FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[bruceh]

fermenting feed is really a simple process. take the feed ration you are using. place it in to a plastic container cover with water . if you want put some unpasteurized apple cider vinegar in with the mix. cover with a loose fitting lid . the apple cider vinegar is not necessary . the vinegar just helps speed up the process. the air has all the molecules to ferment the feed it will take 3-4 days to really ferment with out the vinegar. as far as spoilage. i use a 55 gallon rubber made trash can and 100 lbs of feed at a time. i always have some left over in the can before i fill again. the left over feed at the bottom is my good bacteria which helps the new feed get started.it takes me 2 2 1/2 weeks to go through 100 lbs of feed. i think i cleaned the can 1 time in over a year. as far as botulism , well what we are all doing is a form of preserving. if you keep the feed wet with water and keep adding feed the good stuff gets better and better. spoilage happens when you don't feed it (adding new feed ) or let feed dry out and then add water. although i have let the feed can run dry and never had an issue.
i feed a flock of 50 so the big can works for me. if you have a small flock use a smaller can. the feed i use is kept right in the shed / coop. never had a problem yet. i also have left the feed the birds did not eat in the feeder. my birds get to it the next morning. i think they lick it clean. they like that left over stuff.

 

[barkinghills]

Thanks bruceh, that is a very helpful information. Sounds very simple.

 

[Trina Bambina]

Hi, Jody! I just started using Countryside broiler feed and they really like it a lot. I started feeding FF two days ago, and they looked at it like I was crazy the first day, and now they mob me when they see me coming. I have also noticed, like others have said, that they are eating a lot less. They used to eat the finely ground starter all day long (maybe because it moved so fast through their system?), but they pretty much ignore their feed pan all day now (there get out to free range for 2-5 hours a day) and seem much more content.

I started my batch with a little milk kefir, and leave 1-2 cups in the bottom, add water and add 3 scoops (we use a big plastic tumbler to measure) of new feed and ferment for 48 hours. I have not added any other kefir since I started the first batch.

Thanks for your help, everyone!

 

[amyandkids]

I have been told not to give scratch to chicks under 9 weeks old due to its to hard to digest, is there any truth to this? And if so can I give ff made of scratch because its softer? Or should I stick to only fermenting starter crumles? My chicks are 4 weeks old! Thank u!

 

[wlhtx]

Right now I feed 50/50 starter/grower and scratch to my entire bunch of 45, which range from 4 weeks to 9 years old. The babies have never seemed to have any problem eating the scratch. In fact, they really seem to prefer it - picking out pieces of corn, etc. first before eating the rest.

 

[amyandkids]

Thank u! This thread is so helpfull!!

 

[Beekissed]

Right now I feed 50/50 starter/grower and scratch to my entire bunch of 45, which range from 4 weeks to 9 years old. The babies have never seemed to have any problem eating the scratch. In fact, they really seem to prefer it - picking out pieces of corn, etc. first before eating the rest.

Agreed! You'd be amazed at what day old chicks can down...when I have a hen with new hatches in a brood pen, I'll usually throw some BOSS in the bedding that first day or so so she can "find" food for them. It's the cutest thing ever and it simulates what she would be doing out in the bush, so I just give her a chance to start early. The chicks will try to eat them and most of the seeds can be eaten by them. The bigger ones she eats and they all get consumed but they sure have a fun time running, scratching and looking for all the seeds in the bedding!

I have fed whole grains to very young birds without any difficulty..if they have access to grit and can swallow it, they never have a problem.

 

[Jeanette56]

I have been told not to give scratch to chicks under 9 weeks old due to its to hard to digest, is there any truth to this?
The only reason you wouldn't want to is if they didn't have access to any grit. As long as they have grit they can digest it.

And if so can I give ff made of scratch because its softer? Or should I stick to only fermenting starter crumbles? My chicks are 4 weeks old! Thank u!

Scratch has a much lower protein level so you might not want to use it as your only feed but made into FF they don't waste it & the protein in it is more usable.
I would only make the scratch a smaller part of the mix until they are older just because it does not have the proper protein content for growing chicks.

Jeanette

 

[Beekissed]

Back in the day, my grandma only fed her chicks cornmeal. That's it. They got cornmeal and then, after a week or so, they and the mama were out on free range to rustle up their grub and got whole grain corn as a supplement each day, shelled right off the ear and onto the ground.

Sure, scratch isn't optimal when there are formulated feeds out there, but scratch can be added to their feeds at an early age, even at 50/50 and they will still thrive well. Especially if it is fermented.

 

[amyandkids]

I will be mixing scratch with starter 50/50! They are in a 17 ft by 12 ft run and dig and eat greens I put out I also breed mealworms that I give every couple days and they dig up them HUGE florida grubs and tear it up like a pack of coyote!!