FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[Ms Jellybean]

LOL thats why I said rare Poo from the Gallus Gallus... (latin for chicken)..... hee hee.

deb

 

[Tikkijane]

LOL  thats why I said rare Poo from the Gallus Gallus... (latin for chicken)..... hee hee.

deb

Make sure you say te bags are biodegradable.

 

[LindaB220]

Updated.

 

[Ms Jellybean]

What number of containers of FF is best to have going and how far apart should their starts be? Right now I have one going but I know I need more... I was thinking 3.

 

[Beekissed]

What number of containers of FF is best to have going and how far apart should their starts be? Right now I have one going but I know I need more... I was thinking 3.

How many chickens do you have? Usually folks just keep one big container like a 5 gal. bucket unless they have pretty big flocks that use up that amount in a day or two.

 

[pdirt]

Bee...or anyone with experience with this...we have a few chickens with what we believe to be lice. They're fast moving, reddish orange and mostly around the vent. One bird is visibly ill. I dusted the areas where we could see lice with some pine wood ash tonight. I have occasionally placed a good pile of wood ash for them to dust bath in, but the one sick bird, I don't think she ever used it. I know the wood ash is supposed to be a good preventative of lice and mites, but does it work as a treatment? Bee, I thought I read in your "gnarly bunch" posts that this is exactly what you did to treat lice/mites. Is my memory serving me correct? I plan to dust the rest of the bird tomorrow with ash as well.

We'd rather not use the Sevin dust, but will consider it if it's the best or most humane option.

 

[Ms Jellybean]

How many chickens do you have? Usually folks just keep one big container like a 5 gal. bucket unless they have pretty big flocks that use up that amount in a day or two.

Right now I don't have any chickens but my chicks are coming very soon. I will end up with 5-7 chickens.

If you have one container do you just stir in fresh feed every time you take some out or how do you keep it going to always have food ready to feed?

 

[Beekissed]

Right now I don't have any chickens but my chicks are coming very soon. I will end up with 5-7 chickens.

If you have one container do you just stir in fresh feed every time you take some out or how do you keep it going to always have food ready to feed?

You'll only need one bucket and when it gets low in the bucket you just add fresh feed and water and stir it well. The old feed will inoculate and jump start the ferment on the new feed and you can feed that the very next day.

 

[Ms Jellybean]

You'll only need one bucket and when it gets low in the bucket you just add fresh feed and water and stir it well. The old feed will inoculate and jump start the ferment on the new feed and you can feed that the very next day.

That is what I need to know. Thanks!

 

[kpgoldstar]

Right now I don't have any chickens but my chicks are coming very soon. I will end up with 5-7 chickens.

If you have one container do you just stir in fresh feed every time you take some out or how do you keep it going to always have food ready to feed?

I only have 4 hens about 6 months old. I have one bucket. It is an 8 qt food grade from a restaurant supply. I make up enough ff to last about 4-5 days. I keep mine fairly dry, like grout. As I get lower in the bucket it tends to get a little more moist. When I get down to about one or two more feedings, I fill it back up about 3/4 with just dry pellets, water and some BOSS. It is bubbly, near the top with absorption, and ready to feed out the next feeding which is usually 12 hours apart.

I continue in this fashion over and over again. I don't refresh every time I feed but some people do. Some only feed once a day, I feed twice. My bucket tends to need refreshing in the evenings as that is more convenient for me anyway and by the following morning it smells nice and sour again.