FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[ReillyJ]

They won't starve themselves. Persist, don't be so easy to give up on it.

I'm pretty sure they are picking up on your anxiety about the food not working which translates to them as "this food is bad".

Thanks! of course i'll keep going. I actually put the feed down and then go out of the coop where they can't see me and observe, in the a.m. i just put it down and stumble back to bed!

I guess i'll be throwing some away until they discover they like it...

 

[evemfoster]

I feed one large feeding in the morning and they pick at it all day long. When i watch them eat they only eat a little at a time but they do pick at. Some days they finish off the bowl by evening other days there isn't that much gone. Depends on what they find during the day. If there is food lift come evening i put a heavy board over the dish for the night and take off again it off in the morning. I top off the dish and stir or let them finish it off the next day, it doesn't matter to the chickens. I have had them take 2 days to eat a bowlful when they are getting a lot of good free range food without any problems.

Does your chickens like all the feed when its dry. Or do they leave parts of it behind uneaten. Wondering if its something in the feed.

 

[ReillyJ]

I feed one large feeding in the morning and they pick at it all day long. When i watch them eat they only eat a little at a time but they do pick at. Some days they finish off the bowl by evening other days there isn't that much gone. Depends on what they find during the day. If there is food lift come evening i put a heavy board over the dish for the night and take off again it off in the morning. I top off the dish and stir or let them finish it off the next day, it doesn't matter to the chickens. I have had them take 2 days to eat a bowlful when they are getting a lot of good free range food without any problems.

Does your chickens like all the feed when its dry. Or do they leave parts of it behind uneaten. Wondering if its something in the feed.

They do like it well enough I THINK-- just moistened so the fines stick to the grains/seeds. But still, i have questions on whether they are eating enough of the moistened fines (which contain the vitamins/proteins) to satisfy their nutritional needs, they seem to not like wet feed.
Of course the ferment is wetter, it's probably like thick oatmeal, IDK how i can get it any drier, really. This feed is not designed to be fed dry as it has fines.

I guess i'll just go against every instinct (i do understand fermenting and why) and cover it and hopefully they'll eat some of it tomorrow morning. I'll keep persisting but if it keeps up i'll have to figure something else out

I do have a plastic can of their commercial layer PELLETS i used to feed them when i first got them a few months ago, fermenting right now, should be done by Monday, i'll see if they like that but i hate to go backwards from organic to commercial.

Maybe i will, after a while if this really doesn't seem to be working out, just continue moistening the feed and hoping they get enough nutrition that way. I tried keeping the pellets out along side of the organic (separate dish) but they prefer actually the organic, but like i said i'm worried about them getting ENOUGH of the fines. Maybe i worry too much but i've never had chickens before and i'm in a huge learning curve and tend to want everything to be done the healthiest way possible

 

[subhanalah]

They do like it well enough I THINK-- just moistened so the fines stick to the grains/seeds. But still, i have questions on whether they are eating enough of the moistened fines (which contain the vitamins/proteins) to satisfy their nutritional needs, they seem to not like wet feed.
Of course the ferment is wetter, it's probably like thick oatmeal, IDK how i can get it any drier, really. This feed is not designed to be fed dry as it has fines.

I guess i'll just go against every instinct (i do understand fermenting and why) and cover it and hopefully they'll eat some of it tomorrow morning. I'll keep persisting but if it keeps up i'll have to figure something else out

I do have a plastic can of their commercial layer PELLETS i used to feed them when i first got them a few months ago, fermenting right now, should be done by Monday, i'll see if they like that but i hate to go backwards from organic to commercial. 

Maybe i will, after a while if this really doesn't seem to be working out, just continue moistening the feed and hoping they get enough nutrition that way. I tried keeping the pellets out along side of the organic (separate dish) but they prefer actually the organic, but like i said i'm worried about them getting ENOUGH of the fines. Maybe i worry too much but i've never had chickens before and i'm in a huge learning curve and tend to want everything to be done the healthiest way possible

whatever they don't eat by night, ad back to the bucket and stir it in.
You'd be surprised at how much drier you can get it, think...peanut butter cookie dough.

 

[ReillyJ]

Ok, will do

 

[evemfoster]

Maybe i will, after a while if this really doesn't seem to be working out, just continue moistening the feed and hoping they get enough nutrition that way. I tried keeping the pellets out along side of the organic (separate dish) but they prefer actually the organic, but like i said i'm worried about them getting ENOUGH of the fines. Maybe i worry too much but i've never had chickens before and i'm in a huge learning curve and tend to want everything to be done the healthiest way possible

When i change types feeds i have a more successful change over if i mix the feed together over a period of time, increasing the amount of new feed in the mix until the old feed is gone. 10% at a time seems to work best. Like 9 parts old feed to 1 part new. Then the next batch 8 to 2 and so on, until the the chickens are on all new feed. It allows the chickens to slowly get used to the new feed. It does work better if the 2 feeds are the same like pellets to pellets or crumbles to crumbles. But I'm afraid it probably wont help much if your changing from pellets to seeds. Chickens preferring any kind of seed. However mixing the pellets and seeds together in a batch of FF should work just fine.

To tell the truth i don't know exactly what it is you are feeding your chickens. We only have the choices of commercial processed feed and scratch grains here. Scratch is considered a treat, its basically just wild bird seed. I'm pretty sure scratch isn't what your are feeding so don't have a clear idea how to help.

 

[ReillyJ]

When i change types feeds i have a more successful change over if i mix the feed together over a period of time, increasing the amount of new feed in the mix until the old feed is gone. 10% at a time seems to work best. Like 9 parts old feed to 1 part new. Then the next batch 8 to 2 and so on, until the the chickens are on all new feed. It allows the chickens to slowly get used to the new feed. It does work better if the 2 feeds are the same like pellets to pellets or crumbles to crumbles. But I'm afraid it probably wont help much if your changing from pellets to seeds. Chickens preferring any kind of seed. However mixing the pellets and seeds together in a batch of FF should work just fine.

To tell the truth i don't know exactly what it is you are feeding your chickens. We only have the choices of commercial processed feed and scratch grains here. Scratch is considered a treat, its basically just wild bird seed. I'm pretty sure scratch isn't what your are feeding so don't have a clear idea how to help.

Thanks for your reply

I did offer both in the beginning and yes like you said they started preferring the organic layer feed that has fines/seeds. It's not like they are rejecting the fines, it's that it has to be moistened as powder will be left in the bowl which is annoying quite frankly and i wish they'd pellet it but that's not likely to happen at all. Their literature said it's really a feed to ferment.

It is NOT scratch, it's GMO free Soy free Layer feed

http://www.scratchandpeck.com/product/naturally-free-layer/

i do want to go the "holistic" route for my hens but i'll have to do what works. I am now GRINDING the feed so that the grains/seeds are ground in with fine fines before i ferment, that way hopefully they won't pick it out, IT IS, after all, what happens when y'all ferment the pellets, they dissolve into nothing so i really feel this is the best for me, as for them...well..the jury is still out, i think i was surprised because of the enthusiastic response of others chickens!

 

[evemfoster]

Thanks for your reply

I did offer both in the beginning and yes like you said they started preferring the organic layer feed that has fines/seeds. It's not like they are rejecting the fines, it's that it has to be moistened as powder will be left in the bowl which is annoying quite frankly and i wish they'd pellet it but that's not likely to happen at all. Their literature said it's really a feed to ferment.

It is NOT scratch, it's GMO free Soy free Layer feed

http://www.scratchandpeck.com/product/naturally-free-layer/

i do want to go the "holistic" route for my hens but i'll have to do what works. I am now GRINDING the feed so that the grains/seeds are ground in with fine fines before i ferment, that way hopefully they won't pick it out, IT IS, after all, what happens when y'all ferment the pellets, they dissolve into nothing so i really feel this is the best for me, as for them...well..the jury is still out, i think i was surprised because of the enthusiastic response of others chickens!

Very interesting feed. It looks like the chickens should love it.

 

[ReillyJ]

Very interesting feed. It looks like the chickens should love it.

LOL i they actually do, they far preferred it over pellets but moistened rather than FF but i am going to persist. It's also from my home state so it's very fresh.

Just went out and there are 3 eggs in the nest and it looks like they did eat some of it, poor Lucy has some stuck to the bottom of her foot (aaaand now she's kind of limping-ugh-she won't let me touch her) but these hens i didn't raise from chicks and have only had them max 3 months so it's no wonder i can't touch but 2 of them.

ALSO... good grief i'm starting to see a lot of feathers!! And a LOT this morning especially, like kind of downy ones, not the stiff outer ones if that makes sense, does this mean they are molting a bit? I don't think they're picking on one another? Why wouldn't i see evidence of that long ago??? Like i said i'm so new to chicken husbandry.

Also IF this is a molt or start of one should i feed extra meal worms? I can give them a couple scrambled eggs daily, i guess (had to buy some store bought) or should i buy a bag of Scratch n Pecks grower feed? I'd have to start that right away fermenting. Just wondering.....

 

[evemfoster]

LOL i they actually do, they far preferred it over pellets but moistened rather than FF but i am going to persist. It's also from my home state so it's very fresh.

Just went out and there are 3 eggs in the nest and it looks like they did eat some of it, poor Lucy has some stuck to the bottom of her foot (aaaand now she's kind of limping-ugh-she won't let me touch her) but these hens i didn't raise from chicks and have only had them max 3 months so it's no wonder i can't touch but 2 of them.

ALSO... good grief i'm starting to see a lot of feathers!! And a LOT this morning especially, like kind of downy ones, not the stiff outer ones if that makes sense, does this mean they are molting a bit? I don't think they're picking on one another? Why wouldn't i see evidence of that long ago??? Like i said i'm so new to chicken husbandry.

Also IF this is a molt or start of one should i feed extra meal worms? I can give them a couple scrambled eggs daily, i guess (had to buy some store bought) or should i buy a bag of Scratch n Pecks grower feed? I'd have to start that right away fermenting. Just wondering.....

My chickens will walk on my feet but don't like to be picked up. I can catch them easily enough. I cheated when they were small and whistled whenever i fed them mealworms. So now when i want them to come out of the woods all i have to do is whistle and they come running.

I don't know how many mealworms you would have to feed each day for a month of molting but it seems like it would be a lot. This website has a lot of good advise on molting with good clear photos so you will know what you are seeing.

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/search?q=molt

My chickens are also loosing a lot of feathers. I think it is because its fall and the days are getting short its almost time to put a light into the coop to keep them laying. My chickens aren't laying yet but i am hoping they will start any day now. Fingers crossed.

A good site on the how and why of lighting.
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2011/09/supplemental-light-in-coop-why-how.html