Consolidated Kansas

[zigzag45]

My poor birds are going to think they are starving when these cicadas start to disappear. I don't know how much longer they have, but my birds love them. Even the week old baby chicks run around looking for the hapless locust that is on the ground and looking like lunch. My girls will see one flying low and will give chase, often grabbing them right out of the air.

I won't mind them *not* flying into me while I'm walking outside. So far they've not destroyed the garden and greenery around, which surprises me.

 

[zigzag45]

Also, I'd been having my FF go moldy on me a bit sooner than I was used to. I also had started using ACV more in it.

Thought this was good (and hopefully accurate):
http://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/how-to-ferment-chicken-feed-bigger-eggs-healthier-chickens/

 

[rvroman]

Also, I'd been having my FF go moldy on me a bit sooner than I was used to. I also had started using ACV more in it. 

Thought this was good (and hopefully accurate):
http://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/how-to-ferment-chicken-feed-bigger-eggs-healthier-chickens/

There is a really great thread about FF in the meat bird section. I did mine chick starter, water to make it lumpy oatmeal consistency then a couple gluggs of unfiltered apple cider vinegar and mix well, the next couple days keep stirring and adding anything you take to feed and you should be fine. I do the same for my big girls except I do grains: wheat, oats, milo, and cracked corn. The only thing with those is when you're starting them rememver that grains swell A LOT. I put 10 lbs (maybe a gallons worth) into the bucket and filled with water to cover and they were almost up to the brim of the 5 gallon bucket the next day. If you get a white film layer across the top fear not, that is the good microbes that you want in there, just stir it up real good and let it keep cooking. You will know the difference between fermented feed and spoiled, rotten, soaking wet feed. The good stuff smells tangy/sweet and the other smells like something died and then vomited up something else that was dead. I know this difference because I just came home to my parents house to my dad's attempt at ff and his smelled of vomitous death.

I hope I didnt just go overboard in my explanation, FF is the one thing I know how to do so I figured why not, lol.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

rvroman, nice job exlaining the FF!

I've had trouble with mine going "off" recently too, so took a break from it and am feeding dry for a bit. I am prepping for a family reunion so I probably won't go back to it until after the 27th. I guess I'll prep for the reunion inside today... rain, rain, rain. We've been restaining our wooden playset and have replaced all the seats and canopies. We were so looking forward to finishing it today, but that's not going to happen. Oh well, the garden will be happy. We mainly have been trimming up all the trees for ease of mowing, building a brick walkway between the house and shop and rebuilding DD's sandbox. We still need to put in the horseshoe pits and open the pool and then we'll be done outside. I just need to decorate inside, so that will go relatively quickly. It will be so much fun...

I have chicks going into lockdown today. Only 5 survived from my first batch of shipped eggs but that's more than I had before. I hope they actually hatch. There are 16 still going on day 11 of the second batch and, oddly, that shipping box looked worse than the first. Who knows?

I bought a bunch of fly trap things online, since the flies get rather bad around here with the poultry and our neighbors cows, mini-donkey, and horses. I'm hoping it will keep the fly population down the entire summer. They were rated very highly for effectiveness so I have high hopes. It's a simple enough contraption, just a plastic bag with a special funnel cap so the flies go in and can't get out. Kind of a Hotel California type thing! Anyway, you add water to some smelly stuff and the flies go crazy for it. They are checking in right and left!

 

[chicken danz]

Also, I'd been having my FF go moldy on me a bit sooner than I was used to. I also had started using ACV more in it.

Thought this was good (and hopefully accurate):
http://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/how-to-ferment-chicken-feed-bigger-eggs-healthier-chickens/

Not sure I totally agree with that writing. I used ACV in mine the first day and then just added grain and water from then on out. I kept it going for months. I think that ACV brings the acidity up which prevents the mold when it is frist getting started, then the natural fermentation process keeps it going after that. I never had to add ACV again. That particular batch was mixed in a 55 gallon barrel and I used about half every day and refilled and stirred again when I was done feeding. It lasted until the weather started to freeze. I changed my mind about feeding fermented feed because of the hassles and extra work involved. Plus the mess made by it were a huge mouse attractant. If there were a way to feed in bulk without it going bad I would consider it again. I just haven't found anyway to do that. I want to get things as close to the self sufficient mode as I can.
I have company coming today and it's raining a little. I see on radar it is going to hit much harder shortly. I need to get out and put the trash out and water and feed the babies in the brooders before it hits. It seems like I never get to sit and enjoy my coffee any more.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

I believe this is correct, Danz, that you can ferment the feed without the ACV you just stir it more frequently. I thought I may try it without the ACV to see if I have less trouble with it not being "quite right". I'll let you know how it goes in July. I'm not even going to think about it till then. Has your rain arrived yet? Good grief, just what you needed.

I agree with you, that stuff is a mess when you have quite a few birds especially and you have a lot. When I had fewer birds, it wasn't that bad to use.

The rain has stopped here. I keep thinking I'll check the radar but hasn't happened yet.

ashncarson, eeks, I'm with you, hope we don't get quite that much rain. That would be the pits.

 

[chicken danz]

I am sure you can start it without the ACV. I just look at things from a science point of view. ACV creates an unfriendly atmosphere for mold to grow initially before the fermentation itself starts. Especially with all the rain recently I am sure mold spores are high right now. I'd rather be safe than sorry. Just my take on the thing. I'm sure it would work as long as you can actively attend to it at first. As I said I never added more after I got the initial batches started.
I've been out caring for the birds in the rain. It's a nice soft gentle rain at this point so if that is all we get I'm okay with it. But looking at radar right now it shows a cell moving our way that looks pretty heavy. I was going to burn trash but putting it out there it got wet. I guess I am growing my own little maggot farm out there cause the trash gets wet and then the flies have a big party and lay eggs every where. At least the temperature is comfortable right now. If I didn't expect company I would be out working and moving fence panels while it is cooler.
But right now I am having coffee.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

We have mostly sunny skies and it's really humid. I guess I'm too old to tolerate the heat like I used to. My stomach feels off and I haven't even been out that much. At least there's a breeze -- makes it easier for the chickens.

 

[zigzag45]

My issues with the FF is that it was forming a grey film across the top, and the smell told me it was going bad. My challenge is that I was trying to let it "ferment" for four days, stirring it twice daily, and then beginning to feed to them. Batches lasted 4-6 days, so by then the whole mix was 10 days old with nothing new added to it. That did not work!

I think I need to go back to where I replace what I feed daily, and assume that only 25% of what I'm serving them has fermented for the whole four days. This gets way too complicated if you think it through.

I really do like the reduced feed usage and increased nutrients they are getting that way.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

zigzag45, I was doing the same letting it ferment for four days and I had 3 buckets. It turned out exactly as you are describing and I had to throw out a bunch of it. When I start in July, I'm going to do one bucket for the grow outs and one for the mixed flock only letting ferment for 2 days to begin. I'm hoping that will keep the problems to a minimum.

I do really like the benefits of feeding FF also.