Fermented Feed + Chicks

[FeatheredFriends&Horses2]

Do you feed just the sunflower kernels or the shelled seeds?

I feed whole kernels

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Hi Tina. I've been feeding fermented feed to all of my birds from the moment they hatch or arrive here. When I first started, I just fermented the starter and gave that to them.
The adults eat a mix of fermented homemade feed and Flock Raiser that I give them as a mash and to give a good consistency to the homemade grain mix.
I feed in long troughs I made out of 4" PVC that I suspend from the rafters of the run. There is a thin pipe strung onto a cable that I hook over the center of the trough. Anyone that tries to perch on that gets spun off but there is plenty of room for the adults to get their heads in to eat.
The broody hens pick out what they want to feed their chicks and give it to them.

I also do the three day rotation in my pantry. We eat Paleo so there isn't a lot stored in my pantry! I use the big red Folger's coffee containers and ferment the homemade whole grain mix, drain it off and safe the effluent for the next jar. This is what it looks like before I pour in a little Flock Raiser to absorb excess moisture and feed it.
View attachment 2097406

Thanks so much, Tonya! Be well!

 

[Perris]

homemade whole grain mix

would you share your component list DL - that looks really good to me!

 

[DobieLover]

would you share your component list DL - that looks really good to me!

Sure.
Everything is measured by weight:
20 pounds triticale
6.5 pounds oats
7.5 pounds whole field peas
8 pounds black oil sunflower seeds
3 pounds whole flax seed
3 pounds fish meal
2 pounds Fertrell Poultry Nutri-Balancer

I get the ingredients from an organic grain supply about 1.5 hours from me. It's a stunning drive and the trip for supplies is always considered a nice get away. We usually stop to see the lake and the falls on the way out or back.

 

[Perris]

many thanks DL; sourcing triticale might be tough here, as it seems not to have been adopted much in the UK as yet. Is wheat the best (or at least an adequate) substitute, or barley?

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Sure.
Everything is measured by weight:
20 pounds triticale
6.5 pounds oats
7.5 pounds whole field peas
8 pounds black oil sunflower seeds
3 pounds whole flax seed
3 pounds fish meal
2 pounds Fertrell Poultry Nutri-Balancer

I get the ingredients from an organic grain supply about 1.5 hours from me. It's a stunning drive and the trip for supplies is always considered a nice get away. We usually stop to see the lake and the falls on the way out or back.

Whereabouts???? Near Watkins? I live in Corning, not too far from you.

 

[Perris]

7.5 pounds whole field peas

do you give these dry? I've been reading around and some say all peas and beans have to be cooked... also 'field peas' seems to cover a number of different types of peas and beans. Which one do you use?

 

[DobieLover]

do you give these dry? I've been reading around and some say all peas and beans have to be cooked... also 'field peas' seems to cover a number of different types of peas and beans. Which one do you use?

They are dry until I ferment them. The three day ferment is enough to remove the anti-nutrients in field peas. These are sweet peas. Kidney beans are a must cook legume, but I don't feed those.

 

[Perris]

OK great, thanks

 

[chikmaw]

This was a very helpful conversation about fermenting chick feed. I plan on starting from day 1. I've read some horror stories of baby chicks getting caught in feeders and drowning in FF. I may mix the FF with a little dry starter to start out. But I am still researching the best way to give it to them.