FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[Tikkijane]

What does it look like?  White across the top?    Black on the sides?   The fermented feed kills mold.   I'd wipe the sides off and stir down.  The white on top is the scoby and is the good stuff.  It's ready to feed.    You don't have to continue stirring daily like before just when you're dipping it out. 

Actually, stirring before feeding is good. If you keep a drier mix, usually the top gets drier and there's a juicy layer further down. Stirring not only helps the consistency, but also gets the top SCOBY mixed back in. That's my two cents. I would never not stir before feeding.

 

[Hennyetta]

What does it look like? White across the top? Black on the sides? The fermented feed kills mold. I'd wipe the sides off and stir down. The white on top is the scoby and is the good stuff. It's ready to feed. You don't have to continue stirring daily like before just when you're dipping it out.

Kind of greyish whitish fuzzy stuff. I think it started on one side and then covered the top. Is the scoby supposed to look fuzzy?

Actually, stirring before feeding is good. If you keep a drier mix, usually the top gets drier and there's a juicy layer further down. Stirring not only helps the consistency, but also gets the top SCOBY mixed back in. That's my two cents. I would never not stir before feeding.

I wasn't stirring before feeding... I'll have to try that with my new batch.

 

[Jaydawnlove]

I started my first batch of fermented feed last weekend. I'm only giving about a cup to my 5 girls right now as a treat. They love it. My 2 three week olds won't even look at it. The Roo, who is separated from the girls, likes it a little but if I give him more than half a cup he won't eat it. I started out just making it out of 6 cups of grower feed. Most of my girls are under 2 months old. After it fermented on day 3, I added a few cups of scratch and half a cup of wheat to it. It just started to get a layer of gray stuff on top. I'm guessing, that's the scoby? I just mix it back in right?

 

[ReillyJ]

Going to start FF soon (yes i've read a LOT of this thread but i'm slow)

Have 4 hens, What amount should i start with? 8 cups? 10 cups? More, Less?

Also i am using Organic Layer crumble..well it has fines and seeds...i am moistening the food right now so the fines stick to the seeds, etc. but am not really happy with that...will FF kind of make it all the same consistency if that makes sense?

And should there always be an inch of water covering the feed?

Thanks so much for responses, it's appreciated.

 

[Jaydawnlove]

I'm feeding 10, but only 5 really like it so far. I started with 6 cups. Just add back in what you take out daily with more water, mix and it keeps going. I don't have water sitting on top of mine. If it looks to runny I just add more dry feed. But I've heard some people leave on inch. I don't so that I don't have to drain it before feeding them. Its an ease and time thing...

 

[subhanalah]

Actually, stirring before feeding is good. If you keep a drier mix, usually the top gets drier and there's a juicy layer further down. Stirring not only helps the consistency, but also gets the top SCOBY mixed back in. That's my two cents. I would never not stir before feeding.

I push the top dry layer to the side and scoop from the bottom to feed, then stir it up after I'm done.

Going to start FF soon (yes i've read a LOT of this thread but i'm slow)

Have 4 hens, What amount should i start with? 8 cups? 10 cups? More, Less?

Also i am using Organic Layer crumble..well it has fines and seeds...i am moistening the food right now so the fines stick to the seeds, etc. but am not really happy with that...will FF kind of make it all the same consistency if that makes sense?

And should there always be an inch of water covering the feed?

Thanks so much for responses, it's appreciated.

I prefer mine dry, sometimes I'll cover the thick cement-like mixture with a little water to keep it wet enough on top, that gives me a nice SCOBY layer on top of the water. I don't make it a whole inch over, just enough to make it look a little "swampy"

 

[ReillyJ]

Can i use a plastic bucket? Will that be too big to start with something like 8 cups or so?

 

[onmelissa]

A plastic bucket works fine will work!
I'm using a plastic coffee can for the babies.

 

[ReillyJ]

Okay i just put mine in a plastic coffee can and filled with water, i know the volume increases after it soaks up the water, HOW LONG after putting the water/feed in does it stop increasing? Worried that i put too much feed in, LOL

i used Scratch n Peck Organic soy free Layer feed (which is crumbles) and i also threw in their favorite treat to ferment which is Manna Pro Harvest Delight which i hope is ok:

WHEAT, PEANUTS, DRIED RAISINS, DRIED TOMATOES, DRIED CARROTS, POPCORN, SUNFLOWER HEARTS, FLAX SEED, STRIPED SUNFLOWER SEEDS, SAFFLOWER SEEDS, RED MILLET, WHITE MILLET, SOYBEAN MEAL, CORN, MILO, HOMINY FEED, FEEDING OATMEAL, DRIED WHEY, DEHYDRATED ALFALFA MEAL, LINSEED MEAL, BREWERS DRIED YEAST, VEGETABLE OIL, FENUGREEK SEED, ANISE OIL, CALCIUM CARBONATE, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE, DICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, SALT, SULFUR, IRON OXIDE, FERROUS CARBONATE, FERROUS SULFATE, COPPER OXIDE, COPPER SULFATE, MANGANOUS OXIDE, ZINC OXIDE, COBALT CARBONATE, CALCIUM IODATE, SODIUM SELENITE VITAMIN A SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN D3 SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENT, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN SUPPLEMENT, NIACIN SUPPLEMENT, CHOLINE CHLORIDE, CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE, FOLIC ACID, BIOTIN, VITAMIN B12 SUPPLEMENT.

 

[LindaB220]

I'm feeding 10, but only 5 really like it so far. I started with 6 cups. Just add back in what you take out daily with more water, mix and it keeps going. I don't have water sitting on top of mine. If it looks to runny I just add more dry feed. But I've heard some people leave on inch. I don't so that I don't have to drain it before feeding them. Its an ease and time thing...

Hey Texas, I'm NW La. out of Shreveport. You're doing it just right. Take all the other feed out and feed them 2 x a day what they can eat in 10 min or so. After snubbing at it for a day they will engulf it. Mine run like crazy when I appear with the food. For 14 POL chickens I feed 4 cups 2 x a day. Sometimes I throw out scratch or goodies at other times. Happy, happy babies.