FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[pegm]

Bee, I will try that after Hawaii........................I want to make it as easy as possible on my elderly neighbor so they will only get crumbles and scratch while I'm gone...that way he does not have to go into the run/coop at all, just scoop the coop from outside. 22qzoo brought up maybe too much ACV, could this be part of the problem also? If so, I will discontinue that. Thanks for all your help guys!

 

[kpgoldstar]

Bee, I will try that after Hawaii........................I want to make it as easy as possible on my elderly neighbor so they will only get crumbles and scratch while I'm gone...that way he does not have to go into the run/coop at all, just scoop the coop from outside. 22qzoo brought up maybe too much ACV, could this be part of the problem also? If so, I will discontinue that. Thanks for all your help guys!

Just for the record, I don't use ACV at all. Not in my ff (just chick starter and water) and not in the water they drink. I have about 95% solid poops with the rare occasional wet/cecal blast thingie.

 

[Beekissed]

Yeah...when using the FF, you really don't need the ACV any longer unless it's just to keep the water from growing nasties as quickly. Those cecal poops are going to happen regardless of what you feed, so those will never firm up.

 

[22qZoo]

I only use the ACV if I need to re-start a batch cuz the bucket was left out and froze or some thing like that. I don't put it in the water either. I'm loving the FF for the chickens , but had a question , its OK for ducks and geese too,right ?We have two geese and a duck , is it fine for them to eat the same 2/3 layer to 1/3 scratch FF that the chickens get ?I try to let them out to graze as much as possible but it is winter,and they always have water to dunk their heads in if the kiddie pool is frozen.

 

[Beekissed]

That's fine. Lots of folks feeding their waterfowl on the FF and seeing the same amazing results from it.

 

[kpgoldstar]

Yeah...when using the FF, you really don't need the ACV any longer unless it's just to keep the water from growing nasties as quickly. Those cecal poops are going to happen regardless of what you feed, so those will never firm up.

My ff never grows nasties. I have heard of mold forming on the sides of the bucket from splashing up. That has never happened to me. I'm surprised about that since I keep mine in the house which thankfully where I live stays anywhere from 58 to 70 degrees. It never has an offensive odor, even with the lid constantly ajar. My consistency is fairly dry and only gets scoby/soupy toward the end of a batch which is about 4-5 days. Keep in mind, I only have 4 - 14 week old chicks so my 6 qt bucket starts out about 3/4 full with a new batch and I run that down to about a cup and a half of nearly all fermented water before I refresh again for another batch. It is fluffy and ready to serve by the following 12 hours after a refresh. Mine consistently smells like a cross of sourdough bread and dill pickles and only when I remove the lid to stir and feed.

My opinion is the more you add to the mix and the more complicated you make it, the greater problems you will encounter in regard to smell, mold and birds not taking to it. Hubby was a bad boy and last time at the feed store picked up a bag of scratch. My girls have never had it and the few times I scattered it it was like CRACK! They are going to only get it on special occasions. I would much rather them peck at the organic carrot and celery trimmings I give them. They are still rather picky when it comes to kitchen scraps but they're slowly coming around as they get older.

I have new pics to post later today! We expanded their run over the holiday and they are so happy about the extra room! At this age, we are certain we have all girls which I was pretty sure of about a month ago, but we have no combs or wattles yet!

 

[Tikkijane]

My ff never grows nasties. I have heard of mold forming on the sides of the bucket from splashing up. That has never happened to me. I'm surprised about that since I keep mine in the house which thankfully where I live stays anywhere from 58 to 70 degrees. It never has an offensive odor, even with the lid constantly ajar. My consistency is fairly dry and only gets scoby/soupy toward the end of a batch which is about 4-5 days. Keep in mind, I only have 4 - 14 week old chicks so my 6 qt bucket starts out about 3/4 full with a new batch and I run that down to about a cup and a half of nearly all fermented water before I refresh again for another batch. It is fluffy and ready to serve by the following 12 hours after a refresh. Mine consistently smells like a cross of sourdough bread and dill pickles and only when I remove the lid to stir and feed.

My opinion is the more you add to the mix and the more complicated you make it, the greater problems you will encounter in regard to smell, mold and birds not taking to it. Hubby was a bad boy and last time at the feed store picked up a bag of scratch. My girls have never had it and the few times I scattered it it was like CRACK! They are going to only get it on special occasions. I would much rather them peck at the organic carrot and celery trimmings I give them. They are still rather picky when it comes to kitchen scraps but they're slowly coming around as they get older.

I have new pics to post later today! We expanded their run over the holiday and they are so happy about the extra room! At this age, we are certain we have all girls which I was pretty sure of about a month ago, but we have no combs or wattles yet!

That was me with the mold growing- it's wet- any wet food that starts to dry and is not actively submerged will mold. Mine is in my house right now because it's too cold outside.

 

[Tikkijane]

I only use the ACV if I need to re-start a batch cuz the bucket was left out and froze or some thing like that. I don't put it in the water either. I'm loving the FF for the chickens , but had a question , its OK for ducks and geese too,right ?We have two geese and a duck , is it fine for them to eat the same 2/3 layer to 1/3 scratch FF that the chickens get ?I try to let them out to graze as much as possible but it is winter,and they always have water to dunk their heads in if the kiddie pool is frozen.

I feed it to my guineas without issue, fwiw. I have noticed the biggest smell difference in their poo.

 

[kpgoldstar]

That was me with the mold growing- it's wet- any wet food that starts to dry and is not actively submerged will mold. Mine is in my house right now because it's too cold outside.

Ah, OK well that probably explains it. I live in an EXTREMELY dry environment. I mean truly, most folks do not understand how dry it is here. If you understand dew point, today it is quite chilly for us (65, I KNOW, don't even start!) but the wind is blowing fierce at 24 mph with gusts up to 35 and our dew point is 16. It is not unusual to have dew points in the winter at 0 degrees or below. So, the wet splashes on the side of my bucket instantly dry and have no chance to mold.

 

[kpgoldstar]

Here are some new pics of my girls and our run expansion.

What is left of my spaghetti squash crop after a hard freeze a couple weeks ago.


My 4 hoodlums trying to figure out how to get to the other side of the fence for succulent lettuce and beets!


The expanded run is the raw pine and cedar portion.


Fuzzy Butts!


My flock getting plenty of grit from an unused overturned garden area!


Best friends just hanging out!