FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[LeslieDJoyce]

That should be helpful!  Whenever I look for what goes for a specie of animal, I always look at their wild diet and then try to adapt what I feed to that as much as possible....here are a few links that describe a little about the diets of some types of wild ducks....sadly enough I Googled for a very long time to just get these few...you are right, the info out there is mighty slim.  My thinking is this...if the wild ducks can eat it, so can mine, no matter the breed. 

http://www.outdoorlife.com/articles/hunting/2007/09/duck-diets

In the above article it describes some of the many seed grains and grass seeds the various breeds feed on for a large part of their diets.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mallard#Feeding


After reading a fair ton on ducks just now I'm wishing I had a body of water for the ones I have coming, even if it's just a slough filled with seepage, because a lot of what they are going to need for breeding and reproducing is located in the water and around water.  I'm doubting I could ever replicate the diet a wild duck is able to find but I'll likely try a few things to attract the things they like to eat.  We'll see how it all goes....if I can't provide them a quality life, I'll likely get out of ducks. 

Metzer farms has a blog on managing waterfowl that Holderread contributes to. It's about as helpful as anything else I've found.

Our ducks have done okay with little kiddie pools. You can fill them every day without wasting a lot of water, or less frequently. But I want to upgrade to some more sturdy water troughs that have drains at the bottom so the flimsy kiddy pools don't have to be flipped.

They like to lay eggs in the water ... they'll sleep in the kiddie pool if you let them. They definitely like to mate in there. And poo. But they don't really need it 24/7.

They live for mud!

 

[jerrey]

thanks bee with 17 chickens how big should the chicken house be

I do free ranging

 

[Beekissed]

thanks bee with 17 chickens how big should the chicken house be

Most folks in books recommend 4 sq ft per bird but I like to advise going higher than that if you can, even if you free range. If you can't, the 4 sq ft is a bottom line to start from, but I wouldn't go any lower than that unless you have other options for them to exist in when weather is too bad to get out, like a covered run or lounging shed or some such. If you live where the weather doesn't get bad and you never have to confine the birds to the coop you can get by with less but I wouldn't overload it. Sixteen birds in an 8x8 gives you the 4 but since you free range you should be able to get by with it and the one extra...especially if you start a deep litter in your coop that can contain the fecal load and turn the coop environment into a healthier place to be, but remember if you go to deep litter to make sure you have really good, open air cooping...lots of windows and venting, both upper and lower.

I've got space for 20 using the 4 rule and I free range, but you see how quickly that space looks like a little box when they are confined due to deep snow...and I only have 9-10 birds in my coop most of the time now, so I'm giving them 8 and it still looks small. Crowding causes issues of squabbling, fighting, pecking, etc. and decreases the air quality of the coop, so I always advise to err on too much space rather than just enough or too little.

 

[n3kms]

Our feed has similar ingredients. It's the only feed I've ever fermented, so I can't compare. It's great there are fermented products already in the feed...more nutrient density feed to begin with. I don't believe those "dried fermented products" are live cultures, though. There might some live ones, but I wouldn't count on it. But no matter, because you will get plenty when you ferment the feed. My research for the last few years on probiotics, lactic acid bacteria in particular, is that they are VERY VERY helpful (essential, IMO) to not only digestion but overall health and immunity. I will never again eat a diet (nor feed one to my animals) that doesn't contain live fermented foods of some kind every day.

Thanks to those who have answered about the feed that already has probiotics. Makes me feel better. I had just not known about those from feeds I had found locally. I'll just gradually transition to this new feed and continue to ferment.

 

[Bethel3330]

My understanding from what I've gathered is that the seeds could be used just like any other whole grain, so you could use it as a scratch or work it into a ration if you took it's nutritional levels into account. I haven't done much research yet on how it compares to other grains, I just know it's supposed to make great animal feed, and grow very well here since it's a hot climate grain. Herbivores can eat the stalks too, they're sweet like sweetcorn or sugarcane so a good source of energy, which I will exploit for by rabbits as well. I got seedlings at a local exchange from a gentleman who's been growing it near here and saving his seed. I'm also looking forward to making some breads and porridges and such, maybe even some sorghum beer, for when the animal chores are all finished up and it's time to kick back...

that's awesome, thanks! All very good ideas. When my friend told me that, I had no clue. The only thing I knew to do with it was make molasses

 

[Beekissed]

Metzer farms has a blog on managing waterfowl that Holderread contributes to. It's about as helpful as anything else I've found.

Our ducks have done okay with little kiddie pools. You can fill them every day without wasting a lot of water, or less frequently. But I want to upgrade to some more sturdy water troughs that have drains at the bottom so the flimsy kiddy pools don't have to be flipped.

They like to lay eggs in the water ... they'll sleep in the kiddie pool if you let them. They definitely like to mate in there. And poo. But they don't really need it 24/7.

They live for mud!

That's one of the reasons I chose the KCs, from the info on the Metzer's site stating they don't need water to maintain good health. I'll likely give them a large tote and give them a ramp into it...I have a very large tote on hand that's not serving any other purpose. The deeper the water, the less I have to empty and refill, as the sediments can sink to the bottom and not get churned up by their swimming. The tote is dark, so not as likely to promote growth of nasties in that water but I may find myself looking for an underwater seep in this yard and digging a small reservoir....this ridge has a lot of under ground streams and our well is spring fed in that way.

 

[Teila]

I have been lurking and I am hooked; posting so it is easier to keep up

 

[jerrey]

thank you so much you have been very help full I have really enjoyed this site thanks Bee

 

[Beekissed]

thank you so much you have been very help full I have really enjoyed this site thanks Bee

You're welcome! Stick around awhile and come back when you can...I've learned so much here myself, so it's a great place to exchange ideas and garner new ones.

 

[niqueie]

thank you so much you have been very help full I have really enjoyed this site thanks Bee

I've really loved the deep litter that bee recommends. I have 15 chickens in a very open coop and they are in 8x11' coop. They seem very happy there, but I have an auto door that pops open at sunrise and closes at dark. They are outside all day roaming as we live in coastal California.