FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[RoseMarie1]

Well mine should get their fill of meat in the next few weeks. A friend of ours was telling us of someone that had a huge bag of deer meat in their freezer they needed out of it. So we went and got it and someone had frozen the whole deer in a trash bag and didn't even tie up the bag. Had cut the shoulders and everything off and just threw it in the bag. When I FINALLY got it all thawed out it was freezer burnt and had a strong smell to it. Not a rotten smell but like a strong smell which let me know or makes me think it was ran by dogs for awhile. Anyway I washed it and threw some of it into the largest pot I own and boiled it for the critters. 3 cats a dog and the chickens. I had so much of it that I have got to boil another pot later. Anyway they sure did enjoy all that meat this evening. Freezing the other for later in gallon zip locks. Made me sick it was freezer burnt but am glad I got it and it wasn't just thrown in the trash because at least the critters will enjoy it. Just hope they don't come to expect eating like this after this is gone. lol There was at least 30 pounds of meat in that bag.

 

[kpgoldstar]

The last several days my girls are not eating their FF. They have been on it since 2 wks old and are now 8 months. It's the only food they've ever had other than some kitchen scraps. It is very warm here, the last 2 days it has hit 109. I don't expect them to be all that hungry with the excessive heat but they are barely eating at all. I also got zero eggs Sat, 2 eggs each the last 3 days when we were consistently getting 4 a day. The FF is in my kitchen but even my house is over 80 and my cold water out of my faucet is warm. It will be like this until September at the earliest. The FF is really strong smelling, not bad just super duper fermented strong. I started making smaller batches when it started warming up since my backslop leftovers were really fermented. But since they aren't eating very much my small batches are still lasting 5+ days.

Would anyone recommend just feeding wet pellets for the summer months? I don't want to feed only dry as I like the hydration FF offers along with all the other benefits. I almost feel I could leave it in the fridge and it would still be OK! I sprinkled some BOSS on the top of their trough to get them remotely interested in the feed and they gobbled that up just fine. They also plowed through some leftover spaghetti squash rinds and cauliflower, grapes and cabbage. Just not eating their food.

This is my first year with chickens and I knew my summers were going to be a challenge. They are handling it otherwise well so far, no panting or splaying of wings. I sprinkle down the lawn when they get let out after work and they have access to full shade all day long.

 

[niqueie]

My chickens eggs went down from 11-14 eggs a day to 7-8 a day when it was really hot here. They also weren't much interested in the feed either. They would eat it but I think the grains in it don't appeal to them when it got hot. I don't think the wet feed vs FF will make it much different so I'd stick with FF. I think it's the grains themselves. Make a little smaller batches even from where you are now with the small batches. Maybe try sprouting the boss instead to give them some nutrition. My girls love the sprouted BOSS.

Glad your chickens are handling it better than mine did. We had the terribly hot santa Anna winds here with the fires in San Diego. Luckily the winds were blowing smoke and ash away from where we live so not much smoke here. We aren't used to high heat here and the majority of homes here don't have AC. It got up to 102. Not bad for some parts of the country but awful for us. One of my brahmas looked like she was going to keel over. I gave them a bin of water to step in and tons to drink (none of them got the idea of stepping in the water). They also had shaded areas to go to but they were having a rough time of it. We are back to our normal temps (65-80) now and they look tons better. We got 11 eggs yesterday and 9 today.

 

[winteree]

My chickens eggs went down from 11-14 eggs a day to 7-8 a day when it was really hot here. They also weren't much interested in the feed either. They would eat it but I think the grains in it don't appeal to them when it got hot. I don't think the wet feed vs FF will make it much different so I'd stick with FF. I think it's the grains themselves. Make a little smaller batches even from where you are now with the small batches. Maybe try sprouting the boss instead to give them some nutrition. My girls love the sprouted BOSS.

Glad your chickens are handling it better than mine did. We had the terribly hot santa Anna winds here with the fires in San Diego. Luckily the winds were blowing smoke and ash away from where we live so not much smoke here. We aren't used to high heat here and the majority of homes here don't have AC. It got up to 102. Not bad for some parts of the country but awful for us. One of my brahmas looked like she was going to keel over. I gave them a bin of water to step in and tons to drink (none of them got the idea of stepping in the water). They also had shaded areas to go to but they were having a rough time of it. We are back to our normal temps (65-80) now and they look tons better. We got 11 eggs yesterday and 9 today.

heat stress can be a killer so next time if you can i would suggest putting them on a electrolyte formula along side your normal water they have the bigger packets at most feed-stores if you have allot of birds my grams swears by the save a chick brand

 

[winteree]

The last several days my girls are not eating their FF. They have been on it since 2 wks old and are now 8 months. It's the only food they've ever had other than some kitchen scraps. It is very warm here, the last 2 days it has hit 109. I don't expect them to be all that hungry with the excessive heat but they are barely eating at all. I also got zero eggs Sat, 2 eggs each the last 3 days when we were consistently getting 4 a day. The FF is in my kitchen but even my house is over 80 and my cold water out of my faucet is warm. It will be like this until September at the earliest. The FF is really strong smelling, not bad just super duper fermented strong. I started making smaller batches when it started warming up since my backslop leftovers were really fermented. But since they aren't eating very much my small batches are still lasting 5+ days.

Would anyone recommend just feeding wet pellets for the summer months? I don't want to feed only dry as I like the hydration FF offers along with all the other benefits. I almost feel I could leave it in the fridge and it would still be OK! I sprinkled some BOSS on the top of their trough to get them remotely interested in the feed and they gobbled that up just fine. They also plowed through some leftover spaghetti squash rinds and cauliflower, grapes and cabbage. Just not eating their food.

This is my first year with chickens and I knew my summers were going to be a challenge. They are handling it otherwise well so far, no panting or splaying of wings. I sprinkle down the lawn when they get let out after work and they have access to full shade all day long.

have you tried giving them a electrolyte formula along side their normal water like save a chick? My grams swears by it but the larger packets for larger flocks are at most feed stores it really helps the girls with egg production while they are having heat stress.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

The last several days my girls are not eating their FF. They have been on it since 2 wks old and are now 8 months. It's the only food they've ever had other than some kitchen scraps. It is very warm here, the last 2 days it has hit 109. I don't expect them to be all that hungry with the excessive heat but they are barely eating at all. I also got zero eggs Sat, 2 eggs each the last 3 days when we were consistently getting 4 a day. The FF is in my kitchen but even my house is over 80 and my cold water out of my faucet is warm. It will be like this until September at the earliest. The FF is really strong smelling, not bad just super duper fermented strong. I started making smaller batches when it started warming up since my backslop leftovers were really fermented. But since they aren't eating very much my small batches are still lasting 5+ days.

Would anyone recommend just feeding wet pellets for the summer months? I don't want to feed only dry as I like the hydration FF offers along with all the other benefits. I almost feel I could leave it in the fridge and it would still be OK! I sprinkled some BOSS on the top of their trough to get them remotely interested in the feed and they gobbled that up just fine. They also plowed through some leftover spaghetti squash rinds and cauliflower, grapes and cabbage. Just not eating their food.

This is my first year with chickens and I knew my summers were going to be a challenge. They are handling it otherwise well so far, no panting or splaying of wings. I sprinkle down the lawn when they get let out after work and they have access to full shade all day long.

I agree about the extra hydration of the FF ... especially when it's as hot as you're experiencing. I don't get too many days of high heat here, but the birds do go off their food a bit, and do slow down egg production.

You might try putting the portion of FF you're going to feed out the next morning in the refrigerator over night ... so when you put it out it is nice and cool (leave the rest of the batch at room temperature so it can keep fermenting, and I agree about making the batches smaller so it isn't so much more fermented compared to before that they don't recognize it ... ?? ). You could feed them in smaller batches more often, so they are getting a nice "cool" treat several times per day ... like humans eating ice cream to cool down in the heat of summer.

Also, you might want to try cooling their water somehow ... they prefer to not drink water that is over a certain temperature. Some people put frozen milk jugs in their large waterers like "ice." This way you can swap out and re-freeze the jugs. Try to keep their water cool all day long so they can sip a little to be cool.

Do they have a little tray of water then can step in to cool their feet? Some people have misters ... I bet there are a lot of great ideas here at BYC about keeping chickens cool.

 

[Beekissed]

The last several days my girls are not eating their FF. They have been on it since 2 wks old and are now 8 months. It's the only food they've ever had other than some kitchen scraps. It is very warm here, the last 2 days it has hit 109. I don't expect them to be all that hungry with the excessive heat but they are barely eating at all. I also got zero eggs Sat, 2 eggs each the last 3 days when we were consistently getting 4 a day. The FF is in my kitchen but even my house is over 80 and my cold water out of my faucet is warm. It will be like this until September at the earliest. The FF is really strong smelling, not bad just super duper fermented strong. I started making smaller batches when it started warming up since my backslop leftovers were really fermented. But since they aren't eating very much my small batches are still lasting 5+ days.

Would anyone recommend just feeding wet pellets for the summer months? I don't want to feed only dry as I like the hydration FF offers along with all the other benefits. I almost feel I could leave it in the fridge and it would still be OK! I sprinkled some BOSS on the top of their trough to get them remotely interested in the feed and they gobbled that up just fine. They also plowed through some leftover spaghetti squash rinds and cauliflower, grapes and cabbage. Just not eating their food.

This is my first year with chickens and I knew my summers were going to be a challenge. They are handling it otherwise well so far, no panting or splaying of wings. I sprinkle down the lawn when they get let out after work and they have access to full shade all day long.

I wouldn't give just wet feed, whatever you do....hot temps, wet feed...disaster unless they were to clean it right up. It can sit there and grow the baddies really quickly in those temps.

Don't worry about less feed consumption in those temps...my birds barely eat anything when it's very hot. Mostly they are conserving their energy and getting rid of the humidity by sitting in the cool dust and panting or foraging only in the cool of the morning and evenings.

Just keep your feed a little more soggy as suggested and make smaller batches that can be fed out quicker. Feed amounts always change with the seasons but most folks don't notice it as much because they use continuous feeders, but those of us who feed by the meal always notice a decrease in feed consumption in the hottest days of summer....and it just happens to coincide with decreased egg production for some breeds but it's not the cause of the decrease. They are going to start molting soon and so new feathers may already be forming for some breeds in some areas.

I didn't feed at all yesterday and the birds foraged for all their feed...this morning they had full crops all the same. I gave them a little breakfast just to see if they were hungry....but they just nibbled and went back to foraging....better foods for them out there and ones that are easier to digest.

 

[birdlady79]

I wouldn't give just wet feed, whatever you do....hot temps, wet feed...disaster unless they were to clean it right up.  It can sit there and grow the baddies really quickly in those temps.

Don't worry about less feed consumption in those temps...my birds barely eat anything when it's very hot.  Mostly they are conserving their energy and getting rid of the humidity by sitting in the cool dust and panting or foraging only in the cool of the morning and evenings. 

Just keep your feed a little more soggy as suggested and make smaller batches that can be fed out quicker.  Feed amounts always change with the seasons but most folks don't notice it as much because they use continuous feeders, but those of us who feed by the meal always notice a decrease in feed consumption in the hottest days of summer....and it just happens to coincide with decreased egg production for some breeds but it's not the cause of the decrease.  They are going to start molting soon and so new feathers may already be forming for some breeds in some areas. 

I didn't feed at all yesterday and the birds foraged for all their feed...this morning they had full crops all the same.  I gave them a little breakfast just to see if they were hungry....but they just nibbled and went back to foraging....better foods for them out there and ones that are easier to digest.

I'm glad you posted this.... I've noticed feed consumption going down in my flock... It's in the 90's here..... I actually stopped FF right now bc I was scared it would spoil during the day bc they wernt eating it... . I'll start back up and do smaller amounts ....they do free range in morning and at night... I've also been giving cold watermelon and stuff...

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I'm glad you posted this.... I've noticed feed consumption going down in my flock... It's in the 90's here..... I actually stopped FF right now bc I was scared it would spoil during the day bc they wernt eating it... . I'll start back up and do smaller amounts ....they do free range in morning and at night... I've also been giving cold watermelon and stuff...

I'd be a bit concerned that sugar water treats like watermelon might give them the runs, which would make any tendency toward dehydration worse?

Anyone with actual knowledge about that have an informed opinion?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It may be a good idea to just give a small FF serving first thing in the morning so they get some complete nutrition.
Since chickens eat to satisfy energy needs, they definitely eat less the hotter it gets.