California - Northern

[ronott1]

Fermenting the feed is adding beneficial bacteria to their diet. This increases nutrition uptake. Yes, people use whatever feed they like in the fermenting process. I prefer to use organic. My biggest, most obvious benefit was lack of waste. The girls were killing 50# in less than a week. I'm now on day 10 from one #50lb bag. It's almost gone. Still, a 40% decrease of waste is significant.

I start mine with apple cider vinegar, about 1/4 cup in a 40 gal container. I only put one bag at a time in the container. Really should have two as the idea is to allow it to ferment 3 days before using. Ideally I would start a new one every 8 days. The trick is to keep enough water over the top of the feed to avoid mold growing. (Need a couple inches). I do stir mine now and then (with a big stick) to make sure no pockets of air exist.

The chickens LOVE the feed. They gobble it down. If some drops off the scoop on my way to the feeder, they eat that too.

Because it is a wet medium, I find it easier to add things that may be powdered, such as capsium, or probiotics.

The drawback is that it stinks. Some people keep it in the house. I cannot imagine doing so.

Fermenting also takes out the toxins from Soy Protein(Look it up--Soy Beans can only be a certain percentage in feed because of the toxin. Legumes in general have the same problem--like peas).

Fermenting also has an enzyme action that breaks down the grains and makes them more easily digested.

 

[caychris]

Fermenting the feed is adding beneficial bacteria to their diet. This increases nutrition uptake. Yes, people use whatever feed they like in the fermenting process. I prefer to use organic. My biggest, most obvious benefit was lack of waste. The girls were killing 50# in less than a week. I'm now on day 10 from one #50lb bag. It's almost gone. Still, a 40% decrease of waste is significant.

I start mine with apple cider vinegar, about 1/4 cup in a 40 gal container. I only put one bag at a time in the container. Really should have two as the idea is to allow it to ferment 3 days before using. Ideally I would start a new one every 8 days. The trick is to keep enough water over the top of the feed to avoid mold growing. (Need a couple inches). I do stir mine now and then (with a big stick) to make sure no pockets of air exist.

The chickens LOVE the feed. They gobble it down. If some drops off the scoop on my way to the feeder, they eat that too.

Because it is a wet medium, I find it easier to add things that may be powdered, such as capsium, or probiotics.

The drawback is that it stinks. Some people keep it in the house. I cannot imagine doing so.

So this is different than just making wet mash out of the feed.

 

[CackleJoy]

I think all girls but im not an experts on those breeds. But all combs and wattles seem small.
That is interesting to know. We rehomed a few possums and have snails this year. They can open my feed buckets.
Yes! The black part makes the eggs darker similar genes affect a marans spray paint gun and feather coloring. So a blue and splash for example that make the black lighter will also make the egg lighter. I don't think other colors will get into the 8s at all. But 7s are a great color and make for good hatching and fade slower. So if you are getting 7s people should be happy. I do get light 8s at start of cycle but they are not fun to hatch. I would rather have 7 and 6 but now my eggs are going lighter as the girls have been laying for 1/2 a cycle. As broodieness strikes ill get darker eggs again.

You egg snobs are so funny

but educational! One should hear the Ameraucana egg snobs discuss tints of blue with slight green overtones.

Really. It's not wine.

No, I did NOT just say that! LOL.

I have Ameraucana's and Cream Legbars. It IS so disappointing to have the eggs come out with green tinting.

I have one Marans that was a peanut packer. If its a girl and lays normal brown eggs - I will be so disappointed. Good to know about the hatching and what numbers are best. Someday I would like to have some in the breakfast makers flock.

Possums... My grandpa used to keep one in the back shed. She made her home in the attic and he left her there. He'd haul me back with a ladder and flashlight so we could see her babies. He also had a small chicken flock. Interesting that the possum never bothered them! Now I know why, they were probably full on snails! Never knew that about possums. Seeing them in a different light now. Always thought - shudder - giant rat!

 

[CackleJoy]

Fermenting also takes out the toxins from Soy Protein(Look it up--Soy Beans can only be a certain percentage in feed because of the toxin. Legumes in general have the same problem--like peas).

Fermenting also has an enzyme action that breaks down the grains and makes them more easily digested.

I knew about the enzyme but forgot to mention it. I did NOT know about the soy issue. That is fabulous information!

 

[CackleJoy]

So this is different than just making wet mash out of the feed.

Yes, the 3 days it sits allows fermentation to occur, like making yogurt from milk. I use Apple Cider Vinegar as a starter. The real stuff with a mother is easiest thing I know to use.

 

[CackleJoy]

Fermenting also takes out the toxins from Soy Protein(Look it up--Soy Beans can only be a certain percentage in feed because of the toxin. Legumes in general have the same problem--like peas).

Fermenting also has an enzyme action that breaks down the grains and makes them more easily digested.

Where does the toxin go? Is it just neutralized via chemical breakdown?

 

[caychris]

Yes, the 3 days it sits allows fermentation to occur, like making yogurt from milk. I use Apple Cider Vinegar as a starter. The real stuff with a mother is easiest thing I know to use.

Not sure I understood that last line. Would you do this with a Medicated Chick starter grower?

 

[ronott1]

Where does the toxin go? Is it just neutralized via chemical breakdown?

Yes, it is removed from the feed:

Quote:

 

[chiqita]

You egg snobs are so funny

but educational! One should hear the Ameraucana egg snobs discuss tints of blue with slight green overtones.

Really. It's not wine.

No, I did NOT just say that! LOL.

I have Ameraucana's and Cream Legbars. It IS so disappointing to have the eggs come out with green tinting.

I have one Marans that was a peanut packer. If its a girl and lays normal brown eggs - I will be so disappointed. Good to know about the hatching and what numbers are best. Someday I would like to have some in the breakfast makers flock.

Possums... My grandpa used to keep one in the back shed. She made her home in the attic and he left her there. He'd haul me back with a ladder and flashlight so we could see her babies. He also had a small chicken flock. Interesting that the possum never bothered them! Now I know why, they were probably full on snails! Never knew that about possums. Seeing them in a different light now. Always thought - shudder - giant rat!

OHH hearsay! I am not brave enough to own ams and learn about them. But I think they re the only 2 breeds that have actual egg color as part of the breed standards. If they do NOT lay an acceptable egg, they are not marans or ams. I expect some tinting on my project eggs. Silkies lay white or cream, god knows what these roosters carry. The blue IS light, but its there!

Yes, the 3 days it sits allows fermentation to occur, like making yogurt from milk. I use Apple Cider Vinegar as a starter. The real stuff with a mother is easiest thing I know to use.

you can put some instant yeast in there, and its bubbling and smelly in 24 hrs or so. I kick start that way because i throw everything out of my bucket once a month and sterilize them. I'm paranoid about botulism.

Where does the toxin go? Is it just neutralized via chemical breakdown?

It is like tofu, fermenting breaks it down and makes it healthy. I THINK it just changes the bonding?? but I'm not sure. I hate tofu so have limited interests in its health benefits.

 

[CackleJoy]

Not sure I understood that last line. Would you do this with a Medicated Chick starter grower?

Some vinegar is not real and doesn't contain the starter (it's called a mother) used to make the vinegar. Expensive brands like Braggs is good. You can see the mother as a sediment.

I would not use it with medicated starter. If you like medicated starter, that is really best used up to 3 weeks. It's a good age to switch to non-medicated. At that time fermented feed would be quite appropriate.

I use medicated starter now that I know we have so much cocci on the property. I make a wet mash out of it for days 1 - 3 then use the crumble until about 3 weeks. Then I go to a non-medicated crumble.

At this point the only chickens getting fermented feed are the breakfast makers. They were my experimental pen. It's a significant experiment with 30+ chickens in that pen.

If I can figure out how to switch all the pens over, I will. The reason for the delay is that wet food won't work with all my feeders.