FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[Audio51]

I'd love to see a video of a coon encountering this for the first time. Something tells me the coon would conquer in the end.

Most of the coons in my neck of the woods go under the fence, not over. I think we just lost almost all of the big Koi from our pond to one of them the night before last......

 

[Beekissed]

Another question.....for feeding FF to baby chicks, do I make sure there is always feed for them, or feed at certain times?

I feed twice a day and enough that they have food for a couple three hours but only enough that they clean that up before the next feeding, morning and evening feed. No matter what anyone tells you, chicks don't have to be able to eat 24/7...they don't eat like that while under the care of a broody mama and they thrive like nothing else.

 

[chickengirl1193]

So its day three for my FF batch. I put 6 cups of feed and filled with water about an inch over the feed, yesterday there was still about a quarter inch of water above the feed but today there is no excess water and its smelling good. Should I add more water? I'm going to feed it tomorrow and then take half of the feed and mix it with half chick starter for my chicks so ill have 2 batches going. My hens get grower and my chicks get half grower half starter.

 

[kpgoldstar]

So its day three for my FF batch. I put 6 cups of feed and filled with water about an inch over the feed, yesterday there was still about a quarter inch of water above the feed but today there is no excess water and its smelling good. Should I add more water? I'm going to feed it tomorrow and then take half of the feed and mix it with half chick starter for my chicks so ill have 2 batches going. My hens get grower and my chicks get half grower half starter.

I would personally add just a touch more water, just to see if your feed absorbs any more. I live where it is super dry so I tend to keep mine just a little wetter so my girls are getting some hydration with their food.

 

[chickengirl1193]

I would personally add just a touch more water, just to see if your feed absorbs any more. I live where it is super dry so I tend to keep mine just a little wetter so my girls are getting some hydration with their food.

Okay thanks!

 

[kpgoldstar]

Another question.....for feeding FF to baby chicks, do I make sure there is always feed for them, or feed at certain times?

I got my chicks at 2 weeks, then started them on FF one week later after I had read about it and decided it was the better way to go. I switched them immediately from having dry feed available all day to only feeding twice a day with FF. They adjusted just fine and we still feed the same way. They are 19 weeks now.

 

[chickengirl1193]

Im brooding my chicks in the basement on the same table that I have my ff a nd the ff is bubbling and smelling great so I decided to let my chicks try a small bit since its only the 16% pullet grower (that I mix with their 24% starter for 20%) and they already filled up on their dry feed.
So I put it in the brooder and at first they didnt know it was food so I sprinkled dry food on top and oh my goodness! They licked the bowl clean! So I started them their own batch. Cant wait to give it to my older pullets in the morning!
One question I have, is it bad to keep the fermented feed inside like in a basement? Or should it be kept somewhere cooler?

 

[Beekissed]

Not at all, unless you have a high mold colony there and then you might see some secondary mold growth on your bucket sides and scoop. No problems...come summer I keep mine out in the coop in much more warm temps than that.

 

[chickengirl1193]

Okay because I think ill keep it in the laundry room until I make room in the garage. For my layers should I just be fermenting their regular feed? Im feeding them grower right now but it's almost gone so then I'm going to get them a layer pellet since they are actively laying and eating a ton of oyster shell

 

[MandalaMaMa]

Late in the afternoon I usually give the girls some yogurt with mash left over for their crumbles and cooked rice or oatmeal but today I thought I'd try something different . Instead I gave them a scoop of FF with some cooked white rice mixed in. Oh my gosh, they devoured it in less than 5 minutes. I was shocked. Has anyone else mixed something with their FF as a treat?