Fermented feed for chicks sitting out in run

[Kayla's Lunch]

I recently started fermenting chicken feed for my chicks. They are now 9 weeks old and I have 12 of them. I have read to not let the fermented feed sit out for long, to only put out what they will eat in a short period of time. Is that correct? They have access to dry feed in a hanging feeder all the time. I have been putting the fermented feed out 2, sometimes 3, times a day, so if they don't eat all of it, it sits there until the next time I go out there and it sits out overnight. I have been having trouble figuring out how much to feed them. They usually free range for 30 min to 2 hours in the early evening. Thanks for any information and advice!

 

[snow5164]

I put it out in the morning and remove it in the evening, I have it down so I give them what they’ll eat so there’s not usually much left.

Fermented feed is heavy , think oatmeal , for 12 birds I’d start with 2 cups and see if they eat it , I like to sprinkle their feed on top just to intice the sceptical ones , you don’t need to be feeding them so often .

You will figure how much they will consume , watch them and see

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

Thanks for the reply. I leave them food overnight, because I usually don't get out there very early in the morning. They don't have a door on the coop and the whole thing is predator proof, so they go out to the run whenever they wake up - which is much earlier than I do! In the evening, I give them some fermented feed and some treats to "help" them come back into their run (scrambled eggs are their favorite.) Do you think it is okay for the fermented feed it to sit out over night? Or should I make the effort (or make one of the kids) to get food out there early for them? I would prefer they eat the fermented feed rather than the dry feed in the hanging feeder.

 

[lazy gardener]

I don't feed any dry feed, unless they have completely consumed their FF, and are begging for more food in late afternoon/early evening. Then, I might give them more FF, or a bit of scratch, or some dry feed. But 99% of the time, I put a day's worth of FF out in a shaded/covered area and it is gone by evening. If there is any left, I pick it up and put it in their coop to keep rodents from getting into it.

 

[blackdog043]

I have dry feed available 24/7, in the coop and run, which is open 24/7. I put fermented out in the morning and most of the time it's gone before they roost. If there is any left when I get out there in the morning (about 8 am), I put it on top of the fresh fermented. After a while, you will have an idea of how much they will eat. Of course if your chickens are like mine, once in awhile they hardly touch it and there is still a lot left in the morning. When that happens I don't put fresh out that day. I'm not home all day, that's why I have dry available 24/7.

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

I don't feed any dry feed, unless they have completely consumed their FF, and are begging for more food in late afternoon/early evening. Then, I might give them more FF, or a bit of scratch, or some dry feed. But 99% of the time, I put a day's worth of FF out in a shaded/covered area and it is gone by evening. If there is any left, I pick it up and put it in their coop to keep rodents from getting into it.

Thanks for your input. So, even though they are only 9 weeks old, I don't have to have feed always available?

 

[lazy gardener]

Well... Certainly not at night. The FF I put out in the morning usually lasts until evening. I would not let chicks go hungry. For that matter, I don't want adults to go hungry either. Let observation of their crops be your guide. If the day is winding down, and their crops are bulging, they should be fine till morning.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I take in all feed at night to discourage rodents, even feed inside the coop. The auto door opens before I'm up in the morning, just as with your set up. The chickens won't starve in the hour or so it takes for me to get up and bring them breakfast. I put out the fermented feed before the dry feed, so the chickens usually fill up their crops with FF, then eat dry the remainder of the day. If I put out more FF they'll usually finish that off before moving to dry, though some chickens go back and forth between the feeders.

I don't think there's a right or wrong way to handle it, it depends on your flock, schedule and preferences.

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

Thanks for all the info everybody! I was worried that the chicks had to have food every minute! I have one chick, an EE, that practically lives at the hanging feeder, eating dry feed. Whenever something was going on, she would check it out, then go back to the feeder. A few weeks ago when we started letting them free range for a little, she wouldn't even come out of the run, just stayed at the feeder. Fortunately, she comes out now and has fun, but she's been a tough one!

 

[lazy gardener]

Perhaps she was imprinted on the feeder, and thought it was her Mommy!