Can someone tell me if I'm doing this FF thing right?

[ChickenHawk12]

Ok, so I fed my chicks Scratch & Peck (milled feed) from day 1 (which was day 4-5 because that's how old they were when I got them). I have 5 chicks that are just over 5 weeks old, and I've already gone through as much feed as the S&P guidelines said I would need for 8 weeks. There is a lot of waste because they are messy and it's milled, and I've been struggling to both reduce waste and get them to eat the fine stuff that they also need for proper nutrition. I tried wetting the powdery stuff left after they pick through what they want. I tried mixing it with oatmeal. I tried feeding them fermented. All it got me was hungry chicks that refused to eat and a HUGE mess in the brooder.

I've finally realized that unless I reduce the waste, I will not be able to afford to feed them the high-quality food I would like. So I'm trying fermented again, but I need suggestions and want to make sure I'm doing it right.

They have been outside most of the day (or at least 5 hours or so, depending on the weather) with free run of my backyard. I put out water for them but not food. They eat lots of bugs and who knows what else.

So what I've got going now is this:
3 32-oz yogurt containers (the big ones), 2 with feed fermenting (about 2-1 ration of water to feed, stirred every so often). I take one of the containers and pour it out over a mesh kitchen strainer into the empty 3rd container, stir until most of the water is out, and put it in a mason jar gravity feeder without the mason jar (this seems to be doing ok to contain the mess and waste). Then I am using the strained out water for the next fermenting batch. Am I supposed to be doing that? And also there is a gray kind of sludge on the outside of the strainer after I strain the water. I kinda feel like that's supposed to be in the feed, so am I using the wrong kind of strainer? Do they need the sludge?

Also, I'm in need of a long-term feeding setup for when they move outside [the only reason they aren't out yet is because the coop isn't finished being built yet :-(]. What kind of feeder does one use for fermented feed? And what do I strain it with once I'm using large amounts?

I am also curious how long the feed can sit in the feeder (in other words, how long do I let it sit uneaten before I dump it?)

Thanks for any help! Neither my husband nor I have ever owned a pet, not so much as a dog or cat, so we are trying our best but feel frustrated and inexperienced.....

 

[curious chickee]

That is more work than I do. I use a 1:1 ratio, the feed looks like oatmeal when I feed it, I don't need to strain. FF does not need a layer of water on top. I use a 5 gallon bucket and make a large batch.

I feed twice a day. In the morning, I feed enough to last a couple hours. Late afternoon, they get their chicken scraps and treats with enough FF to last about an hour. I use a shallow Tupperware container attached to a 2x4 to keep the birds from tipping it over. Some use a rain gutter.

 

[pdirt]

Sounds like you're doing just fine. But I agree with CC, don't bother straining and just mix 1:1 water:feed. To start the next batch, simply use a little bit of FF from the previous batch. A few tablespoons is plenty.

I use a 3 foot piece of vinyl gutter (don't use metal, it will react with the acidity of the FF). After a year, I finally made a wooden base for it so they cannot tip it over. But it worked just fine without the wooden base and they would chow down everything they would spill if it tipped over.