FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[LindaB220]

We can get that without caponizing them....

Last summer I helped process several CX that big and they were only 15 wks, I do believe. Why capon and grow them out longer when you can get them to those weights in a healthy, slow manner more quickly? They are still young enough to not have issues with hormones and more flavorful than those butchered at a younger age, so why the caponizing, I wonder?

What I'd like to do is buy about 20 of them and caponize half. At 5 wks I'd like to do a couple a week of the un caponized , then go to the others a couple of months down the line. They still stay tender. I'm just thinking of my circumstances and stamina.

 

[n3kms]

I tried to read this thread but 348 pages is just too much. I have some questions. I am getting my first chicks toward the end of this week. I'm already a fan of fermented foods like yogurt and kefir. I have raw ACV. What I want to know is:

1.About how long do you soak the chick starter before you feed it to the chicks?
2.How long can it sit in the brooder for them to eat before you throw it out?
3.Once they become big chickens, do you keep the dry stuff available and just feed the fermented a little everyday? I would assume that if you filled a feeder with wet food it probably wouldn't fall to the lower dish part readily.
4. Are there any other logistical things I need to know but haven't thought to ask?

Thanks so much,

Lori

 

[Beekissed]

Anyone want to take this one.........?

 

[Tumbleweed Farm]

Anyone want to take this one.........? 

i will but cant for about an hour

 

[LindaB220]

I tried to read this thread but 348 pages is just too much. I have some questions. I am getting my first chicks toward the end of this week. I'm already a fan of fermented foods like yogurt and kefir. I have raw ACV. What I want to know is:

1.About how long do you soak the chick starter before you feed it to the chicks?
2.How long can it sit in the brooder for them to eat before you throw it out?
3.Once they become big chickens, do you keep the dry stuff available and just feed the fermented a little everyday? I would assume that if you filled a feeder with wet food it probably wouldn't fall to the lower dish part readily.
4. Are there any other logistical things I need to know but haven't thought to ask?

Thanks so much,

Lori

I started my chicks on ff the day I got them. They will have it forever. Easy to make. In 5 gallon bucket 12 pounds of feed (starter and later layer or grains) Add 2 gallon water. Stir and sit a few min. May need to add up to another 1/2 gallon water. Optional to speed it up you can add a glug of Mothered Apple cider vinegar. Stir and cover with towel or screen. Stir daily for 4-5 days. Then start feeding. When it's down to about 1/4 or less full add a lot more water and stir. Then start adding feed. Sit a little while and get to consistancy of peanut butter. . Get a rain gutter and cut it in half to 5' lengths. Hammer to a 2" x 4" board to steady. Gives you 2 feeders. Feed am and pm while little and just once a day 5pm later if they can forage. Early if enclosed. I'm never going to keep dry food available. Just water and grit. Dust bath. Oyster shell later for layers.

Am I missing anything? This is just what I do. Others may do different.

And Lori

 

[kpgoldstar]

I tried to read this thread but 348 pages is just too much. I have some questions. I am getting my first chicks toward the end of this week. I'm already a fan of fermented foods like yogurt and kefir. I have raw ACV. What I want to know is:

1.About how long do you soak the chick starter before you feed it to the chicks?
2.How long can it sit in the brooder for them to eat before you throw it out?
3.Once they become big chickens, do you keep the dry stuff available and just feed the fermented a little everyday? I would assume that if you filled a feeder with wet food it probably wouldn't fall to the lower dish part readily.
4. Are there any other logistical things I need to know but haven't thought to ask?

Thanks so much,

Lori

1. I started my ff on 2 week old chicks and fed them from the first day of soaking. The feed is not fully fermented until about day 3-4 depending on the moisture content of your ff and your local conditions (temp, humidity). I used simply chick starter crumbles and water, no ACV, no kefir. You can choose to use starters if you want. Stir water and feed together, cover loosely and continue stirring about every 6 hours. By the 3rd day it should start to smell sour.

2. It can be in the brooder as long as you want. I fed my chicks 3x a day and usually just enough for them to clean the dish in about an hour. I only had 4 so I fed in small Tupperware dishes. Whatever they don't finish, you can always scrape out and put back into your ff bucket.

3. As adults I don't give access to any dry feed. My girls get 2 feedings a day of ff. One larger ration in the morning (about 1/2c of ff per hen) then another smaller snack in the afternoon when they get let out of the run to free range. The afternoon feeding is not really necessary more of a habit for my small flock. As the days have started to warm up I am noticing mine are not eating as much. Morning feed is not thoroughly picked clean by afternoon and they don't race to the snack tray when let out. It has been high 90's for the past week here. I am planning to cut back some. I don't really give many treats. About every 3rd day they might get some sweet potato or squash leftovers and some veggie trimmings. Rarely some bread or meat.

You are correct in assuming that a typical dry feeder can't really be used for ff. The mash simply can't make it down to the bottom. If you want to check out some photos of ff troughs most of us use, you can peruse the photos in the thread on the right here. That saves browsing the entire thread. There are pics of my feeders on there.

4. I am using the same bucket that I started with over 6 months ago. It is a continuous cycle. I make enough ff at a time to feed out about 4 days. When it starts to get low, I add water to what is left in the bucket and stir it all up really well (this is called backslopping). Then I add enough feed to absorb all that water. It usually takes a couple hours to know if I have to add a bit more feed or water to get the consistency that I like, I keep mine sort of like grout. Some say peanut butter, or cookie dough. By the time I feed out next (12 hrs later) the ff is nice and sour again having used the super fermented feed at the bottom of the last batch to innoculate the new stuff. If you are planning to use any sort of starter, you would only need to do that once and not add it again once you get your bucket going.

I keep mine in the house which can range anywhere from 60 to 95 depending on the time of year. Some people keep a layer of water over their feed and use a strainer to scoop out the mash. Some use a 2-bucket system where there are holes in the upper bucket to lift and strain out to feed. I think most of us on here are now only doing one bucket and keeping it fairly dry. Some also add feed and water after every feeding to keep it going like a sourdough starter. This would be helpful for larger flocks. I only have 4 gals so my system works very well for me. I spend about 10 minutes a week maintaining my ff. Feeding daily in rations takes more time than just leaving a tube of pellets out all day as well.

 

[jbher]

My eggs are due to hatch this Saturday (day 21). I have 21 eggs left so far. Would a 5 gallon bucket be way too much? What day this week should I start my FF? Thank you!!

 

[Tumbleweed Farm]

Great advice Ladies! I am sorry I was tied up and could not respond--thanks! I love my FF--will never go back to dry!

 

[chickengirl1193]

I tried to read this thread but 348 pages is just too much.  I have some questions.  I am getting my first chicks toward the end of this week. I'm already a fan of fermented foods like yogurt and kefir.  I have raw ACV. What I want to know is:

1.About how long do you soak the chick starter before you feed it to the chicks?
2.How long can it sit in the brooder for them to eat before you throw it out?
3.Once they become big chickens, do you keep the dry stuff available and just feed the fermented a little everyday? I would assume that if      you filled a feeder with wet food it probably wouldn't fall to the lower dish part readily.
4. Are there any other logistical things I need to know but haven't thought to ask?:/

Thanks so much,

Lori

All ive been doing, put a few scoops of feed in a bucket and fill with water to about a half inch above the feed then stir. Then I leave it for a few hours, come back and stir and see if it needs more water or feed to get to the consistency I want. And it takes 3 days or so to start fermenting. You will know when it is bubbling and white stuff forms on top lol (just stir that in)
I feed out of a trough type feeder and a dog bowl, put a scoop of food each in the trough and bowl and just put it on the ground in the morning and they eat what they want throughout the day.
When they were chicks I used the dog bowl only and put a scoop in in the am and pm. They usually ate it before it went "bad" and if they didnt finish it I just put the next feedings scoop right on top (unless it had poop and bedding in it)
I dont use a gravity feeder anymore and dont feed dry feed at all
Just the ff in the dog bowl and trough

 

[LindaB220]

My eggs are due to hatch this Saturday (day 21). I have 21 eggs left so far. Would a 5 gallon bucket be way too much? What day this week should I start my FF? Thank you!!

You can make a smaller batch to start it for a few weeks. I make mine in a 2 gallon bucket. Will switch to 5 gallon soon though because it will last for weeks. if you continue to stir. Start it 5 days in advance.