FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[ChickenCanoe]

Good point bee. The level of the water will have some effect on the type of organisms that do most of the populating but both good and bad organisms can be aerobic, anaerobic or in between.

 

[foxvalleyfarm]

Hey everyone I'm pretty new here and have read just about every thread on FF and decided to try it for my babies. I have 10 meaties, and 29 layers all under a month old. So I went to Wal-Mart and got a small pail and put in a bit of my horses' sweet feed, some timonthy pellets, non-medicated chick starter, and some chick Ultra Kibble(its like 36% protien, so I only put a little. I also added UP/ACV with "mother" but I'm worried I added too much of it. The mix smells very strongly of vinegar. Some of my babies prefer it; but most won't touch it, except off the beaks of those that eat it. All advice iks welcome.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Hey everyone I'm pretty new here and have read just about every thread on FF and decided to try it for my babies. I have 10 meaties, and 29 layers all under a month old. So I went to Wal-Mart and got a small pail and put in a bit of my horses' sweet feed, some timonthy pellets, non-medicated chick starter, and some chick Ultra Kibble(its like 36% protien, so I only put a little. I also added UP/ACV with "mother" but I'm worried I added too much of it. The mix smells very strongly of vinegar. Some of my babies prefer it; but most won't touch it, except off the beaks of those that eat it. All advice iks welcome.

I'd advise keeping it more simple. Just put some of the chick starter in the pail with enough water to moisten it, stir, wait, feed.

How much water will take some trial and error, but with a little experimenting you can get it the right proportions so you don't have to strain the feed and it won't be so wet that it caused diarrhea in the chicks -- that saves time and effort. Stir it up really well, let it expand and absorb, and stir it each day at least once. Nothing but chick starter and water. Chick starter is balanced nutrition for younger birds ... IF the "ultra kibble" is a poultry formula, you could add a bit of that in IF you believe the chicks need a higher protein concentration, but also know there is "more protein" in fermented feed.

If you do this in your house it will start to puff up and ferment within 24 hours ... stirring helps collapse the feed a little and integrates everything ... I like it to percolate for a couple of days before feeding, so have separate batchs going so I can feed one while the other percolates.

"Refresh" each bucket before it is completely empty so some of the old batch is incorporated into the new batch.

 

[chickengirl1193]

Hey everyone I'm pretty new here and have read just about every thread on FF and decided to try it for my babies. I have 10 meaties, and 29 layers all under a month old. So I went to Wal-Mart and got a small pail and put in a bit of my horses' sweet feed, some timonthy pellets, non-medicated chick starter, and some chick Ultra Kibble(its like 36% protien, so I only put a little. I also added UP/ACV with "mother" but I'm worried I added too much of it. The mix smells very strongly of vinegar. Some of my babies prefer it; but most won't touch it, except off the beaks of those that eat it. All advice iks welcome.

Out of curiosity why did you add sweet feed?
Mine smelled.highly of vinegar in the beginning and so I stopped adding it and just did water and feed and now it smells more sour, maybe just add more and water to dilute the vinegar? Also it takes some time for them to get.used to it... im.very new at.this so take what I say.with a grain of salt!

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote: It all started when I was about thirteen.... My first horse..... We fed Alfalfa and Molasses as part of the regular feed. I saw how much the horses loved it so I tasted it. very bitter in a good way with sweet after notes.... almost like Black licorice Makes your tongue brown.

I have tasted scratch.... You have to have patience to get it chewed... very good.

Oats too though the crimped oats have a stiff papery outer covering that you need to spit out.

Black oil sunflower seeds... Well that's a no brainer.... but they should not smell rancid. High oil content.

Feed should smell and taste healthy.... Herbivores like horses handle bitter and vinegar differently.... Horses that are allowed to browse some for their own nutrition will be more selective on what they eat they will taste and spit out stuff. Providing they aren't starving.... Bets are off then. I am assuming chickens are the same. Bland and bitter are not something to consider.... Though if you are mixing your own feed from different grains Salt should be added.... Take a look at chicken feed packages and the salt content... It will be low but all animals need a certain amount of it. Taste layer mash or pellets... It has a litte bit of salt taste to it.... very very little.

We humans eat quite a few fermented foods without even realizing it. Even City people may not realize they are... Wine, Yogurt, kiefer, vinegar, Sauerkraut, Kimchee, ... Actually Asians eat alot more fermented food because historically that was their way to preserve things. Some of it is an acquired taste... for sure.

So my logic follows that The initial process of fermenting before its contaminated by feed scoops and other bits from the farm yard can be tasted to find out the flavor profile and connect that with the odor. Now if you say Eeeww... think of Limburger cheese.... Smells like Gawd awful gym shoes that have never been washed. THAT would stop me.. But there are alot of people who say once you get past the smell the taste is awesome.

BTW I tasted every bit of food that went into my sons mouth.... and all of the medications.... I refused to trick my son into eating something new just because "I said so" So when he asked what medicine tasted like I told him in un emotional terms. Like Kind of like Cherry but not sweet... and here is some juice to drink afterwards.... Short and sweet description feed the ikky medicine then give him something to wash it down. The only medicine I didnt tast had him screaming... Doc said to give him Childrens Benedryl... I tasted it .... Alcahol.... Oh I have soo many bad things to say about that Pediatrician..... I eventually fired him.

My rules for food is to taste and be polite.... Especially at someone elses house.

For what its worth Bug parts are not bad for people.... just outside the scope of our culture.

 

[luvblues7]

This may not be the time nor the place for this but since we are discussing more "natural" ways to care for our chickens maybe someone wouldn't mind helping me. I'm wanting to worm my chickens. In the past I've put Wazine in their water, but I REALLY don't like worming them that way. Anyone have a suggestion on how to worm with out using chemicals?

 

[perchie.girl]

Hey everyone I'm pretty new here and have read just about every thread on FF and decided to try it for my babies. I have 10 meaties, and 29 layers all under a month old. So I went to Wal-Mart and got a small pail and put in a bit of my horses' sweet feed, some timonthy pellets, non-medicated chick starter, and some chick Ultra Kibble(its like 36% protien, so I only put a little. I also added UP/ACV with "mother" but I'm worried I added too much of it. The mix smells very strongly of vinegar. Some of my babies prefer it; but most won't touch it, except off the beaks of those that eat it. All advice iks welcome.

Welcome to BYC.... from San Diego

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote: Sweet feed or feed with Molassis in it is full of minerals. Historically used in horse feed to boost the mineral content AND help contain any dust.... Molassis for horse feed has most of the sugar removed from it.... I guarantee you it will jump start the ferment.... LOL.

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

This may not be the time nor the place for this but since we are discussing more "natural" ways to care for our chickens maybe someone wouldn't mind helping me. I'm wanting to worm my chickens. In the past I've put Wazine in their water, but I REALLY don't like worming them that way. Anyone have a suggestion on how to worm with out using chemicals?

I have heard of using Pumpkin seeds.... I personally have never wormed a chicken....

deb

 

[Beekissed]

Hey everyone I'm pretty new here and have read just about every thread on FF and decided to try it for my babies. I have 10 meaties, and 29 layers all under a month old. So I went to Wal-Mart and got a small pail and put in a bit of my horses' sweet feed, some timonthy pellets, non-medicated chick starter, and some chick Ultra Kibble(its like 36% protien, so I only put a little. I also added UP/ACV with "mother" but I'm worried I added too much of it. The mix smells very strongly of vinegar. Some of my babies prefer it; but most won't touch it, except off the beaks of those that eat it. All advice iks welcome.

Just add more feed and water until you've diluted the vinegar. It's going to smell that way eventually and that's okay but might be a little more than your chooks can stand right off. You might want to leave all the additives out and just feed the chick starter at first....you really don't need all those other things to provide good nutrition, especially since you are fermenting a balanced ration like chick starter.

The rest of that stuff throws off your balance on nutrition, adds more fuss and expense to the whole routine, when fermenting the feed is supposed to be about increasing nutrients while saving on feed costs. If you are already loading up on extra, super nutrients, you won't need to ferment the feed.

It's sort of like that old adage "If you are going to worry, don't pray, if you are going to pray, don't worry. One cancels out the other.