FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[ChickenCanoe]

My girls will be 20 weeks on Tuesday. Standard hatchery RIR's. If they were production reds I would expect some egg laying behavior by now. No squatting, no gap in the pelvic bone and no interest in the nesting boxes yet. Here are a few pics of them showing off their newly developed combs and wattles. Snoop in the first pic, Lemon in the second and Leticia in the third. Dottie got photographed last night and she has the smallest, most pale comb of all 4 with almost no wattles so she let her sisters have the stage today. You can see Dot in the background of the second pic.

Now that the days are getting longer they should all be developing soon.

Mine haven't had much ranging opportunities this winter either but they are still only eating 1/2 c. per bird and maintaining good condition. I think it has a lot to do with breed also....my breeds were chosen for feed thrift and then culled for the same, so they can maintain good conditioning on less feed than other breeds and birds. That's one aspect of saving on feeds that many just don't understand....there are breeds that over eat and store fat and then there are breeds that can't seem to hold condition without larger portions of feed.

The key is to get breeds known for maintaining good condition and laying on minimal feed input. If you really want to save money on feed and also have a healthier flock that you don't constantly have to tweak with feed ration supplements, try getting breeds and birds that have a slower metabolism, that forage actively for their feed and that produce well on forage and normal feed rations of protein/carbs.

Flock management is a broad spectrum of things that people need to wrap their minds around...it's more than adding feed to birds to get eggs. So much more.

X2.
They're not egg machines. They're various breeds of individuals that happen to produce hen fruit, some prolifically.

I don't have any forage to speak of anywhere so I've kept them in the pens they've been in for a while. It's getting back to zero at night this week so nothing's growing. I might let each flock free range on rotating days and see if they can find anything to eat. At least they'll have fun trying.
I'm hoping after next week, the weather will at least stay above freezing during the day so I don't have to carry so much water. I can also start planting forage and rotating pastures.

 

[Beekissed]

I don't have any forage to speak of anywhere so I've kept them in the pens they've been in for a while. It's getting back to zero at night this week so nothing's growing. I might let each flock free range on rotating days and see if they can find anything to eat. At least they'll have fun trying.
I'm hoping after next week, the weather will at least stay above freezing during the day so I don't have to carry so much water. I can also start planting forage and rotating pastures.

CC, you might find this thread of interest: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ur-yard-for-increasing-free-ranging-nutrition

And this link of value! http://www.feedipedia.org/node/245

 

[neopolitancrazy]

]

... I think it has a lot to do with breed also....my breeds were chosen for feed thrift and then culled for the same, so they can maintain good conditioning on less feed than other breeds and birds...

The key is to get breeds known for maintaining good condition and laying on minimal feed input....

Flock management is a broad spectrum of things that people need to wrap their minds around...it's more than adding feed to birds to get eggs.  So much more. 

Amen, sister!!!
However, I chose to work with a rare breed in very marginal condition, so feed efficiency has not been emphasized in my breed for a very long time, if it ever was. My birds have been dewormed just in case they had microscopic parasites, no visible internal or external parasites, none found in the butchered cockerels, either. They seem to genuinely need that much feed to maintain condition.

I only mentioned my "special" birds in case someone else is having a similar difficulty.

 

[neopolitancrazy]

[quote name="LeslieDJoyce" url="/t/645057/fermented-feeds-anyone-using-them/1930# Properly caring for animals is responsibility enough without having to solve the puzzle of what the saboteurs have been up to ... [/quote]

Yeah, but mildly to moderately demented folks genuinely think they remembered to do the chores.

 

[pegm]

Amen to that. Even when my Mom had mild dementia, she swore she as cutting her grass, etc, and even when I showed her the 6" grass, she said she cut it the day before. Same with laundry, showers and food. Very, very sad condition that breaks your heart, and hers, when she has that rare flash of reason.

I am blessed with a super conscientious neighbor that looked after my girls when we were gone for a week recently, and it looked perfect when we got back. He even vacuumed the breezeway with a vac he found in the garage (which is what it is for). Above and beyond the call of duty. Him I gotta keep around. One of those very rare people who rent and keep the place immaculate.

 

[Beekissed]

Amen to that. Even when my Mom had mild dementia, she swore she as cutting her grass, etc, and even when I showed her the 6" grass, she said she cut it the day before. Same with laundry, showers and food. Very, very sad condition that breaks your heart, and hers, when she has that rare flash of reason.

I am blessed with a super conscientious neighbor that looked after my girls when we were gone for a week recently, and it looked perfect when we got back. He even vacuumed the breezeway with a vac he found in the garage (which is what it is for). Above and beyond the call of duty. Him I gotta keep around. One of those very rare people who rent and keep the place immaculate.

Those folks are priceless! I'm one of those kind of renters....I pay rent a half month ahead of time, never miss, make improvements on the structures and land without charging the landlord and leave it better than I found it.

 

[pegm]

We were the same way when we rented. Always left it looking better than when we moved in. A rare breed today. We fortunately rented my Mom's house (which is where we live now after renovating it)

, to a couple we knew, and they kept it pretty well, but weren't yard people. We have 2 rentals around us, one with Larry the good guy, don't know about the others as they just moved in. Combat vet with wife and 2 kids, 3 more on the weekends. We shall see. They seemed very nice when I introduced myself.

Fortunately, all the neighbors like the chickens

.

 

[pegm]

PS to my last post, Bee, somehow I knew you would be one of the good guys! Rent or own.

 

[Beekissed]

PS to my last post, Bee, somehow I knew you would be one of the good guys! Rent or own.

Thank you!

 

[Faerie]

Started my fermented feed today, picking up my chicks on Wed. It has already almost doubled in size.