FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[hennible]

I have that thread bookmarked! Did you ever try the bottom U-tube one you thinking about?

Not yet. It might be a summer project, I think it might leak the liquids faster than the one I've already built... But maybe the multiport idea would work and not leak... Just trying to get away from having to add water every few days... Which I talked about in my last post.

 

[hennible]

@TalkALittle
My feeder concept may suit your needs. Most of the year it doesn't freeze and I'm in Central British Columbia... Make it out in the coop usually...

 

[HighStreetCoop]

The problem is that I didn't really plan on feeding the FF everyday. I totally understand the benefits of doing so, but for our lifestyle and my personal chicken keeping practices, it just isn't practical. I was hoping to offer it a couple of times a week, keeping the dry food available to them too. I guess I had hoped they would get the benefit of it when I offered it, but since I would only offer it a couple of times a week that they would go back to eating the crumble on the off days.

Maybe pick a few days/week when you CAN offer FF exclusively to get them eating it and then you can shift back to dry feed on offer all the time and FF as a treat?

 

[hennible]

That sounds like a good idea

 

[lazy gardener]

TalkALittle: You might try tossing a bit of their dry crumble or pellets on the FF just before you give it to them. Sometimes that gets them going. Chickens are naturally wary of any new food.

 

[TalkALittle]

Well it's day two of my FF experiment. Yesterday's serving froze in the bowl but they did end up picking at it through the course of the day and eating it all up. I served the second batch this morning. It had fermented faster but was not as strongly sour smelling. Three of my six ladies started eating it right away. The others were more interested in the acorn squash I put out. I guess a 50% approval rating isn't too bad for the second day. It's good enough to convince me to set another batch. I do think I'll let this one ferment for more than just overnight though as the last stuff clearly wasn't as fermented as the first. But maybe that's why they ate it better. We'll see how it goes in two days.

My little Tupperware container on the counter seems to be just enough to suit my needs and I feel good knowing that I have one more healthy option for enhancing my little flock's regular diet.

Thanks to all that offered help and encouragement to me in my small scale endeavor.

 

[ReillyJ]

TalkALittle: You might try tossing a bit of their dry crumble or pellets on the FF just before you give it to them. Sometimes that gets them going. Chickens are naturally wary of any new food.

I do that, too. i like to offer a little variety, they inhale their FF now that i've added NatureWise Feather Fixer pellets to their organic Scratch n Peck, two of them went through molt and this pulled them through in record time, they look great and have started laying again. And they LOVE it in their FF, not so much just when i gave the SnP and i also had re-"thunk" the ingredients.

Mine isn't fermented an entire week, either--i am topping off probably every couple days and just do not worry about it.

 

[hennible]

When I have a good amount of "mother culture" whatever you call it... Leftover FF form my last run and I add fresh to it it starts bubbling by the next day...

 

[tuner06]

Hello all
I'm a newbie to fermented feed I started doing it 2 weeks ago. but I have a question can you add the ferment liquid in to there water for a add boost.

thanks
Rob

 

[hennible]

I've never even thought of doing it sounds clever but I wonder if it would get out a hand... The bacteria growth in the water that is.