FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[Angiebubs]

my birds stay messy if their food is too sloppy lol. This way my feather footed chickens don't get it matted 8 their feathers and nine of them get food balls on their claws from scratching in it.

OK so its more for neatness than any fermenting purpose that you all use it in a dryer form?

LOL Mine make messes no matter what.

 

[subhanalah]

OK so its more for neatness than any fermenting purpose that you all use it in a dryer form?

LOL Mine make messes no matter what.

I guess it's also for ease of use, I can scoop up a big ball of it and throw it 8 their bowl/pan without worrying about dripping it everywhere.

 

[LindaB220]

I keep mine a lot more liquidy...like apple sauce. Any reason why it should be thicker? I felt like during the summer, it helps provide more water to them too.

eta: I have been raising chickens for 4 yrs (parrots for a few yrs prior) and only started FF 2 years ago.

If you feed it thicker, they will absorb more nutrients. If they fill up on water they won't want the food. Like when I was a kid I couldn't have a drink until I was finished eating because I would drink it all and not have any room for supper. Plus it makes for runnier stools.

This is what Beekissed told me when I asked.

 

[Angiebubs]

OK good to know. So do you make sure the food is covered in water when in the bucket? Then just drain it when serving? Or do you ferment it dryer too? I use their pellet crumble layer feed and add kelp powder to mine with a handful of scratch now and then to the bucket. I add a scoop of food back to the bucket each day and make sure its covered in water. This has been more of a treat/supplement each morning and evening. For 24 chickens I currently feed probably 6-8 cups each morning and again in the evening?

 

[ak rain]

I think thickness is your choose and of course what birds we'll eat.
I like dryer but I've served it wet too.
Ak rain.
Sorry saw you were answered. Start off wetter to get ferment but dryer works after that. No water over top Is not required.
Ak rain

 

[subhanalah]

If I'm refilling a bucket, I'll stir the water and backslop, then stir in as much food as I can until I can't stir it anymore.
Sometimes I'll add a layer of dry on top then cover that with water.

If my bucket slashes a bit, it's still to moist. If I have little puddles of water in the corners, it's still to wet and I add more food.

I ferment on the drier side too, the lid cracked keeps in a lot of moisture, so the top never dries out.

Gotta be careful though, if the lid is too closed, it'll start to mold near the top and on the lid...that's been my experience anyway.

 

[wonkyflock14]

I guess it's also for ease of use, I can scoop up a big ball of it and throw it 8 their bowl/pan without worrying about dripping it everywhere.

I got a mental picture of this and it was quite amusing! Sometimes I wish I could just thwok a scoop of food in for them. They have been especially messy as of late.

 

[LindaB220]

OK good to know. So do you make sure the food is covered in water when in the bucket? Then just drain it when serving? Or do you ferment it dryer too? I use their pellet crumble layer feed and add kelp powder to mine with a handful of scratch now and then to the bucket. I add a scoop of food back to the bucket each day and make sure its covered in water. This has been more of a treat/supplement each morning and evening. For 24 chickens I currently feed probably 6-8 cups each morning and again in the evening?

I've had great luck by keeping it dryer. Like thick oatmeal. I just dump several 2 c clumps am and pm. They love it because I don't have a run for them yet. Just a good sized dog kennel 7.5' x 12. They perch about 4 ft up and fly all the 12' to get down in the morning. Happy birds.

 

[Tikkijane]

It's a good thing I subscribe to this list....

I think we have a responsibility to clarify bad/wrong/deliverately misleading information. It's not a "difference of opinion."

If I had an egg bound hen and someone told me ro break it and then scoop out the parts with a spoon, I sure as heck hope someone would counter that information as soon as physically possible. Editing is fine if the bad information gets removed.....

 

[birdlady79]

Ok so my garage has to be 100 degrees...I backslopped this morning.... I just went to feed the girls and the ff was already bubbling..which is good.. I tend to keep mine drier... If I'm leaving some in there that's fermented already and adding to it weekly, will the new feed ferment in a day, with it being so hot? should I be keeping 2 containers going? I guess they've got acclimated to this heat and they are eating a lot!