FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[RoseMarie1]

Mine are too and they are blowing a little of their baby feathers...it's pretty normal.
Some have done so...I never really read about their results, though.

So THAT'S what it is! blowing their baby feathers! Like that! Thanx again Bee! Man I sure hope I can retain EVERYTHING I am learning from you!!!!

 

[RedneckGurl]

Quote:
I so far only have one hen that is actively molting - a RIR. Poor thing - she looks pitiful. I find a feather or two from my BR rooster here and there but he's just about 20 weeks old so I figure it's him getting a bit too active with a couple of the hens and perhaps losing them that way. There are a couple who just don't want to "cooperate" with him no matter how hard he tries and there is usually a small scuffle as they try to get away.

I get the 16% protein layer pellets and with the BOSS added in, the occasional meat scraps I give them, plus all the things they eat during they day like insects, grubs, etc. I think the protein levels are okay. If I were to notice any changes, I would likely go up to a higher protein layer feed and see how that goes. But for now, so far so good.

 

[Beekissed]

The only time a chicken loses feathers due to nutritional lack is if they are seriously malnourished, so increasing proteins when birds start to lose feathers is the least of the worries if they are losing feathers simply because of being malnourished...at that point they should have an increase of everything and not just protein.

Increasing proteins can be warranted for short durations to recondition after illness, to get ready for show, for high production animals...but normally the proteins percentages in milled feeds have been formulated for commercial layers, the highest production birds coming down the pike. If they can produce as much as they do on 16-18%, any chicken can do the same.

That is why I hardly ever increase proteins fed, but I do lower them on occasion. During high production or during molt, I'll feed straight layer ration, which is the highest protein levels I normally ever feed. My birds get a lot of proteins out on forage, so I am confident that the supplement of the grain feeds is just that..a supplement.

The only time I've ever intentionally increased protein in formulated feeds was when I got that sick flock back and I didn't do it right away...the last thing a sick bird needs is to get their bowels stripped out on high protein feeds. After their initial recovery and to put fat on them before winter I added just a dab of calf manna to their feed. That was the only time in 37 years I've increased proteins past the percentages normally found in the layer rations.

High protein feed can be just as detrimental as giving too low of proteins and has just as much potential for causing illness, organ damage and eventually death.

 

[bruceh]

So THAT'S what it is! blowing their baby feathers! Like that! Thanx again Bee! Man I sure hope I can retain EVERYTHING I am learning from you!!!!

 

[Beekissed]

Hey, Bruce...been meaning to ask you...how are the chooks doing after the castor oil pumpkin seed tonic? Still looking and acting well? Still seeing an increase on lay and healthy coloring?

 

[RoseMarie1]

I so far only have one hen that is actively molting - a RIR. Poor thing - she looks pitiful. I find a feather or two from my BR rooster here and there but he's just about 20 weeks old so I figure it's him getting a bit too active with a couple of the hens and perhaps losing them that way. There are a couple who just don't want to "cooperate" with him no matter how hard he tries and there is usually a small scuffle as they try to get away.

I get the 16% protein layer pellets and with the BOSS added in, the occasional meat scraps I give them, plus all the things they eat during they day like insects, grubs, etc. I think the protein levels are okay. If I were to notice any changes, I would likely go up to a higher protein layer feed and see how that goes. But for now, so far so good.

Thank you. Yeah I was using the layer crumbles and the 3 way scratch so that was cutting mine in half. I think my protein in the layer was like 16-17% so I backed off some of the scratch so it would have a little more protein. I gave them some BOSS yesterday so they would shuffle up the DL in the run. They love to root and dig. lol

 

[bruceh]

The only time a chicken loses feathers due to nutritional lack is if they are seriously malnourished, so increasing proteins when birds start to lose feathers is the least of the worries if they are losing feathers simply because of being malnourished...at that point they should have an increase of everything and not just protein.

Increasing proteins can be warranted for short durations to recondition after illness, to get ready for show, for high production animals...but normally the proteins percentages in milled feeds have been formulated for commercial layers, the highest production birds coming down the pike. If they can produce as much as they do on 16-18%, any chicken can do the same.

That is why I hardly ever increase proteins fed, but I do lower them on occasion. During high production or during molt, I'll feed straight layer ration, which is the highest protein levels I normally ever feed. My birds get a lot of proteins out on forage, so I am confident that the supplement of the grain feeds is just that..a supplement.

The only time I've ever intentionally increased protein in formulated feeds was when I got that sick flock back and I didn't do it right away...the last thing a sick bird needs is to get their bowels stripped out on high protein feeds. After their initial recovery and to put fat on them before winter I added just a dab of calf manna to their feed. That was the only time in 37 years I've increased proteins past the percentages normally found in the layer rations.

High protein feed can be just as detrimental as giving too low of proteins and has just as much potential for causing illness, organ damage and eventually death.

agreed 100%. bee, you are right. there is no sense in seeing all that feed going through the back end.giving a bird the runs.

 

[bruceh]

Hey, Bruce...been meaning to ask you...how are the chooks doing after the castor oil pumpkin seed tonic? Still looking and acting well? Still seeing an increase on lay and healthy coloring?

after the pumpkin seed and castor oil worming the birds are looking good. my bunch who had the plucked rear and back feathers are growing new pin feathers very well. all except for one. in addition to to the oil . i put castor oil on 2 of the 3 on those bare spots. the 2 i treated directly on the skin are doing very well. new pin feathers are popping up nicely.. the 1 i did not treat externally is not feathering like the 2 with treatment. combs and wattles hold color but not as bright as the 1st day after treatment. however better than they were.
the pumpkin seed and castor did the worming trick is for sure. i keep checking poop for worms. everyone gets an A. As far as laying the eggs are clean for sure. it was a hectic time for the birds so i can not tell about the laying. to many variables.. new birds being mixed in, birds being moved from the other coop to the main coop, and juveniles being placed in the grow out pen where the other birds can see them.
my birds at this time of year some are molting as well.. i will say today that i got 3 more eggs than yesterday. which tells me everyone is adjusting.
i wish i had a camera. i will see what i can do to get one. 1 picture is worth 1000 words. the other thing i did not mention is the birds feathers have a nice glow. different from shiny it is more like a gloss added to the shine.you can really see it on the black birds.
my roosters are definitely on the prowl. no hen is safe from the all mighty horny roosters..

 

[A HappyHenLover]

I've recently started fermenting wheat for my girls. They love it and their eggs have gone way up in production and quality.


Here's a site with some good information to use.
http://www.gardenbetty.com/2013/05/why-and-how-to-ferment-your-chicken-feed/

 

[wlhtx]

Interesting article, but I disagree with her on a couple points. For example, she makes a big deal about using de-chlorinated water. I live in a community way out in the sticks of east Texas and our local water co-op is notoriously not good. You can literally smell and taste the chlorine in our tap water. But I still use it for the FF (frankly never even thought about NOT using it until reading this article just now) and my bucket looks and smells like all the others I've read about here on BYC, so it must be fermenting just fine - chlorine and all...