FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[lazy gardener]

Did I say butterscotch. Lol
I mean buttermilk. I think.

I had read it somewhere for the ff but can't remember why it was good for them.

As SG said, it's already got active LB culture in it. But, really not necessary. Just the yeasties and bacteria floating in your air will make a nice culture. You can also add a little splash of raw ACV, which will speed the process, but totally not necessary. One reader added a whole lot of ACV and her culture didn't grow. When reminded that the goal was not to pickle it, she diluted it down a whole lot, and then got her ferment going.

 

[BantyChooks]

I saw little bubbles starting in mine!!!

 

[redsix]

Have you been fermenting your animal protein feed?

Yes, but I just switched from starter and grower to layer feed 1 week ago.

 

[Stehiiboo]

Did I say butterscotch. Lol
I mean buttermilk. I think.

I had read it somewhere for the ff but can't remember why it was good for them.

Http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com/p/fermented-feed.html?m=1
This is where you read about it. It has a lot of information about the different types of fermentation. There is the yeasty type for bread then the alcoholic kind for wine there isa bunch of types and they all have certain benefits. I believe they specifically said in this blog not to use acv. I know for sure they said buttermilk. I have been using buttermilk in mine and it's turning out good and the chickens love it. They are laying big fat eggs now. My red sex links lay 3oz eggs and my leghorn is usually 2.6oz eggs.

I just add a swig of the buttermilk in with my distilled water. Lately thought I've just been reusing the ferment juice.

 

[shortgrass]

Quick question....


Has anybody fermented sugar beets? I had a bunch I grabbed and chopped and soaked in a 5 gallon bucket a month ago... I forgot about them being in there and opened it up today and its nice and briny.... Haven't fed them yet, not sure if anyone has any tips for them?

 

[dolfi]

As SG said, it's already got active LB culture in it.  But, really not necessary.  Just the yeasties and bacteria floating in your air will make a nice culture.  You can also add a little splash of raw ACV, which will speed the process, but totally not necessary.  One reader added a whole lot of ACV and her culture didn't grow.  When reminded that the goal was not to pickle it, she diluted it down a whole lot, and then got her ferment going.  

lol, I have been feeding my little ones the ff. They just love it. Before they would run away from me when I enter to feed. Now they can't wait for me to put down the food. Maybe because they had constant dry food before and now they have to wait for me to eat. I want to believe that they just love me and the ff.

 

[leliadax]

Well, in addition to the fermented feed Im going to start some fodder thanks to a new chicken friend I met...good thing BYC has fodder threads too!!! Grains are soaking and 3 trays sprouted!

 

[AuntNomi]

So I have been feeding my chickens the FF for about a week now. When I go out in the mornings they are going absolutely nuts for me to feed them. I can not get them feed fast enough. I don't even have to close the coop door behind me cause no one is leaving til they eat! It's crazy. I don't let them out til afternoon once I know all that are gonna give up an egg have done so. Then once they are out they constantly follow me, right under my feet. I do feed them again in the evening an hour or so before they are close to roosting. And they again behave as tho they haven't eaten at all. My husband swears I am starving them?!?! I keep telling him I am not but each day they are more and more dramatic...... Do they really love this FF this much, or is it possible I am not feeding them enough? I have 8 pullets (about 9 months old) in one coop and 8 pullets (about 4-5 months old) in the other coop. I am feeding them a 5 pint scoop each morning and then again evening plus they get scratch and free range. They are out free ranging min 2 hours but up to 6 or 7 hours a day depending how much time I have to be out there with them.

Thank you in advance!

 

[21hens-incharge]

I think for 16 chickens you are feeding a decent amount. Mine are well fed too and act like it is the first food they have seen in days and days. Yes they are complete drama queens about it.

If you are worried you can try increasing the amount by one scoop a day until you find that there is still a bit left after 3 hours of having it there. I think if they have left a bit after 3 hours they must have eaten enough especially since you feed again in the evening as well as ranging and scratch.

(Thinking they just really really like the FF)

 

[Beekissed]

So I have been feeding my chickens the FF for about a week now. When I go out in the mornings they are going absolutely nuts for me to feed them. I can not get them feed fast enough. I don't even have to close the coop door behind me cause no one is leaving til they eat! It's crazy. I don't let them out til afternoon once I know all that are gonna give up an egg have done so. Then once they are out they constantly follow me, right under my feet. I do feed them again in the evening an hour or so before they are close to roosting. And they again behave as tho they haven't eaten at all. My husband swears I am starving them?!?! I keep telling him I am not but each day they are more and more dramatic...... Do they really love this FF this much, or is it possible I am not feeding them enough? I have 8 pullets (about 9 months old) in one coop and 8 pullets (about 4-5 months old) in the other coop. I am feeding them a 5 pint scoop each morning and then again evening plus they get scratch and free range. They are out free ranging min 2 hours but up to 6 or 7 hours a day depending how much time I have to be out there with them.

Thank you in advance!

You are feeding 16 birds 20 cups of feed, which is enough for 40 birds if you go by the books' suggestions for half cup of feed per bird per day, plus scratch. I'm feeding 14 birds 6-7 cups of feed per day...that's it. Yours are only getting good exercise 2-7 hrs a day, mine are ranging over 3 acres from daylight to dark, so expending a lot of energy. Mine are fat and sassy, so I can only imagine yours are even more so. They are not starving, I can assure you.

The reason your birds are acting that way is because they have had their buffet removed, whereat they could peck and sample all day long and were never truly hungry nor competing for food, but now they get fed in meals, which increases their food competition instincts. You could feed them their meal, let them eat all they can stuff in their crops at one time, take away the left overs and in a half hour do it all again and they'd still act like the feed was the first they'd seen all day. And that's chickens for you....most people never get to see that because they feed continuous feeds.

If anything, I'd advise you to cut WAYYYYYYYY back on that amount of feed or you are going to have some horribly obese girls that won't be able to lay an egg past all the fat in their abdomens.