FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[perchie.girl]

Quote: Believe me you have predators..... Bobcat, Raccoon, Desert Fox, Hawks, Owls, Weasels, and Coyotes..... Not to mention the occasional feral dog. All these things can be found in the burbs too. West cost Arizona will have the same predators I do. With maybe one exception.... I have mountain lions here. Any where you find deer you will find Mountain lions.

deb

 

[kpgoldstar]

I am in a teeny portion of the Sonoran Desert East of San Diego. We do get snow but only because the elevation here is 3000 feet. Like you I get about six weeks of very hot temps. 100 to 110 at the most. Lots of shady areas wind breaks and places to get their feet wet is how I kept mine cool. No closed in coop here not even for winter.... Wind breaks only and water proof tarps.

We get bugs Flies live year round but they are not biting flies. Fleas year round too. Roaches and Grasshoppers. You may not see them but Scorpions are all over. Go out at night with a black light and they glow. Chickens eat em all. out from under rocks you will find Terantulas, geckos, frogs, toads, In the desert they all come out at night.

deb "whos lived in the desert all her live in one form or another"

Our hottest temps can be well over 120 with nights only cooling to upper 90's. Usually during the hottest time it will stay 112-118 several days in a row. Record was 9 straight days of over 120 with the hottest day being 128. My son got married June 1 this year and hottest previous recorded temp was 109. Of course wedding day hit 114!
We don't have many flies, and no fleas at all. No roaches, but crickets. No biting bugs. Crickets seem to be diminished since having chickens but it is winter still. No geckos, frogs or toads. We have small lizards and the giant chuckwallas and desert iguanas.
My girls have a closed in coop for night roosting right now. See pics I just posted this afternoon. Not sure where or how they will sleep once it starts warming up. Coop is in the shadiest part of the yard exposed to the least amount of sun during the day. It rains so seldom, our average is only 3.5 inches a year.

 

[Beekissed]

The other day I read about how some folks use metal pipe for roosting and run water through these pipes to keep their chickens cooler at night. I wonder how difficult it would be to circulate water through these in the desert?

 

[kpgoldstar]

Believe me you have predators..... Bobcat, Raccoon, Desert Fox, Hawks, Owls, Weasels, and Coyotes..... Not to mention the occasional feral dog. All these things can be found in the burbs too. West cost Arizona will have the same predators I do. With maybe one exception.... I have mountain lions here. Any where you find deer you will find Mountain lions.

deb

Bobcats for sure. One scaled the wall at my friend's house and attacked their dachshund. Middle of a residential area and not backed to vacant land like a wash or anything. She lived but was severely injured. Raccoons live mostly near the water around here. I have never heard of or seen a desert fox and I'm not even sure what a weasel is LOL! Our hawks are small but I know they will attack if they can get away with it. My Arizona friends on BYC attest to that. In 24 years I have seen a single owl.
Coyotes can be rampant at certain times of the year, many reports of them taking small dogs from yards. Although funniest thing!! A couple days ago we saw this in the road just a block from my house. And there were two of them!! Street Sausage!! Couln't resist taking a picture. Hubby said, "Well, pretty sure there aren't too many coyotes around or they'd have found these!"


Grandma must have given them the kielbasa from Christmas dinner and they threw it out the car window on the way home! Hilarious!
Deb, thanks for reminding me there are predators even though I feel we are rather safe. We've had this conversation before

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote: You dont get the monsoons? I get about ten inches per year that includes snow. You must be around Yuma.

deb

 

[22qZoo]

We're at 10* right now and only going to get colder. Brrr.... Hot chickens are a distant memory.!

 

[JLaw]

The other day I read about how some folks use metal pipe for roosting and run water through these pipes to keep their chickens cooler at night. I wonder how difficult it would be to circulate water through these in the desert? 

I would run it 2-3 feet under ground and under shade are if possible. Question is how efficient of a water pump can you fine to move that water.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote: easy enough to do with a water pump for a fountain. A 55 gallon tank should maintain cooler temps than the ambient air. just shade it I use a 110 gallon water tank for my horse to drink out of.... The surface water is warm to the touch but underneath where My mare drinks its cool Draw the water from the bottom pump it up through the perch and let it fall back into the tank. Grow some water hyacinth and raise some Koi. The Water Hyacinth would shade the water and keep it cool the fish would dispatch any mosquitos.... and your chickens have cool feet. LOL.

deb

 

[JLaw]

That would work also. I was thinking of a sealed unit setup. But your setup would be easier. I still say dig it down some but thats cause i like to dig.

 

[Tikkijane]

Oh, my goodness!!!  You just hit the nail on the head of the prevailing attitudes on this forum and elsewhere about keeping chickens!  I've been preaching this for the past 5 yrs on here...if it's complicated, you're not doing it right.  If it's complicated you are making it that way for some reason, because raising chickens and keeping them healthy is as easy as ABC.  Very little of my time is ever spent on chickens...truly! 

Same with this FF.  As soon as I posted about this method a couple of years ago and folks saw how easy it was, they immediately started complicating it with starters, keeping the feed under water, lids closed, mixing complicated feed mixes, and elaborate routines for replenishing it, stirring it, feeding it, etc.  What is it about folks when they think if something is easy it must not be worth much, so complicating it will make it more worthy? 

I'm so glad you said that!  Finally!  Someone GETS it!    Easy is good.  Cheap and easy is better.  Cheap, easy and effective is the best!  Fermenting feed is simply the best if folks don't complicate it.  Thank you!!! 

On the cheap note- I have *easily* reduced my feed consumption in half; maybe more. I started ffing after I filled my cans and I haven't even gotten into the feed I bought over 2 weeks ago.

How much is lack of waste, I'm not sure. But so, so easy.