FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[AuntNomi]

Ok! Thank you both so very much! I told my husband I thought it was too much. But then I started doubting myself, as I truly was not sure how much they ate each day as they had feed from the time we got up til they went to roosting. We removed only at night. But now they run out! And everyone but me was tripping thinking I quit feeding them lol. Then the chickens started all this drama and I got worried. I was thinking today, they said they would eat less, this would save me money! lol Not the way I am doing it, it would not lol. I will be cutting back tomorrow. I do not want to cause them any problems by eating too much.

 

[shortgrass]

Mine do that too lol

I had the flu a week ago, and we had a blizzard roll through... Needless to say, that day I decided I didn't feel good enough to spend more than 20 seconds outside, so I just tossed each coop a coffee can of dry feed....they didn't touch it and looked at me like I was an alien lol; they kicked all that feed through the coop, didn't eat a bit.

Instead, they found my pumpkins that I've been using to ferment my feed in, and demolished 5 of them lol


They LOVE it. And it may not look like near enough compared to dry... But I've been measuring how much LESS feed I'm using, and its upwards of a 30% reduction in feed.

I used to feed about 4 coffee cans full of feed per day. 2 lb coffee cans, so about 8 lbs a day for 40 birds. I started the pumpkin project on Nov.1 Normally, about now, I would be getting ready to mix a 250# batch of dry grain for 1 month worth of feed.


My feed drum still has a good 50# left in it. I've been using about 2-3 coffee cans of grain a day to refill 2 pumpkins in a cycle of 2 pumpkins a day, one for each coop.

I went from using 250# per month down to about 180, using 5 lbs a day instead of 8.

They love it, act like I'm the most awesome chook mom ever lol, and the DH has even commented about how much better the eggs taste!

And they don't leave anything in the pan; no more picking out the BOSS, then wheat, then corn, then millet, and leaving the alfalfa pellets in the pan. No more wasted feed


I am never going back to plain dry feed. They would probably boycott the feed pan and die of starvation lol

 

[Leigti]

I wish mine liked it. Maybe when there's more competition they will eat it. They don't seem to take to new things very well.

 

[jbkirk]

@Leigti Have you ever sat and watched them all day? Because if they refuse to eat the fermented food for several days in a row they probably are eating something else.

 

[redsix]

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!

I mix my fermented feed 1 part feed to 1 part water (maybe a tad more water than feed). My chickens are full grown, heavy breed, laying, and don't free range. They get approximately 1 cup of fermented feed per chicken each day. They usually get a little bit of grass, millet, or corn in addition to their fermented feed. The millet is almost all gone and I am going to try adding some sprouted barley.

 

[Leigti]

I haven't watch them all day. I have to work. But they were locked up for three days with nothing but the fermented food. I'm sure there wasn't anything else in their little tiny pin. We've just had snow and a major freeze so the yard pickings are now about down to zero I'm sure. But I might still wait until I get some more chickens and see if the competition thing helps.

 

[mainechicklet]

I've been feeding my hens FF for a week now. They love it. But why do my buckets smell like I'm fermenting adult beverages? The original batch was started 11/12 per TikkTok and beekissed recommendations. And I've continued to add to the original batch as instructed. There are no strange "growths" ie yeast, mold, etc and it doesn't smell at all objectionable. Cats don't like it but the dogs do. (Of course dogs will roll in a dead skunk if given the opportunity.)

 

[shortgrass]

I've been feeding my hens FF for a week now. They love it. But why do my buckets smell like I'm fermenting adult beverages? The original batch was started 11/12 per TikkTok and beekissed recommendations. And I've continued to add to the original batch as instructed. There are no strange "growths" ie yeast, mold, etc and it doesn't smell at all objectionable. Cats don't like it but the dogs do. (Of course dogs will roll in a dead skunk if given the opportunity.)

That's the smell of yeasts snd microbes hard at work!


We use silage for the cattle; essentially, we chop the corn before it reaches maturity, while its still green, then pack it into small mountains and let it cook.... It ferments and even in the dead of winter thr pile steams and is warm and moist....

Ah but the smell of yeasts and microbes turning sugars into probiotics, lactic acid bacteria and Acetic acid bacteria, etc, sometimes alcohol is the result

The silage smells like sweet, yeasty, corny beer! It's an intoxicatingly sweet potent smell

 

[mainechicklet]

Thanks!

I guess I'm not understanding the comments regarding how horrendous this stuff smells. It doesn't smell bad at all.

And the questions and photos trying to distinguish between yeast and mold. Have none of that.

It is however giving my hens runny poops.

 

[mainechicklet]

You are so right shortgrass. Now that you mention it, it smells like the microbrewery down the street. And both buckets are letting off little fart noises.

Is there a time limit in which the FF can sit and ferment in the buckets? IE, the longer the better. Or feed within a week. Etc, etc.