliminate the chlorine there, too. The less crap in our water, the healthier my family is. I just heard that parts of Europe are adding flouride to their milk because the children don't have good teeth, even though there are dozens of studies on how bad ingesting flouride is.

Flouride is bad. It ruined my teeth as a kid. We had flouride in our drinking water but dentists also used to prescribe flouride tablets and so I got over dosed and my teeth were splotchy white most of my life because of it.

I've tested our tap water with pool test strips before. I know right from the faucet onto the strip the level is around 2 but as soon as you put it in a container and test it it drops down to like nothing so I think leaving the water out for a day would be fine for us. Chlorine will use itself up if any organic material is put in the water too. I wonder if adding a few leaves or something to the water would help it use up the chlorine as well.

 

[Angelray]

Oh, boohoo about the little crossbeak girl. That is so sad! Our girls have been home for 4 days now. They get to forage on the lawn for about 30 min every evening we are home from work. I don't think they forage much, pretty sure they don't know there might be bugs in there. Tonight hubby decided to go out  and see if he could catch some for them. Got a couple beetles, a few small crickets and even an inch long cockroach looking thing. My chicks were so excited to chase after them in the brooder!! It was about 9:30 and we usually don't turn out the overhead light until 11. We had one girl who has shown no personality at all be the one who caught the most bugs! This is OK to do, right? They were 2 wks old on Tuesday and after many posts we hear that a mother hen would be showing them how to find and eat live bugs. They have grit from the course sand in their brooder.
I just want to be sure I am not introducing too much too soon. It seems as if most guides or books tell you they should never leave the brooder until they are introduced to the coop at 5-6 weeks. I plan to free range whenever I am home so I want them to be comfortable in the lawn and know there are additional treats to be had there.
Kristine

Some one on here told me they put a dome light out for their chickens (I use an old brooder lamp with regular bulbs) to attract bugs! Mine love it!!I

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At feeding time, separate her from the others so that she can get at the food without competition.  Make sure it is ground sufficiently that she can get it into her mouth.  Consider mixing in some water to make it clump together like oatmeal.  It will be messy, but she will be able to eat more.
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I only have 4 chicks so I just leave bowls of both dry starter & mash and she does spend more time at the mash then all the others. My husband is already attached & says we should give her more time....I'm torn. Although she is not crying out as much and shows a little more energy today.

 

[LadyKotaDoria]

Guest watched a French movie (sub-totaled). In it one of the old farmers has chickens. They looked like production reds, I have never seen a movie with chickens being chickens. You see them usually going this way or that, but never showing personality. The chickens are right at home, watching the younger man helping to fix a window. He even has to push one off of the plank of wood he was sawing. I love it. It is a small touch, that only in a film that was made for people that are closer to the land would pick up on.

 

[FeatherPugs]

Guest watched a French movie (sub-totaled). In it one of the old farmers has chickens. They looked like production reds, I have never seen a movie with chickens being chickens. You see them usually going this way or that, but never showing personality. The chickens are right at home, watching the younger man helping to fix a window. He even has to push one off of the plank of wood he was sawing.

I love it. It is a small touch, that only in a film that was made for people that are closer to the land would pick up on.

Remember Universal Soldier? It was filmed in Clarkdale (in the Verde Valley) near the Verde River. My friend had her chickens in it as "extras" - paid and everything!! Every time I see it I laugh as I can remember their names and what pickles they could be if they wanted to be!!! And as you said they were right at home in all that ugly whatever - nope can't remember what the movie was about - too violent for my taste! AND have you noticed the number of current commercials with chickens - LOL - I laugh every time. Thanks LadyKD for sharing