FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[Teila]

This is a win-win for you. You only have to use 3 jars that don't take up much space. You don't even have to wash the jar. It will ferment faster with the little sediment in it. Save you a step each night. I'm all for saving steps.

*Chuckle* True LindaB220, I didn't think of that.

To be honest, I am not sure why I rinse out the jar, just a habit I got into I guess. It ferments just nicely in the 3 days so doesn't need any sediment to start it off and as I always have a jar ready each morning, I do not need it to ferment faster .. it would be ready before my little gals could eat it

 

[AKCharle]

Hi Reilly, just a note to encourage you. A part of the reason we like FF is as I'm sure you know the reduced amount of feed we need but also because it is no nutritious for them. Well you can get some of the benefits by just adding ACV (apple cider vinegar) to their water. So if it turns out they simply will not eat the FF you can at least give acv in their water. I usually put about a capfull in their 1 gallon jug. It also keeps bacteria from growing in their plastic water jug. Added plus

 

[Tikkijane]

Hey all, sorry I am on vacation and just checked in. Reilly I would have chimed in if I was home. You only want to add more food and water if you are down to about 1-2 days feeding. That's the way I do it. Some people add feed and water every day after they feed their flock, too much hassle. I only have 4 laying hens and I make enough FF to last about 4-5 days. I have been feeding out of the same bucket for nearly a year, never washed, never dumped and started over. When I get down to about a day's worth (2 cups or so) I fill my bucket with fresh dry crumbles/pellets and add enough water to make a good slop. I stir and stir to get all the previously fermented goodness incorporated into what I added. By the next morning the whole batch is nicely fermented and ready to feed again. As long as the batch you are adding to is fully fermented you are good to go.

And I wait until I have a single feeding left {100 birds, though, so it's a bit} to backslop. Be sure to add the water first to distribute the SCOBY throughout.

 

[Tikkijane]

Thanks!!

i *think* it was fermented, today was day 4 and it was very sour smelling although no real bubbles to speak of or white stuff, etc. i stirred it very well every single day so i think it was fermented-certainly had the smell but not hugely overpowering. 

Since i'm only doing it out of a plastic Folgers coffee can, needless to say the bucket is small! And i think i had about maybe 3 cups left if that so i did add to it tonight but this time i ground everything so there will be no solid grains/seeds as they'll just pick it out and i mixed it thoroughly with the stuff that was already there so i am HOPING it will be fermented by tomorrow and i added hot (filtered) water this time.

Maybe i should go buy a bigger bucket. 

What should i do? I really think the original one i made 4 days ago was fermented, just probably am using too small of a container because it looks like...IF those brats would start eating it, that i would have to add to it every other day. 

Luckily the weather's supposed to heat up again, please tell me i'm ok and that my batch will be ok tomorrow. What do i do if i get a larger bucket?

(OOOH i'm finally "Out of the Brooder", LOL!)

How many do you have? Dump it all into the bigger container, backslop and refresh; feed in the morning after letting it ferment overnight.

 

[Tikkijane]

I raised my 4 from chicks and they just started laying mid February. I am in AZ so it gets brutally hot and my hens definitely slowed down laying.

The general rule with FF is 1/2 cup per hen per day. I would say I stick with that pretty good. I feed them their main meal in the morning then they get a smaller snack in the afternoon when I get home from work and let them out to free range. I keep mine fairly dry, like really thick oatmeal. It is thick enough that it is not like wet on their beaks, they can pick it up in clumps. To each his own as far as consistency, some people even drain before feeding. I did that in the very beginning but kept it drier and drier the longer I went through the process.

I use something from Star Milling, just a basic layer crumble. I live on a desert island (figuratively) with no agriculture and am actually in city zoning that doesn't allow chickens. This was the only feed I could get but a TSC just opened about 15 miles away, obviously a loss leader store.

I found out about FF about a week after I got my chicks. I am a first time adult chicken owner. The first benefits ever noticed were more solid/less stinky poops. Even at a month old I could tell the difference. After that, I wouldn't know because it is all they've ever had. I live where it can be well over 115 consistently and lows in the 90's. I contribute FF to my hens making it through the summer due to their better health that FF offers.

 I wouldn't grind the seeds if I were you. Let them pick those out, then eat the FF. I do the same with BOSS, add it to the fermented feed and my girls always pick those out first!

General rule of thumb is 1/2-1 cup 1-2x a day. . My kids get a total of 1 cup a day; free ranging. What I feed is seriously gonw in less than 10 minutes. Even though there's room for pretty much everyone at the trough, I still hang back and watch to make sure everyone eats. I've got some serious pigs out there.

 

[Tikkijane]

LOL i they actually do, they far preferred it over pellets but moistened rather than FF but i am going to persist. It's also from my home state so it's very fresh.

Just went out and there are 3 eggs in the nest and it looks like they did eat some of it, poor Lucy has some stuck to the bottom of her foot (aaaand now she's kind of limping-ugh-she won't let me touch her) but these hens i didn't raise from chicks and have only had them max 3 months so it's no wonder i can't touch but 2 of them.

ALSO... good grief i'm starting to see a lot of feathers!! And a LOT this morning especially, like kind of downy ones, not the stiff outer ones if that makes sense, does this mean they are molting a bit? I don't think they're picking on one another? Why wouldn't i see evidence of that long ago??? Like i said i'm so new to chicken husbandry.

Also IF this is a molt or start of one should i feed extra meal worms? I can give them a couple scrambled eggs daily, i guess (had to buy some store bought) or should i buy a bag of Scratch n Pecks grower feed? I'd have to start that right away fermenting. Just wondering.....

Chickens have two juvenile molts before the big adult molt. I wouldn't worry about it.

On another note- scratch is usually mostly corn. Great for a heat boost when very cold, but basically no nutritional value.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

They do like it well enough I THINK-- just moistened so the fines stick to the grains/seeds. But still, i have questions on whether they are eating enough of the moistened fines (which contain the vitamins/proteins) to satisfy their nutritional needs, they seem to not like wet feed.
Of course the ferment is wetter, it's probably like thick oatmeal, IDK how i can get it any drier, really. This feed is not designed to be fed dry as it has fines.

I guess i'll just go against every instinct (i do understand fermenting and why) and cover it and hopefully they'll eat some of it tomorrow morning. I'll keep persisting but if it keeps up i'll have to figure something else out

I do have a plastic can of their commercial layer PELLETS i used to feed them when i first got them a few months ago, fermenting right now, should be done by Monday, i'll see if they like that but i hate to go backwards from organic to commercial.

Maybe i will, after a while if this really doesn't seem to be working out, just continue moistening the feed and hoping they get enough nutrition that way. I tried keeping the pellets out along side of the organic (separate dish) but they prefer actually the organic, but like i said i'm worried about them getting ENOUGH of the fines. Maybe i worry too much but i've never had chickens before and i'm in a huge learning curve and tend to want everything to be done the healthiest way possible

If it's too wet, just add more feed.

If you're going to store feed very long, it's best to refrigerate or freeze it. Once ground, the grains and legumes will lose their nutritional value fairly quickly.

LOL i they actually do, they far preferred it over pellets but moistened rather than FF but i am going to persist. It's also from my home state so it's very fresh.

Just went out and there are 3 eggs in the nest and it looks like they did eat some of it, poor Lucy has some stuck to the bottom of her foot (aaaand now she's kind of limping-ugh-she won't let me touch her) but these hens i didn't raise from chicks and have only had them max 3 months so it's no wonder i can't touch but 2 of them.

ALSO... good grief i'm starting to see a lot of feathers!! And a LOT this morning especially, like kind of downy ones, not the stiff outer ones if that makes sense, does this mean they are molting a bit? I don't think they're picking on one another? Why wouldn't i see evidence of that long ago??? Like i said i'm so new to chicken husbandry.

Also IF this is a molt or start of one should i feed extra meal worms? I can give them a couple scrambled eggs daily, i guess (had to buy some store bought) or should i buy a bag of Scratch n Pecks grower feed? I'd have to start that right away fermenting. Just wondering.....

When they're molting or recovering from same they can use extra protein. Though nutritious, eggs are only 12% protein, quite a bit lower than the chicken feed.

 

[Tikkijane]

My chickens will walk on my feet but don't like to be picked up.  I can catch them easily enough.  I cheated when they were small and whistled whenever i fed them mealworms.  So now when i want them to come out of the woods all i have to do is whistle and they come running.

I don't know how many mealworms you would have to feed each day for a month of molting but it seems like it would be a lot.  This website has a lot of good advise on molting with good clear photos so you will know what you are seeing.

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/search?q=molt

My chickens are also loosing a lot of feathers.  I think it is because its fall and the days are getting short its almost time to put a light into the coop to keep them laying.   My chickens aren't laying yet but i am hoping  they will start any day now.  Fingers crossed. 

A good site on the how and why of lighting.
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2011/09/supplemental-light-in-coop-why-how.html

I completely disagree. On a fundamental level, I believe that interfering with their natural cycles is wrong. I don't break broodies; I don't compromise their ability to acclimate to winter cold. There is *reason* they are wired the way they are, and I personally believe it's disrespectful to the animal to force them to do what I want them to do if it's not harming them. Chickens who are forced to lay all winter often end up laying an overall shorter time because they weren't allowed to rest.

That being said, I've never used supplemental light in the winter and I have never had them stop laying. Winter peak last year, I was still getting a dozen and a half eggs a day out of 30ish layers.

 

[Tikkijane]

http://tikktok.wordpress.com/2013/11/04/they-dont-need-it/

I completely disagree. On a fundamental level, I believe that interfering with their natural cycles is wrong. I don't break broodies; I don't compromise their ability to acclimate to winter cold. There is *reason* they are wired the way they are, and I personally believe it's disrespectful to the animal to force them to do what I want them to do if it's not harming them. Chickens who are forced to lay all winter often end up laying an overall shorter time because they weren't allowed to rest.

That being said, I've never used supplemental light in the winter and I have never had them stop laying. Winter peak last year, I was still getting a dozen and a half eggs a day out of 30ish layers.

 

[Tikkijane]

My red sex linked has the sweetest personality.  But I don't dare get between her and a mealworm.

Young chickens do have mini molts as they grow up.  Its like they are always loosing and replacing a few feathers at a time as they grow.  It seems like every time they have a growth spurt they needing bigger feathers to match. 


I am figuring out how to feed higher protein and what feeds will be best in my FF for the winter.  I am sure if they are going through a bigger molt than expected i will end up having to get broiler feed myself. 

Other good sources of protein are eggs and BOSS, neither of which are as spendy as meal worms {unless you're growing your own.}. And, of course, bugs in general.