FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[Tikkijane]

url="/t/645057/fermented-feeds-anyone-using-them/4080#post_13460356"]

no and no.  We want lacto fermentation.  Below is a link to an article that newbies to FF may find helpful.  It has pictures of what it should look like and good instructions for the beginner.
http://www.gardenbetty.com/2013/05/why-and-how-to-ferment-your-chicken-feed/


Now, a question.  I don't cover my in process FF. Thinking that I'm good as long as I have an inch or so water over top of the feed, however as you've probably noticed,sunflower seeds float.  Does it need to be covered?
[/quote]

Just getting to my email- that link has the "water must cover by a few inches" MISinformation.

Try this one instead

 

[Tikkijane]

http://tikktok.wordpress.com/2014/04/13/fermented-feed-faq/

url="/t/645057/fermented-feeds-anyone-using-them/4080#post_13460356"]

no and no.  We want lacto fermentation.  Below is a link to an article that newbies to FF may find helpful.  It has pictures of what it should look like and good instructions for the beginner.
http://www.gardenbetty.com/2013/05/why-and-how-to-ferment-your-chicken-feed/


Now, a question.  I don't cover my in process FF. Thinking that I'm good as long as I have an inch or so water over top of the feed, however as you've probably noticed,sunflower seeds float.  Does it need to be covered?

Just getting to my email- that link has the "water must cover by a few inches" MISinformation.

Try this one instead[/quote]

 

[n3kms]

Been thinking about the fact that my ten chicks are outgrowing their feeder. It's one of the small round ones with the holes kind that I just put FF in the bottom and put a jar on top to keep them from walking in/on it.
I was wondering if the long thin plastic ones that say they are chick feeders would work for when they are grown too. Is there any reason that a grown chicken could not use the same feeders? Seen some that are 20 inches long and they are inexpensive. I could just use a large shallow bowl but I figured they would walk in it. What do everyone else use to feed FF to a lot of adult chickens at the same time?

 

[Bethel3330]

The last 2 wells we drilled were each over $30,000. 

oh wow!! That took my breath away.
We have many many natural springs in these hills and finding water is easy so maybe it has to do with that.

 

[debp]

I have been feeding my FF in a long chick feeder to my 5-week old chicks and it seems to be working well. That feeder wasn't working very well anymore for dry feed, because they started tipping it over and spilling the feed (they were doing this by 3 weeks). But for the fermented feed it works really well (with or without the lid with holes). They are too big to step in it now, and when they tip it over they just keep eating the feed from the side. Sometimes they tip it all the way over, but that is usually when it is almost empty.
P.S. I don't fill very full and it has no water seeping from it. It is not soupy.

 

[beverly evans]

Been thinking about the fact that my ten chicks are outgrowing their feeder. It's one of the small round ones with the holes kind that I just put FF in the bottom and put a jar on top to keep them from walking in/on it.
I was wondering if the long thin plastic ones that say they are chick feeders would work for when they are grown too. Is there any reason that a grown chicken could not use the same feeders? Seen some that are 20 inches long and they are inexpensive. I could just use a large shallow bowl but I figured they would walk in it. What do everyone else use to feed FF to a lot of adult chickens at the same time?

I use old cast iron pots with the wire handles, left over from my boy scout camp out days. You know, the ones they cook cakes in? Some of them do stand in it to eat, but they can't turn them over. I'm going to make a v-shaped trough feeder like Bee showed us for the run about 2 1/2 feet long. That should give everyone a space at the table. : )

 

[n3kms]

Thanks guys. I saw one that Bee made that had several chicks standing in it. Thought the long kind would be good so everyone would have room but hoping to keep them from stepping in it. But the plastic seemed like it might be light weight for big chickens. Maybe I could screw it on the ends to pieces of wood.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Do you suggest the broody cage with wire bottom for breaking a broody. Every time we go up there we take them off the nest and get them moving. But they rush back.

Yes, and the cage needs to be elevated to get cool air to their underside.

We used to have 100 leghorn layers and had about 5 permanent cages suspended from the ceiling of the hen house. Seems like there were always at least 2 occupied.

I have a 4ftX4ft wooden box for a brooder. I had gotten it at a thrift store years ago. I filled it with about 3 inches of pine shavings and got 10 Barred Rock chicks when they were a day old. They are 3 1/2 weeks old now.They are in our garage. They have been getting FF ever since they started eating. At first I stirred their litter every day. Now they stir it quite a bit themselves. I still mix it up about every other day. It still smells pretty much like the day we put them in the box. No bad smells, no problems. I've never scooped any out. I have added a little now and then. It's been great. The only problem I do have is that they are about to outgrow it. Every day I wake up I think I have ten different chicks they are growing so fast. Right now they look like the are having a bad hair day, with a few feathers coming in on their heads. I wish the weather would stablize so I can get them into the coop in about a week. Very pleased with keeping chicks, fermented food and all the help from folks on this site.

They're ready for about twice that space now. 10 LF DP birds need 25 sq. ft. from 2-8 weeks of age.
It can't be that cold in TN any more. I've had chicks out with no heat down to the 60s at night since they were about 20 days old.

Been thinking about the fact that my ten chicks are outgrowing their feeder. It's one of the small round ones with the holes kind that I just put FF in the bottom and put a jar on top to keep them from walking in/on it.
I was wondering if the long thin plastic ones that say they are chick feeders would work for when they are grown too. Is there any reason that a grown chicken could not use the same feeders? Seen some that are 20 inches long and they are inexpensive. I could just use a large shallow bowl but I figured they would walk in it. What do everyone else use to feed FF to a lot of adult chickens at the same time?

The reel top feeders work much better than the ones with the holes. Before long, they can't get their heads in the holes to get to the feed.
http://www.toolfetch.com/teksupply-...313036313339&gclid=CLfLxa6NpL4CFc9AMgodz2cAhw
I don't think a LF above 10 weeks could easily use a chick feeder. If one is only going to raise chicks once, I don't recommend buying chick feeders since they grow so fast.
\
If you use a trough or the plastic gutter, it needs to be elevated enough so they can eat but not get in and scratch.

Thanks guys. I saw one that Bee made that had several chicks standing in it. Thought the long kind would be good so everyone would have room but hoping to keep them from stepping in it. But the plastic seemed like it might be light weight for big chickens. Maybe I could screw it on the ends to pieces of wood.

I have 3' sections of gutter that are either wired to the fence or use plastic gutter hangers screwed to the wall about a foot high.

 

[LindaB220]

I use old cast iron pots with the wire handles, left over from my boy scout camp out days. You know, the ones they cook cakes in? Some of them do stand in it to eat, but they can't turn them over. I'm going to make a v-shaped trough feeder like Bee showed us for the run about 2 1/2 feet long. That should give everyone a space at the table. : )

I had my handyman make me one using a 2x6" board 12' long and cut in half. So 5' with a couple of 1' hammered on the end. It's great and what they don't eat I scrape off on the ground. Then refill it. The old on the ground is the first they eat.

 

[kpgoldstar]

I use old cast iron pots with the wire handles, left over from my boy scout camp out days. You know, the ones they cook cakes in? Some of them do stand in it to eat, but they can't turn them over. I'm going to make a v-shaped trough feeder like Bee showed us for the run about 2 1/2 feet long. That should give everyone a space at the table. : )

Yikes! Beverly do you know how much some of those old cast iron pans are worth??? Hundreds of Dollars!!