FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[azygous]

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.

Well, it's now 36 hours since I started the bucket of FF. It's not exactly bubbly, but the smell is different. It has a sort of "tang". When it wasn't bubbly by yesterday morning, I moved it in beside the wood stove. So it's staying warm enough.

I stirred it and it has an oatmeal-like consistency. I did see a few tiny bubbles. Is it ready to feed to the chickens or do we need to wait another day?

 

[niqueie]

It sounds like it's definitely started. You can feed it even if it isn't completely fermented. Just replace what you take out. The new stuff you add daily doesn't take near as long to start fermenting as long as it has a lot of already fermenting feed to mix with it. I'd start using it. The texture of mine changes slightly when it's fermented. It's lighter almost a foamy feel to it when I stir it. It's a subtle change but I can tell. Hope that helps.

 

[azygous]

Yes, the consistency is more "airy". And it has a pleasant sourdough odor. I'm going to dish it up and serve it! I'll let you all know how it's received.

 

[Beekissed]

I wouldn't refresh it daily...too much work. I'd refresh it when you get down to about 1/5 of the bucket left and then refresh. That way you are feeding some really fermented feed as time goes along and your batch gets strong enough to inoculate the next batch well. Makes it a little more simple for your life!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

What is everyone's favorite container for serving fermented feed?

I currently have 7 flocks that range in size from 2 to 10 birds, if that matters.

 

[Beekissed]

Trough, most definitely! Incidentally, it's my favorite for serving dry feeds as well.

 

[beverly evans]

Quote:
I think I forgot to thank you and for the snaps of your great hay bale brooder. It is too nasty-rainy-cold outside to work on my old baby coop to make it winter tight at least on 3 sides with an open pop hole on the 4th side. The pop hole goes out into a large varmint proof dog crate as their "run". Next week. I'm worried about dampness in the coop right now what with the constant rain. They seem to have enough sense to stay in out of the rain though. Surprise! : )

 

[azygous]

They loved it! They tore into it like it was the tastiest thing EVER!

It's snowing and in the teens. I took away their dry feed, and now they're standing around with nothing to eat but their flock block. When do they get their next meal? I read here that people feed once a day? That certainly doesn't seem like a very good idea when it's this cold.

Thanks Bee, for the suggestion to wait on refreshing the bucket. I shall be happy to wait.

 

[beverly evans]

Quote:
I think I forgot to thank you and for the snaps of your great hay bale brooder. It is too nasty-rainy-cold outside to work on my old baby coop to make it winter tight at least on 3 sides with an open pop hole on the 4th side. The pop hole goes out into a large varmint proof dog crate as their "run". Next week. I'm worried about dampness in the coop right now what with the constant rain. They seem to have enough sense to stay in out of the rain though. Surprise! : )

Hey, All this talk about "fishy" ff. Segue......I went to my local fish market the other day and they had a huge pile of fish for 50 cents a pound! I thought, "I gotta get some of that!" Well I cooked the lot when it wouldn't fit in the freezer, and made some into salad like one would do tuna fish. It was so "fishy" tasting I could not stand it, so guess who got it? My chooks, of course! and some to faithful guard dog, Paddy. (I gave them the plain boiled fish) They LOVE it! and eat every last speck of it. All that protein? Will it be bad for them? Bee, you said something about in the winter cutting back on protein. Why do we do this when usually, for some crazy reason they tend to molt, (mine anyway), just when they need their feathers most? So theoretically they would need more protein to grow them back? Doesn't "feather fixer" just have more protein than normal feed???? : ) beverly

 

[beverly evans]

What is everyone's favorite container for serving fermented feed?

I currently have 7 flocks that range in size from 2 to 10 birds, if that matters.

Deep dog food bowls! They don't jump in and scratch like with dry feed.