FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[MandalaMaMa]

Okay I just wanted to share what happened this morning. Normally I set my red bowl of FF on the ground right outside the coop every morning while I let the girls out and give them some dry food. (Still giving them a bit of dry food just incase something comes up and I don’t get their afternoon FF to them.) They are not allowed to free range but have a nice day run. Anyway my Wynodotte is always the first out of the hen house and today she snuck past me, out the coop door and right to the red bowl of FF. I was so surprised. Usually I put the red bowl of food in their day run after I let them out. I guess she was hungry this morning and didn’t want to wait. They truly love their FF.

 

[SavageDestiny]

Okay I just wanted to share what happened this morning. Normally I set my red bowl of FF on the ground right outside the coop every morning while I let the girls out and give them some dry food. (Still giving them a bit of dry food just incase something comes up and I don’t get their afternoon FF to them.) They are not allowed to free range but have a nice day run. Anyway my Wynodotte is always the first out of the hen house and today she snuck past me, out the coop door and right to the red bowl of FF. I was so surprised. Usually I put the red bowl of food in their day run after I let them out. I guess she was hungry this morning and didn’t want to wait. They truly love their FF.

That is so cute! What a smart girl to get the bowl to herself.

 

[kpgoldstar]

I just got our first egg!! Wahoo!!!!!


Everyone here is so excited. Couldn't wait to share.

Also try feeding 1/2 -3/4 cups of FF per bird per day at first and adjust from there. They should clean it all up in about a half an hour.

YIIIIPPPPEEEEE!!!!!

 

[Cooper Farms]

I feed my chicks, hens and roosters the FF this morning for the first time and to my surprise they ate it like crazy even though they have plenty of regular feed I came right in and started making another batch

 

[fosterson]

I practically have to fend my flock off when they see me show up with the FF bucket. Seriously, my chickens need some training They're terrible in the mornings. Like they've never been fed or something!

 

[Audio51]

I practically have to fend my flock off when they see me show up with the FF bucket. Seriously, my chickens need some training They're terrible in the mornings. Like they've never been fed or something!

Mine are the same way.....lots of pushing and shoving going on at the feeder. They forage in the afternoon though.

 

[kpgoldstar]

Mine used to be the same way in the morning. They have been of FF since 3 weeks old and are now at 20 weeks. As they have matured they are much more mellow and sometimes even cruise into the run to see what treats I may have brought them before settling in on the FF trough. The evenings however are a different story. They race around the side of the wall from the coop to where they get their snack and if I haven't put it out yet, they all stand around the sliding glass door staring in waiting for me to bring it out. Then it is like fending back vultures when I go to set it down. They do get scolded if they try to jump for the bowl.
I think Leticia may have squatted this afternoon!! I reached for the empty food tray and she was next to it and lowered herself with wings slightly spread.
Thanks fosterson for my bands! Everyone is clearly identified!

 

[fosterson]

I think Leticia may have squatted this afternoon!! I reached for the empty food tray and she was next to it and lowered herself with wings slightly spread.
Thanks fosterson for my bands! Everyone is clearly identified!

Sure thing! Glad to be of help And it sounds like a squat to me!

 

[Tikkijane]

I practically have to fend my flock off when they see me show up with the FF bucket. Seriously, my chickens need some training They're terrible in the mornings. Like they've never been fed or something! 

Mine are like this every single time; all day long. I know I say this a lot, it it's true and I think it every single time- I am glad they are not bigger because I'd be on the menu! There is something hilarious and yet a wee bit unsettling to hear a flock of chickens stampeding toward you.

 

[Katt66]

I just got our first egg!! Wahoo!!!!!


Everyone here is so excited. Couldn't wait to share.

Also try feeding 1/2 -3/4 cups of FF per bird per day at first and adjust from there. They should clean it all up in about a half an hour.

Awesome! And congrats on the egg. First eggs are so exciting.

And thanks for the feeding amount advice there. I actually just sat down there to look around and see if I could find that exact thing. I've got 10 birds, 9 layers and 1 rooster. I've graduated from my pretty mason jar to a 5qt ice cream bucket that I make my feed in. Nothing fancy just run of the mill feedstore layer crumbles.

Originally when I started using the FF it was specifically for my crossbeak EE rooster who had trouble with pellets and mash and crumbles. I started out with no great expectations but simply wetting a jar of feed and that led to fermenting it in the end. I had a 1gal hanging feeder that I'd keep topped off and would just put one bowl of FF down for the rooster once a day. Everybody else loves it as well but when it was empty they had the dry feed to pick at throughout the day so I wasn't worried about making sure I was feeding them enough FF. About a week ago, however, I noticed a couple of holes in the plastic at the back of the enclosed run. I patched them up with duct tape. And for three days the duct tape would be peeled off and they'd be reopened again. At first I blamed my stupid German Shorthair, thinking he'd just pawed at the plastic and put a hole in it. Then as I looked closer I realized it wasn't just random dog scratches but you could see how something had actually peeled the tape off and crawled through the opening. It was rounded out and pushed flat on the edges. I'm thinking I have a rat. Never seen one around here before but it's way too big of a hole for my usual suspects, the voles who go after the quail's feeder.

So, long story short, I took out the dry feeder completely and have not been letting them have free access to food day and night to try and deter my little bandit from helping himself as well. After a week, the holes are no longer being reopened and there are no more little sneaky footprints in the snow around the run or coop. So I think he's gone elsewhere in search of dinner. But this leaves me with the question now of making sure I'm feeding them enough FF if that's going to be their only source of food from now on. Since taking out the dry feeder I've been giving them half the 5qt bucket of FF once a day. If my math is correct, there are 20cups of FF in a 5qt bucket so that's 10cups of FF I'm feeding 10 chickens once a day. (If I'm off work I'll split it into morning and evening feedings instead) So far *knocks wood* everybody seems to be doing fine. Their crops are full and they are nice and heavy. Not thick breasts on them but not really pointy and sharp either. I know they're layers so I don't expect those crazy full breasts like the fattened meat chickens from WalMart

So I guess I just keep an eye on their condition and as long as everybody's feathers are good, they're laying well and remain well filled out we should be fine.