FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[sarahsunshine]

I like the vinyl gutter idea, but I also found that vinyl gutters are supposed to be highly toxic. Flexible vinyl products are supposed to be the worst too (http://watoxics.org/healthy-living/healthy-homes-gardens-1/factsheets/vinyl). Just something to know if you are planning to eat your eggs and chickens.

 

[ak rain]

I like the hanging basket though my cut open PVC is working.
Bee question
My8 - 13 week old layers have a large run 160 ft of electric fence i let out of this area a couple hours each late afternoon. Anyway my question is I give ff in early am and in afternoon after free range I give more. I've been aiming for the feed to be gone by next feeding. Also community is out of grower and I have to switch to layer feed a bit early so I'm getting some whole grain scratch to add to ff

So is this enough feed and ok feed?
Sylvia

 

[Beekissed]

Good info to know! I'm not sure how much leaching would go on if they eat the feed so fast that it barely touches the vinyl but there is still that consideration and it must be taken into account.

I've been using a metal gutter that had a porcelain type coating baked into it but that coating has suffered from countless beakings so I'm going to change over to wood, as the PVC is just too darn expensive for my liking, though it would last longer, I'm sure.

 

[marktoo]

This thing has been laying around in the yard for years, it has almost been tossed I don't know how many times. I finally found a use for it when I decided to start using FF.

 

[Beekissed]

Do they ever try to jump up into it and spill it out? I think some of my new Delawares would definitely try to jump onto the edge and manage to flip that thing everywhere!


BTW, LOVE that nifty little watering system you have goin' on there!

 

[sarahsunshine]

Only mildly related to formula feed...

We brought our two ISA browns back to the ciy and put them in our garden that is infested with slugs. We think - Excellent! solve our slug problem!

They think: What are these icky slimy things? When I moved the tractor this morning there were tons of slugs still I think they enjoy their FF too much and don't want to do the chicken thing! What do I do to teach the chickens to eat slugs?

 

[Beekissed]

I don't know that they eat slugs...I've never had any and have never seen one of my birds eat them. They say that ducks eat slugs like they are candy...maybe adding a small duck to the birds?

Muscovey ducks can hold their own in a chicken flock and are wonderful breeds...quiet and good foragers.

Yeah...they ain't pretty but they finish out to good weights for eating, they lay and breed well and they are feisty enough to withstand chickens pecking at them.

 

[marktoo]

Do they ever try to jump up into it and spill it out? I think some of my new Delawares would definitely try to jump onto the edge and manage to flip that thing everywhere!


BTW, LOVE that nifty little watering system you have goin' on there!

None of them have ever dumped it, there isn't much room between the chains. I think it would be easy enough to fashion a hold down if it became a problem.

Thanks! There's a five gallon water cooler on top of the tractor. I put frozen water bottles in it during hot weather, the water in the plumbing still gets pretty warm though. I was using nipples at first but switched to cups because I saw that they seemed to drink a lot more out of a open pan that I had placed in the run during some extreme hot weather, so I figured the cups might be better. They were using nipples from day one but had no problem with the transition to cups.

 

[Beekissed]

My older flock would just NOT use the cups or straight nipples...I even baited the nipples with suet cakes with BOSS in them to get them to peck....left them locked in the coop with only the nipples and the cup...they just did without. They'd drink what was in the cup but wouldn't trigger the lever for more. When I let them out they ran to the dog's water and drank like no tomorrow!

Wish they would learn it...

 

[Windy Bay Farm]

None of them have ever dumped it, there isn't much room between the chains.  I think it would be easy enough to fashion a hold down if it became a problem.

Thanks!  There's a five gallon water cooler on top of the tractor.  I put frozen water bottles in it during hot weather,  the water in the plumbing still gets pretty warm though.  I was using nipples at first but switched to cups because I saw that they seemed to drink a lot more out of a open pan that I had placed in the run during some extreme hot weather, so I figured the cups might be better.  They were using nipples from day one but had no problem with the transition to cups. 

Marktoo... Just curious, was there any "training" involved when it came to your birds using the cups ? I'm curious because I have used a few watering setups and invested in the cups but my chickens just don't seem to want to bother with them. Like Bee said, they will drink the water from them if they are full but they won't trigger the dispenser for more.