FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[subhanalah]

Thanks, Linda. The site you linked me to is actually the first site where I did reading about it! It doesn't really cover if it is ok for ducks too and I was just trying to get a little clarification on the process.

my ducks love it and I think it's better for them to eat the wet stuff. Easier going down lol

 

[Beekissed]

Thanks, Linda. The site you linked me to is actually the first site where I did reading about it! It doesn't really cover if it is ok for ducks too and I was just trying to get a little clarification on the process.

I'm feeding it to my ducks and many others are doing so also......and geese, turkeys, guineas, etc. As ducklings they seemed to not like the wet feed clinging to their bills and would shake their heads and fling it everywhere, then run to the water and drink. But now, they just stick the bill in there and gobble it up like the chickens. So, to answer your question, ducks do very well on it and love it very well.

 

[kpgoldstar]

Forgive me for not reading all 450 pages in case these questions were already asked and answered. My apologies! Anyways, is the same ff you feed to chickens alright for ducks, too? I am looking into ff and have seen a guide saying all that is needed is food, water, and a bucket. No apple cider vinegar. Can anyone tell me the purpose of the vinegar? Does it have to be organic?

So, essentially, get a bucket or other container, add chicken feed, add water, add vinegar (maybe-?), stir, cover with a towel and then stir every day or so for about 4 days and then feed?

Our ducks and chicks are young, so right now they're on starter/grower. Next we figured grower/finisher, and then layer. Will all of this work to ferment, or is a different kind of mix more ideal?

To answer your second paragraph, yes. I don't use ACV. In summer it should ferment faster and you could feed out as soon as 2-3 days after starting. Once you see bubbles and start to smell sour it is good to go.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Forgive me for not reading all 450 pages in case these questions were already asked and answered. My apologies! Anyways, is the same ff you feed to chickens alright for ducks, too? I am looking into ff and have seen a guide saying all that is needed is food, water, and a bucket. No apple cider vinegar. Can anyone tell me the purpose of the vinegar? Does it have to be organic?

So, essentially, get a bucket or other container, add chicken feed, add water, add vinegar (maybe-?), stir, cover with a towel and then stir every day or so for about 4 days and then feed?

Our ducks and chicks are young, so right now they're on starter/grower. Next we figured grower/finisher, and then layer. Will all of this work to ferment, or is a different kind of mix more ideal?

If one uses vinegar, it must be raw or it has no benefits other than an acidifier. It can but doesn't need to be organic but it cannot be pasteurized or all the beneficial enzymes will have been destroyed.

Thanks, Linda. The site you linked me to is actually the first site where I did reading about it! It doesn't really cover if it is ok for ducks too and I was just trying to get a little clarification on the process.

As a default assumption, I would think fermented food is safe for most animals.

 

[wonkyflock14]

Ok, thanks guys! I think I will get a small batch going and see how the feather babies like it. Is it like 50/50 food and water?

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I finally understand what "pasty" means when describing the texture of wet feed. This new feed (wheat-based, no corn -- it's a dense pellet) can become a super thick paste ... when it does, we have to break it up into crumbles, and even that is not easy ... as it dries a little, it sticks to everything and is very difficult to scrape the paste off. Once it's scraped off it can be described as "crumbly." But I'm hoping there is a way to mix it to the right texture from the start.

I'm going to mix smaller loads of it in each bucket so we can try using less water -- much less -- so it is just wet enough to crumble and I'm hoping somehow it isn't still too heavy to stir. I tried that before, but keep catching Dad adding more water, then more feed ... I will work on getting him to stop that so I can get the proper ratio of feed to water figured out. But, honestly, I'm not sure that's possible.

I'd hate to have to quit feeding FF while I figure this out ... but if we can't stir it, and it becomes too stiff for the birds to eat, and gums up the equipment, then fermenting this particular batch of feed isn't going to be feasible to manage. If it gums up a spoon, it will gum up the beaks, and that is bad for the birds.

I'm going to ask the mill for a coarser grind next time. Meanwhile, I'll tweak.

 

[azygous]

Bee, Sub, Chicken Canoe! Help! I think I have another hen getting sick. She's been off her feed for a couple weeks, and her poop has been way less than normal. Here's a pic. I want to start her on amoxycillin if you think she has an infection. I don't want to lose another one!

 

[subhanalah]

Looks like a lot of stuff is passing through without being digested.

Has this hen been on fermented feed? If so how long?
@ChickenCanoe
@Beekissed

 

[subhanalah]

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Is that an immature egg yolks there? Does she have any fluid in her abdomen?

 

[azygous]

I was wondering that, myself. She hasn't laid since fall molt, and has passed these quarter-inch yellow things occasionally. There's a kind of puss inside them. Her abdomen isn't noticeably swollen. She was a regular layer last season, and laid the egg that is now my present rooster. In fact, that was close to the last eggs she's laid.

She's been on FF since the end of November.