FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[Beekissed]

Most likely if you are doing this inside the warmth of the house. I know! I love experimenting too! Makes life with chickens more interesting...

 

[azygous]

It's in the warm kitchen. It's 10 degrees outside.

I can hardly wait to see how the chickens like it! This is definitely a whole new adventure in "Chicken World"!

 

[beverly evans]

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Hi, and thanks Chickencanoe, yours is nice and tight. That's one beautiful chicken house. Mine is open on one side to the "run". I guess I could tarp
the run too to protect them further. What are ceramic emitters, please?

 

[beverly evans]

Same here...I brood all chicks outside now regardless of the temps. It's easy to create some warm conditions for chicks by insulating the flooring with plywood or heavy cardboard and deep litter, creating a good wind block and covering for the brooder and then providing good heat. I used hay bales for the walls of my last two brooders....covered this whole thing with pieces of plywood when not feeding or watering the chicks. This first batch were in mid March with temps in the 30s at night and getting into 50s in the day.

Okay, so they aren't even that bunched up under the lamp. And yours look like "just out of the shells". I guess like a lot of "newbies" I think they are a lot more delicate than they really are. I'll tape plastic up an the sides over the hardware cloth so that at least the coop part is kinda airtight. When I got my first in April 2012 I took them outside every day, but it was warm then. When can I let them outside now? Once they have feathers or it warms up to a certain temperature? What are the two kinds here in the foto? Yellow and gold? Thanks, Bee!

 

[Beekissed]

Okay, so they aren't even that bunched up under the lamp. And yours look like "just out of the shells". I guess like a lot of "newbies" I think they are a lot more delicate than they really are. I'll tape plastic up an the sides over the hardware cloth so that at least the coop part is kinda airtight. When I got my first in April 2012 I took them outside every day, but it was warm then. When can I let them outside now? Once they have feathers or it warms up to a certain temperature? What are the two kinds here in the foto? Yellow and gold? Thanks, Bee!

You'll have to let them let you know when they are ready to go out. At this time of year, it's a good idea to have them fully fledged but sometimes they have ideas of their own and I'd just gauge how they do when they finally go out. How I transition chicks out of my brooder is to open it up and let them range but leave the heat lamp in the the corner of the brooder for when they need to come back in and get warmed up. I've had broody mamas take week old chicks out in very cold weather and they just run around a bit, then run back to mama to get warmed up for a bit then they venture out again. Watch them carefully and see how they do on their first foray and if they can find their way back to the brooder and the warmth of the light.

They'll fledge out quicker in the cooler temps if you don't overheat them.

 

[kpgoldstar]

It's in the warm kitchen. It's 10 degrees outside.

I can hardly wait to see how the chickens like it! This is definitely a whole new adventure in "Chicken World"!

Welcome to the ff world! Let us know if your ferment is nice and bubbly by tomorrow morning and if your flock loves the new feed.

 

[fosterson]

This is a little off topic, but I thought Bee might find it funny.

It's always something new for me and the chooks.

Went out today and one of the RIRs was gasping like she was choking on something. She let me pick her up (which she is usually loathe to do) and I massaged her crop and throat for a bit, then let her down again. She gave a big 'BWAWK!' and coughed up something that looked suspiciously like half a dead mouse. The rest of the flock converged and tore it up before I could get it away. *facepalm*

I make them nice, fresh fermented mash, and they eat the mice.

On the upside, that's one less mouse near my house.

 

[Beekissed]

I do find that funny!

Guess you can't advertise your eggs as coming from vegetarian chickens,huh? "Cough it up, Mildred! Cough it UP!.....Dibs!!!(slurp!)"

 

[flickerloo]

Please let me know if it stinks in a couple days. I can buy that kind of feed, but was wary to do so because of the fish meal. I want to keep my FF in the house so it's easier to stay on top of it, but I can't if it's the feed I have now. It stunk up the whole house by the next morning. Good luck with yours, I'm interested in your outcomes.

So far, it's just fine. It smells a little fishy when I stir it, but I have a tea towel draped and taped over the pail, and I can't smell anything at all unless I take the towel off and stir. I was worried it would start to smell like fish fertilizer, but it's just a little fishy and quite sour and yeasty. The chooks certainly seem to like it.

 

[niqueie]

I'm so glad to hear yours is not as stinky as mine. I used the last bit of the bag today. I'm looking forward to using a feed that doesn't smell so terrible. I was using nutrena Feather fixer. It seemed to do a good job as my birds seem to be feathering in well.

I'm glad your birds have liked it so well. My flock is very excited whenever there is a feed cup in my hand.