FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[LindaB220]

I'm only about half feeding about 110 birds. I haven't ramped up to feeding 100% FF. Though they aren't eating much of the dry feed ...

So when I get my 50 birds and they grow some I'll probably be feeding 1/2 of the 5 gallon bucket? Give or take some.

Mostly DP large fowls

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Quote:
Well, if you calculate 1/4 lb of food per day, that's 12.5 lbs of dry food for 50 birds. I can fit about 12 lbs of dry food into a 5 gallon bucket to leave room for stirring it when it is swollen. So, you'd feed a whole bucket.

Using a different measure ...

If you calculate 1/2 cup of fermented food per chicken per day -- a popular suggestion -- then the maximum "portions" a 5 gallon bucket can hold is 160 (16 cups per gallon, multiplied by 5, then that's multiplied by 2) ... if it's filled to the brim with feed. Which it probably won't be.

I find that the food swells when it starts to ferment, and then shrinks when I stir it ... and presuming you stir it before you feed it, you're serving the "not swollen" version of the feed, and bucket will never be full to capacity. If that makes any sense. Meaning, the most I can "fill" a bucket is about 2/3 of the way so it doesn't overflow during the "swollen" phase ... and allowing room for stirring, I only fill it about 1/2 full (and then it swells to within a few inches of the top, giving me room to stir) ... that brings you back down to about 80 half-cup portions. SO ... if you leave some behind in the bucket for backslopping, you'll probably still feed about an entire 5 gallon bucket each day even on the conservative measure of the rations.

 

[Tikkijane]

Love it!

Thanks!

 

[kpgoldstar]

Can I facepalm on the thread? Is that against the rules? Would that be considered a rude thing to do?

Don't facepalm. Nothing is against the rules, we are all friends and trying to be helpful here. You are not being rude. Sorry this is so late, but ever since you posted this I have felt I needed to reach out to you.

I am so glad you are in the learning process about FF. You used some items most of us would agree are not necessary and questionable. I personally started on FF with baby chicks and only used chick starter and water. No additives, no probiotics, no ACV. Simple stupid, feed and water. My girls are 6 months now and I still feed the same FF out of the same original bucket, just feed and water, but now it is layer ration vs. chick starter.

Through your process of thinking you had ruined the batch and ready to throw it out and start over, you attempted to correct what was going wrong by adding the oatmeal. What you eventually ended up with was a nice fermented product so you learned by doing and got an end result. Was that end result suitable to feed chickens? Maybe not, but you are on the right track for understanding how FF works and realizing you don't need this 2" of water over the top and how to get the great fermented goodness to absorb into a grain and become one of itself.

If you didn't feed this to your flock you can put it in your compost bin. The one thing about adding more to a batch than commercial feed is you now have no control over the nutritional content. If it were me and I had that oatmeal batch you have, I would save it and dose it out as a replacement for kitchen scraps. It is fermented, it is full of good probiotics and nutrition. I just wouldn't use it as a daily ration of feed.

Please keep coming back and asking questions. Start a new batch of FF, fill us in on the details and let us help you. FF has so many benefits, including the driest of poos and a completely stink-free coop.

 

[niqueie]

I also second the welcome and good for you for keeping with the FF. I'm glad your still with us. I think many of the longer term thread followers and posters see people coming from other sites often with very involved process for fermenting and we are big proponents of the simple approach. It gets a little frustrating because of all the complexities that are proposed by other places and then problems start. We all started sometime and know how it feels to do something different. It's hard to switch to something unfamiliar, with doubts as to if it will work right. Sounds like you got things going well. Hope it starts to feel routine and easy. It took me several weeks to work out all the kinks of the feeder, consistency, back slopping, stirring, cover or not to cover, ect.

I can attest to the benefits! Cheaper, healthier, less mess, less stink, easy and my girls love it!

 

[Tikkijane]

 

[Aacre]

Allow that amount of water for the first couple of days. Wait to see how much water your feed absorbs and swells. You may find out you need to add even more water! It really depends on the feed and your conditions. Once you get to about day 3 you will know if there is too much water. Just strain it out to feed, than add more dry food to absorb what you still have in your bucket. Don't get rid of the water.

Thanks! I did leave the water in. I figured it probably wouldn't hurt at all, not for the first few days anyway. It did start to bubble on it's second day in there, and has that sourdough smell to it. My feed is more of a course powder and it didn't swell much, but the particles did puff up more. Now I have them eating it since it's the third day, and they are cautiously eating it- they aren't stopping, but it is new for them, and I think they really do enjoy it. The ducklings really gobbled it down as fast as they could! And my chicks must've eaten earlier this am because they aren't all over it as much. Maybe later!

I see a real future with this fermented feed!!

 

[Ms Jellybean]

I'm getting my first chicks tomorrow! I'm getting silkies to start off with and hopefully next year I can get big girls to join them. My FF has been going just over a week now and is looking good. I fed it fresh food in Friday. I am so excited!

Here is my brooder. It's overkill, I know, but I have 3 cats that will make a quick snack out of a chick. The kennel is huge! A Great Dane (or 2 German Shepherds) can fit in there nicely. I can too for that matter. It's all screened in so it is hopefully escape proof. I have everything ready to go.


I love zip ties.

 

[Tikkijane]

I'm getting my first chicks tomorrow! I'm getting silkies to start off with and hopefully next year I can get big girls to join them. My FF has been going just over a week now and is looking good. I fed it fresh food in Friday. I am so excited! Here is my brooder. It's overkill, I know, but I have 3 cats that will make a quick snack out of a chick. The kennel is huge! A Great Dane (or 2 German Shepherds) can fit in there nicely. I can too for that matter. It's all screened in so it is hopefully escape proof. I have everything ready to go. I love zip ties.

Check to see- my chicks could fit right through the grate for the first week or so. Yours may have smaller gaps. I don't know if your cats have front claws, but they can stick their arms/pawsbin those, too. What kind of screen? {I'm on my phone and can't enlarge the pic to see.} My only other thinking is if I'm not using a quail water base, I always put rocks/marbles in the base because chicks drop where they are and can drown.

 

[Tikkijane]

Check to see- my chicks could fit right through the grate for the first week or so. Yours may have smaller gaps. I don't know if your cats have front claws, but they can stick their arms/pawsbin those, too. What kind of screen? {I'm on my phone and can't enlarge the pic to see.}

My only other thinking is if I'm not using a quail water base, I always put rocks/marbles in the base because chicks drop where they are and can drown.

PS- don't forget to quarantine for 30 days min. any time you add new flock members.

Have fun!