FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[debbiegt]

I learned a great trick on chlorinated water. If you crush some vit. C tablets into water the vitamin c chemically adheres to the chlorine and binds it in a non-toxic form. I use it every time I add water from the tap to my fish tank. Fish are super sensitive to chlorine or chloramine (which is what we have in our water). I have not had one fish die after I started using the vit c tablet crushed. It works and adds value to the health of the chickens too, it's much cheaper and easier than fish tank de-chlorinators.
I don't use it in my FF though and have a great ferment going. But I have a 5gal bucket so it's large scale compared to a quart jar. It might make a difference.

what ratio do you us per gallon of water?

 

[Aphrael]

Why not put just about 3/4 cup of your ff that is already going in your small batches for your chicks to get it going in the right direction. Thinking like Bee here. hee hee

I feel so silly... I have NO idea why I never thought of that. I make sure to have some of the previous batch still in the bucket when I refill and get the next one going so it goes faster. But somehow my brain never made the leap (hop?) to putting a dollop of the already fermenting mix as a start for the small batches of chick feed. I will definitely give that a shot next time and see if I get better results. Thanks for the idea!

what ratio do you us per gallon of water?

Good question. Watching for the answer.

 

[ak rain]

I would think the ratio of water to feed is variable. Like making bread you have to adjust to get feel right. This amount will be diff for the rainforest I live in to dry areas you may live in.

 

[niqueie]

I think she was referring to my vitamin c in the water for de-chlorination. The source I saw is 2 milligrams per liter. But I put in 1000-1500 mg per 50-80 gallon water change in my fish. I don't know the chlorination level of my water but it's pretty bad. Also my fish try to eat it when I put it in so I never know how much gets activated. Probably for FF you could do the prescribed 2 mg per liter.

Here is the article of research.
http://www.fs.fed.us/t-d/pubs/html/05231301/05231301.html

 

[ak rain]

I think she was referring to my vitamin c in the water for de-chlorination. ......ml

Thank you for catching that's what I get for reading too fast.
Ak rain

 

[RoseMarie1]

I feel so silly... I have NO idea why I never thought of that. I make sure to have some of the previous batch still in the bucket when I refill and get the next one going so it goes faster. But somehow my brain never made the leap (hop?) to putting a dollop of the already fermenting mix as a start for the small batches of chick feed. I will definitely give that a shot next time and see if I get better results. Thanks for the idea!

Good question. Watching for the answer.

you're welcome. Hey I do the very same thing and think duh now WHY didn't you think of that. lol We all do it I'm sure.

 

[wolfpup]

Got 8 new little girls!






3 x Amber stars (Amber, Goldie and Flecks)
2 x Sussex Stars (Snowy and Snowflake)
2 x Bluebelles (Misty and belle)
1 x Buff Barred (Buffy)

I got five on Wednesday - then on Friday morning hubby said he liked them so much he said he wouldn't mind a few more - I left immediately before he changed his mind and went got another three. Put them in with the first five - no problems whatsoever - probably because the others were still settling in - but also I got them from the same flock so they may have remembered them.

They wont be laying for another 6 weeks or so as they are only 18-20 weeks old. Really impressed with the place I got them from, all have lovely fluffy butts, bright eyed - just very flighty at the mo as they have not been handled. I checked each one over carefully as I chose them - all totally clean.

They all took to the fermented feed with no problems - and are eating me out of house and home! No problems with any of them (apart from an occasional peck from one of them) - I have two coops and they all crowded into one of them last night daft things. Its taking them time to get used to the dogs and cats - one of my cats likes to stalk them and sit on top of one of their runs but they are better today than yesterday, they now realize the cat cannot actually get at them.

I have a purpose-made dust bath for them


So of course they all ignored it and made two new ones in the last run section (their run can be split into three sections - so I can cut off one to let the weeds and grass grow back) They all appear to be calm and quiet - but I suppose the noise will start when they lay their first eggs ................... my other girls really let the world know every time they laid an egg.

Had to go from a 10 litre bucket to a 5 gallon bucket as they went through half the 10 litre bucket in one day so last night I hastily got another bucket going, greedy little things - they certainly like their fermented feed, but they may slow down again in a few days once they have gotten all that goodness inside of them.

 

[azygous]

The chicken I have that is sick is my rooster, and he certainly is acting sick, all right. Now it appears another hen is coming down with the same thing, displaying the same white and green watery poop. Before the rooster got sick, his mother was sick from what appeared to be the same thing. Yes, she acted sick, too. She recovered after ten days on amoxicillin.

All my flock as been on FF for a good part of a year now. I thought FF prevented bacterial infections in the gut, which is what this appears to be, and was one of the motivating factors for me to start feeding FF.

The lab is working on the stool sample and says they will have the results in a couple days. I'll let you know what they find, although they warned me they may not find anything since the rooster has been on antibiotics and it can mask the pathogen.

 

[LindaB220]

Got 8 new little girls!






3 x Amber stars (Amber, Goldie and Flecks)
2 x Sussex Stars (Snowy and Snowflake)
2 x Bluebelles (Misty and belle)
1 x Buff Barred (Buffy)

I got five on Wednesday - then on Friday morning hubby said he liked them so much he said he wouldn't mind a few more - I left immediately before he changed his mind and went got another three. Put them in with the first five - no problems whatsoever - probably because the others were still settling in - but also I got them from the same flock so they may have remembered them.

They wont be laying for another 6 weeks or so as they are only 18-20 weeks old. Really impressed with the place I got them from, all have lovely fluffy butts, bright eyed - just very flighty at the mo as they have not been handled. I checked each one over carefully as I chose them - all totally clean.

They all took to the fermented feed with no problems - and are eating me out of house and home! No problems with any of them (apart from an occasional peck from one of them) - I have two coops and they all crowded into one of them last night daft things. Its taking them time to get used to the dogs and cats - one of my cats likes to stalk them and sit on top of one of their runs but they are better today than yesterday, they now realize the cat cannot actually get at them.

I have a purpose-made dust bath for them


So of course they all ignored it and made two new ones in the last run section (their run can be split into three sections - so I can cut off one to let the weeds and grass grow back) They all appear to be calm and quiet - but I suppose the noise will start when they lay their first eggs ................... my other girls really let the world know every time they laid an egg.

Had to go from a 10 litre bucket to a 5 gallon bucket as they went through half the 10 litre bucket in one day so last night I hastily got another bucket going, greedy little things - they certainly like their fermented feed, but they may slow down again in a few days once they have gotten all that goodness inside of them.

Hey wolfpup, love the new girls. Especially the Sussex Stars. What is the egg expectation on these? Lt Sussex roo over what to make them?

Edited for content
Wow, Lt sussex roo over RIR or New Hamp hen. 300 eggs yr. I looked it up.

 

[chickensfinally]

All my flock as been on FF for a good part of a year now. I thought FF prevented bacterial infections in the gut, which is what this appears to be, and was one of the motivating factors for me to start feeding FF.

When I said to my pediatrician "Why is my son having ear infections? I thought breastfeeding was supposed to take care of that?" She said, "Just think how many more ear infections he *could* have had by now if you weren't BF'ing him" Paraphrasing for this situation, maybe more of them would have succombed or done worse or something if not on FF. Sorry for what you are dealing with. --Carrie