FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[Angiebubs]

OK Thanks for clarifying. I have been feeding fermented feed for the past 2 years....while also leaving dry food in hanging feeders inside the coop. I havent fed FF during the winters due to: not having a place for the smell inside, with 30 birds-too large or too many containers, dragging the FF out to the coop in several feet of snow.

I usually add a handful of scratch to the 5 gal container of FF when I refill it. I recently bought a 50 lb bag of kelp and have added aprox. 1/4 cup to the mixture. Does anyone else use Kelp and if so how much? (They havent been interested in the dried kelp alone that I put into the container next to the oyster shell.

 

[LindaB220]

Finally got to the point where I had to start all over.

I moved the FF out of the house and under the carport a week or two ago. It's been a bit of a battle. Heat would dry it out if left uncovered and it would get flies. Cover it up with a metal plate and the smell would almost knock you over when opening it. Finally got an actual lid that fit and just laid it on the top, hoping to keep out flies, keep in moisture, and still allow some air flow. Not sure how that worked since it didn't last 24 hours before the dog pulled it off and made a chew toy out of it.

But, all that being said, the odor of the FF was getting to be too much for me. I have no real problem with the sour odor. But I started getting notes of vomit and poop. Might not be accurate, but it was awful, and I just couldn't deal with it. So, I only mixed up a small amount with backslopping and I got a new ferment started inside. Yesterday I finished off all of the outside FF. My inside new FF had been going for a few days and was fermenting nicely, so I added a bit more feed to get it thicker and tonight I will start using it.

Not sure if there was a problem or if the outside batch just fermented too much or if the outside batch was actually just fine and only offensive to humans.

It's all a learning experience aatx. If you use any meat meal in it , it's gonna smell worse. But the bottom line is it's not spoiled. Maybe buy one of those screw type lids for the 5 gallon bucket and don't screw it all the way down.

 

[LindaB220]

OK Thanks for clarifying. I have been feeding fermented feed for the past 2 years....while also leaving dry food in hanging feeders inside the coop. I havent fed FF during the winters due to: not having a place for the smell inside, with 30 birds-too large or too many containers, dragging the FF out to the coop in several feet of snow.

I usually add a handful of scratch to the 5 gal container of FF when I refill it. I recently bought a 50 lb bag of kelp and have added aprox. 1/4 cup to the mixture. Does anyone else use Kelp and if so how much? (They havent been interested in the dried kelp alone that I put into the container next to the oyster shell.

Yes, that amount sounds just about right. I also buy Azomite. A rock dust that has like 70 something minerals. Can they do well without it? I'm sure yes, but I want the healthiest birds around. And so far, I've got them.

 

[Angiebubs]

So I could add azomite along with the kelp? And how much of it would you add to a 5 gal pail?

 

[aatx]

It's all a learning experience aatx. If you use any meat meal in it , it's gonna smell worse. But the bottom line is it's not spoiled. Maybe buy one of those screw type lids for the 5 gallon bucket and don't screw it all the way down.

It was just fermented chick starter. I'm still on the same 50lb bag I started with, so no changes.

 

[LindaB220]

So I could add azomite along with the kelp? And how much of it would you add to a 5 gal pail?

I added 2 T. each for a full bucket.

 

[LindaB220]

It was just fermented chick starter. I'm still on the same 50lb bag I started with, so no changes.

You are good. Just keep feeding and replenish when you get to the last 3" or so. How fast do you go through a 5 gallon bucket. I've been making my 5 gallon bucket about 2/3 full. It lasts about 5 days. But I've got a lot more chicks now and in the 'bator so I'll have to make one and the next day start another. Stay ahead of the game.

 

[aatx]

You are good. Just keep feeding and replenish when you get to the last 3" or so. How fast do you go through a 5 gallon bucket. I've been making my 5 gallon bucket about 2/3 full. It lasts about 5 days. But I've got a lot more chicks now and in the 'bator so I'll have to make one and the next day start another. Stay ahead of the game.

I only fill it about 1/3 full or so and it lasts around 4 days or so before I refresh when I get down to a cup or two. The chicks don't eat that much. They eat grass and things all day in their large run, they get lots of veggies from the garden, we toss them grasshoppers we catch, etc. They all have full crops in the evenings. I have 17 bantams right now that are 9 weeks old. I probably put out about 3-4 cups a day of the feed. They don't finish it up when I put it out, but by the time I go back the next afternoon, the feeder is empty, so they continue feeding from it some the next day. I notice they tend to eat a few bites and then go forage, and repeat.

 

[wolfpup]

OK Thanks for clarifying. I have been feeding fermented feed for the past 2 years....while also leaving dry food in hanging feeders inside the coop. I havent fed FF during the winters due to: not having a place for the smell inside, with 30 birds-too large or too many containers, dragging the FF out to the coop in several feet of snow.

I usually add a handful of scratch to the 5 gal container of FF when I refill it. I recently bought a 50 lb bag of kelp and have added aprox. 1/4 cup to the mixture. Does anyone else use Kelp and if so how much? (They havent been interested in the dried kelp alone that I put into the container next to the oyster shell.

I also use kelp - but mine is fresh - am lucky enough to live 10 min walk from the sea, so whenever we get any rough weather we take the dogs to the beach the next day and get fresh kelp. I just rinse in fresh water and hang some in their run for them to take as they wish. The rest I dry and then crumble into their fermented feed.

 

[Angiebubs]

Quote:
Lucky! I wish I could get fresh kelp!