Colorado

[Ashdoes]

You can start at any age, a lot of people put their day olds on it. My FIL made me a special feeder, 4" pipe cut in half with little feet. I feed mine once a day, around 3pm, that way they forage all day and then eat what they want. I only feed FF, but some people also leave free feed crumbles or pellets.
I've been fermenting pellets with some scratch, but to up the protein I just stopped using scratch and added some calf manna. The FF allows more of the nutrients to be absorbed by the bird, and the waste has gone to zero, since it's wet and they can't fling it all over. A 50 lb bag lasts me almost twice as long now. It's a pain in butt during winter, since I have to keep the buckets I'm the house and take them back and forth to the barn, but they were freezing out there. Every time I think about quitting with it, I change my mind, it's worth the trouble.

 

[krcchickens]

You can start at any age, a lot of people put their day olds on it. My FIL made me a special feeder, 4" pipe cut in half with little feet. I feed mine once a day, around 3pm, that way they forage all day and then eat what they want. I only feed FF, but some people also leave free feed crumbles or pellets.
I've been fermenting pellets with some scratch, but to up the protein I just stopped using scratch and added some calf manna. The FF allows more of the nutrients to be absorbed by the bird, and the waste has gone to zero, since it's wet and they can't fling it all over. A 50 lb bag lasts me almost twice as long now. It's a pain in butt during winter, since I have to keep the buckets I'm the house and take them back and forth to the barn, but they were freezing out there. Every time I think about quitting with it, I change my mind, it's worth the trouble.

Ok so I was reading to make it I need
A bucket
2days feed
1/4 cup acv
water
Towed
Collider or sieve
Does this sound right?

 

[Chesterchook]

We use the two bucket method described here:
http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com/p/fermented-feed.html?m=1

 

[Chesterchook]

Also the acv needs to be the unpasteurized stuff with the mother in it or it won't ferment

 

[jgurshtein]

How long did you leave it the first time? Did you use ACV? I have two buckets going, that way one "cooks" for about three days while I'm feeding from the other. Mine bubbles, a lot.

The first time I left it for almost 2 and a half days. I did put unpasteurized ACV in, and then I thought it wasn't really fermenting so I added more... As another commenter mentioned, maybe mine is too thick? Is it possible there's too much water on top? I'm using a juice container so there's less surface area than a bucket and maybe the bacteria aren't getting enough oxygen?

I just went an stirred it a bit and there were a FEW tiny tiny bubbles.

 

[krcchickens]

Also the acv needs to be the unpasteurized stuff with the mother in it or it won't ferment

Thank you

 

[krcchickens]

Outstanding. Good job. It is a lot of work, but the rewards are great.

Thanks

 

[Chesterchook]

The first time I left it for almost 2 and a half days.  I did put unpasteurized ACV in, and then I thought it wasn't really fermenting so I added more...   As another commenter mentioned, maybe mine is too thick?  Is it possible there's too much water on top?  I'm using a juice container so there's less surface area than a bucket and maybe the bacteria aren't getting enough oxygen?

I just went an stirred it a bit and there were a FEW tiny tiny bubbles.

I could be wrong, but I think wetter might be better for getting the initial ferment going. I think ours took about three days to get going, it seemed to do better when we put it in a warmer spot.
I don't think surface area of the container should make much difference, if you're starting to see bubbles that's good. You'll know it's getting good when it starts to smell kinda like sourdough

 

[jgurshtein]

I could be wrong, but I think wetter might be better for getting the initial ferment going. I think ours took about three days to get going, it seemed to do better when we put it in a warmer spot.
I don't think surface area of the container should make much difference, if you're starting to see bubbles that's good. You'll know it's getting good when it starts to smell kinda like sourdough

Well it's been a week now and I've been giving the chicks some of it twice a day (they LOVE it and will barely touch the plain feed I leave in their brooder) and I've been adding some feed or water as I think it's needed... but the whole thing still smells like ACV and feed.

 

[Kitty990]

i am not looking for show birds but that is good info. i might concered showing birds after the furlough threat is over und once i learn more about breeds. i like how the Wyandotte look and the different colours they come in. i have a glod laced and i would like a sliver laced next.

zoning says i cant have a roo, but i want one... hubby and i are talking about moving to a place where we can have a roo. so maybe is in about six months or so once we move I'll be asking if anyone has one they don't need or want to sell.

i went to the big R off of 85/87, on Saturday. i think they had some SLW in the straight run bin so i got one to see what it will grow into. hubby thinks it's a roo, because it wont stop cheeping. i told him its too soon to tell. but i hope it's a hen. she is about five days old so I'll send pics later to make sure it is a Wyandotte.
(i am still new at looking at the breeds)

questions to those people who hatch eggs: do you hatch them all year round? if i have a broody hen, where would i find fertile eggs for her to sit on? have anyone let their broody hen hatch eggs from a different mother? (i guss that's how it is said) how did you add the eggs to her next? how did do with the hatching? did she abanded the eggs or did she hatch them?