FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[RoseMarie1]

I'll go check it out now!

Good luck with making yours. Do posts us some pix. We love pix.

 

[skitzkle]

anyone have a problem with slugs where you are fermenting the feed. I ferment my feed in my sunroom that leads to the chicken run and ever since I started fermenting I have had slugs in the sunroom. Last night when I closed the coop and was heading back to the house there was a ton of them all over the outside of the sunroom. I never had a problem with them before. They do not get in the fermented feed and it only has a cloth draped over it put they do get in the dry feed that is in the trash can next to it, but it has a crack in the lid. I know they are attracted to beer which is fermented, could it be the smell of the fermented feed attracting them? Anyone have any thoughts or experiences?

 

[RoseMarie1]

anyone have a problem with slugs where you are fermenting the feed. I ferment my feed in my sunroom that leads to the chicken run and ever since I started fermenting I have had slugs in the sunroom. Last night when I closed the coop and was heading back to the house there was a ton of them all over the outside of the sunroom. I never had a problem with them before. They do not get in the fermented feed and it only has a cloth draped over it put they do get in the dry feed that is in the trash can next to it, but it has a crack in the lid. I know they are attracted to beer which is fermented, could it be the smell of the fermented feed attracting them? Anyone have any thoughts or experiences?

maybe tape up that lid with some gorilla duct tape it's some good stuff. No don't have a problem with them around mine.

 

[dutchbunny83]

anyone have a problem with slugs where you are fermenting the feed. I ferment my feed in my sunroom that leads to the chicken run and ever since I started fermenting I have had slugs in the sunroom. Last night when I closed the coop and was heading back to the house there was a ton of them all over the outside of the sunroom. I never had a problem with them before. They do not get in the fermented feed and it only has a cloth draped over it put they do get in the dry feed that is in the trash can next to it, but it has a crack in the lid. I know they are attracted to beer which is fermented, could it be the smell of the fermented feed attracting them? Anyone have any thoughts or experiences?

One of the batches of mine got a few little worms in it, I think from my husband leaving the lid off on the grass while he went around and fed everyone. But we just scooped the worms into their bowl with the feed and let them eat them haha. I keep all my food (dry, fermented, cat, rabbit, chicken...) all sealed in individual 18 gallon storage totes and it keeps it fresh/keeps things out. You know how we have those disgusting "pine bugs" down in NC outside I would freak if I got one in my food (for those of you not from the south, they call them pine bugs because they hide in all the pine straw they are really gigantic cock roaches and the only thing in the world I am afraid of, I have nightmares about these things ever since moving here!!!)

 

[missy_cbell21]

I have been fermenting my adult and chick food for about 2 weeks now. all was going well then I got a water filtration system by rain soft put on the house. I added some water to the buckets and now 2 days later there is a white film on top of the bucket. It's kind of foamy but shows no other changes, smells and looks the same once stirred. I am using Dumor chick starter/grower for the chicks with a splash of ACV. For the adults I am not 100% sure but I think it is also a Dumor product but I added in a handful of BOSS and some wild bird seed. Looking at it closer I think it may be mold. I will not feed off those buckets until I hear other words. Thanks everyone for all the wisdom offered so far.

 

[KrazyChromatics]

that white film is ok, its the result of the bubbles gathering on top *forgot my brain and cannot remember what its actually called lol* but just mix it all in, its good stuff, also if you do get mould on the sides just mix it all in, i have been preventing it by adding water before i add new grains and using my mixin stick to splash water up and remove food stuffs, then i add the new grain and sir carefully, it'll swell up above the water line anyway and its all good, but i use a 35 gallon rubbermaid bin to mix my feed i has lots of birds lol i was feeding out for 90/100ish birds, but now im down to 50 something with several more are due to vaccate within the week, itll be nice lol

 

[RedneckGurl]

I have been fermenting my adult and chick food for about 2 weeks now. all was going well then I got a water filtration system by rain soft put on the house. I added some water to the buckets and now 2 days later there is a white film on top of the bucket. It's kind of foamy but shows no other changes, smells and looks the same once stirred. I am using Dumor chick starter/grower for the chicks with a splash of ACV. For the adults I am not 100% sure but I think it is also a Dumor product but I added in a handful of BOSS and some wild bird seed. Looking at it closer I think it may be mold. I will not feed off those buckets until I hear other words. Thanks everyone for all the wisdom offered so far.

Mine routinely has a white film on it after about the second or third day in the bucket. It is GOOD stuff so no worries on feeding it to your birds. The technical name for it is SCOBY - an acronym for "symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast". I believe Beekissed has some pictures posted much earlier in this thread of what FF looks like with the white film on top.

 

[RedneckGurl]

maybe tape up that lid with some gorilla duct tape it's some good stuff. No don't have a problem with them around mine.

Gorilla duct tape held the front bumper on my car for almost two years - that stuff is AMAZING!

 

[rawheid]

Good luck with making yours. Do posts us some pix. We love pix.

Here is my trough. I made it this morning. It just has some dry food in it for the next few days and I poured some feed into a bucket and covered it with water. So maybe tomorrow it'll be ready to feed with. The trough is about 3 1/2 ft long. It cost nothing since I went through DH's scrap pile.

 

[Beekissed]

That's an excellent trough!!! And I love the rustic look of it.