FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[chooknewb]

My "neighbor" actually lives about four miles away. We are a very small farm community. We were not feeding the same feed. I am feeding Countrylane Layer Pellets (16%), a few table scraps or scratch, and oyster shell. Pellets and oyster shell are available 24 hours. I was fermenting the pellets. It looked and smelled good. It makes no sense to me. As soon as I quit FF, the eggs were fine again.

 

[shortgrass]

My "neighbor" actually lives about four miles away. We are a very small farm community. We were not feeding the same feed. I am feeding Countrylane Layer Pellets (16%), a few table scraps or scratch, and oyster shell. Pellets and oyster shell are available 24 hours. I was fermenting the pellets. It looked and smelled good. It makes no sense to me. As soon as I quit FF, the eggs were fine again.

We're they still eating the oyster shell too? I was wondering, because I mix the shell in with my grain prior to fermenting; I was thinking maybe when you had their pellets as FF, they might have been not eating the oyster shell (if its offered on the side) because of it being dry, and them filling up on FF first...

Just a thought

 

[chooknewb]

We're they still eating the oyster shell too? I was wondering, because I mix the shell in with my grain prior to fermenting; I was thinking maybe when you had their pellets as FF, they might have been not eating the oyster shell (if its offered on the side) because of it being dry, and them filling up on FF first...

Just a thought

That had occurred to me, but I dismissed it, assuming they would eat oyster shell as needed.
I anticipate attempting FF again and will add oyster shell to the mix. Thank you!

Thanks everyone for your input!

 

[shodack]

My chickens don't eat the "free choice" oyster shells I have in a dish near their food. I don't want to add it to the ff because I don't want them to get too much, so a couple times a week when I throw out scratch or BOSS I throw out a few handfuls of oyster shells or crushed egg shells too. They know the difference (always eat the treat first), but will eat the oyster shells up within a day or two.

 

[lazy gardener]

Is it possible that fermented feed may contribute to softer egg shells? Although my chickens ate the FF well enough, after a couple of days, I noticed that there were eggs without an outer shell, just a membrane. There was always oyster shell available for the hens. After three weeks, I stopped the fermented feed, and no more issues with shell-less eggs. My neighbor experienced something similar with her chickens.

I have searched and "googled" looking for an answer. Any ideas?

The only thought that I can come up with is that the calcium additive does tend to settle out in the FF, and lays like a sludge at the bottom of the bucket. When I feed the girls, I frequently scrape all that sludge out. I still have ferment available to start the new batch, b/c I rotate buckets, and just steal some starter from the other bucket.

 

[COChix]

Greeting all! Thought I would jump on here to ask all of you a question on FF.

Here is my problem, live in Colorado where it gets cold enough for the ferment buckets to freeze, as I have to ferment outside as we have no space inside for a ferment station. What all do you do in the cold climates to keep your buckets from freezing? I am not talking the feeding bucket, but the actual ferment bucket. I have a thermal cube on order, I will be setting up an experiment soon. I plan on using a seed mat with a thermal cube to keep the ferment buckets from freezing, set up in an unheated space. Just thought I would ask here first. Thanks!

 

[Beekissed]

Greeting all! Thought I would jump on here to ask all of you a question on FF.

Here is my problem, live in Colorado where it gets cold enough for the ferment buckets to freeze, as I have to ferment outside as we have no space inside for a ferment station. What all do you do in the cold climates to keep your buckets from freezing? I am not talking the feeding bucket, but the actual ferment bucket. I have a thermal cube on order, I will be setting up an experiment soon. I plan on using a seed mat with a thermal cube to keep the ferment buckets from freezing, set up in an unheated space. Just thought I would ask here first. Thanks!

Should be an interesting experiment and I'd love to hear of your results and success or failure with it. I just bring mine in...if I have room for a 5 gal. bucket anywhere at all, I have room for a bucket with FF in it. It's just a square foot of space.

 

[COChix]

Should be an interesting experiment and I'd love to hear of your results and success or failure with it.  I just bring mine in...if I have room for a 5 gal. bucket anywhere at all, I have room for a bucket with FF in it.  It's just a square foot of space. 

My cube comes Friday, hoping to get my experiment up and running next week. I will be fermenting in a tub (I got that idea from Hennible, who I think got from you?) anyway, we are sharing a living space now and storing FF in the new space isn't possible. My understanding of the seed mat is they keep temps about 10 degree above the ambient temps, the thermal cube I ordered is the T3 on at 35 and off at 45. My other thought is what to feed it in so it won't freeze. I was thinking about setting up a 5 g no waste bucket feeder on top of a heated dog bowl filled with gravel or sand, was thinking it might keep from freezing.

I will document my experience and share here and on Hennibles FF feeder thread.

 

[nelly B]

I need help too regarding this matter. Started my first batch of fermented food for my 6 month old girls. Offered it to them this morning and they did not eat it. I don't know if I did something wrong or what. Left it on the counter for three days, covered. Didn't bubble as much as I have seen others bubble online so maybe that's where it went wrong? The order didn't seem bad to me at least but they won't eat it. Maybe the weather? It's really cold over here right now. Any help would be helpful.

 

[Beekissed]

I need help too regarding this matter. Started my first batch of fermented food for my 6 month old girls. Offered it to them this morning and they did not eat it. I don't know if I did something wrong or what. Left it on the counter for three days, covered. Didn't bubble as much as I have seen others bubble online so maybe that's where it went wrong? The order didn't seem bad to me at least but they won't eat it. Maybe the weather? It's really cold over here right now. Any help would be helpful.

Don't feed it until you are sure it's fermenting...should have a sour smell, much like sourdough bread. If it still smells sweet, like cornbread, it's not fermented quite enough....sometimes it's slower if you are using chlorinated water or if your home is too dry for wild yeast capture. Let it have air. Stir it once a day and just wait.

When you feed it, make sure they've not had any other feed since the evening before. The next morning, serve the fermented feed. Only place 1/2 cup of feed per bird. Leave it there until they eat it. Don't feed sloppy, soupy FF to them...if you have to strain it, it's too wet. In the winter time it's best if fed a little thicker and dryer..

No snacks, no treats, nothing sprinkled on top to entice them...just hungry birds in a coop with the only feed available. They get a taste for it and they are hungry enough, they'll eat it and lick the trough.