FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[Beekissed]

I don't mean frozen like an ice cube, but definitely not giving off any noticeable heat. I throw down a little scratch daily and everyone digs in it. It couldn't keep my FF from freezing though.
The ground is frozen hard here already.

If you want that DL to sort of cap off the moisture and create a little heat under there, I'd not have the girls dig around in it too much, especially under the roosts where the poop is deposited. Maybe choose a designated area that you put scratch so they don't disturb too much of the really good litter pack...keep that area deep and layered up with dry on top of the moist. You might find it doesn't freeze up as much if you keep the moisture/humidity in the lower levels and a dry layer on top of that. That's what works for me and even in -17 below weather here that coop floor and the bedding isn't frosty or frozen and it keeps my FF from freezing up until they eat it. And that's in a hoop coop, so not much insulation going on in this coop...just a tarp over wire.

 

[ShanandGem]

If you want that DL to sort of cap off the moisture and create a little heat under there, I'd not have the girls dig around in it too much, especially under the roosts where the poop is deposited. Maybe choose a designated area that you put scratch so they don't disturb too much of the really good litter pack...keep that area deep and layered up with dry on top of the moist. You might find it doesn't freeze up as much if you keep the moisture/humidity in the lower levels and a dry layer on top of that. That's what works for me and even in -17 below weather here that coop floor and the bedding isn't frosty or frozen and it keeps my FF from freezing up until they eat it. And that's in a hoop coop, so not much insulation going on in this coop...just a tarp over wire.

All good points, thanks.

 

[lazy gardener]

I think the deciding fact between successful DL and unsuccessful DL, especially in the frigid climates is this: is the DL in a coop that has bare earth floor, or is it in a coop that is raised off the ground with a wood floor? In my old coop where the loft was raised, and the lower level was bare earth, I had fantastic DL in the lower level, never successful in the loft. In my new coop with raised plywood floor, even with the correct materials, it never successfully produces a good DL. While I can keep a DL for months at a time, it never reaches an active compost phase, and I have issues with stable flies.

 

[bronco8608]

Those of you who use commercial feeds (pellets, crumbles, whatever), how do you strain it after it has fermented? Regardless of it's original form this feed is quickly reduced into a gooey mush which just clogs the strainer (even the screen mesh type) making it impossible to strain so the chickens now have to contend with this soupy mess. I eventually mixed in some dry feed to stiffen it up so they could eat it, but this kinda compromises the savings benefit. I could just ferment grains, but I heard that doesn't really supply the same nutritional balance that mixed feed does.

Suggestions?

 

[bronco8608]

My husband uses a fine mesh strainer that has a handle. He pours it into it and kind of flips it over and over in the strainer until it's a nice round ball. It's not soupy but it's a wet feed. Has reduced our feed bill a lot

 

[Leigti]

I just mix mine with a little less water then I don't have to strain it. Just scoop it out and go. Why work harder than you have to?

 

[balloonflower]

Our temps here just bottomed out to zero a couple days ago (even though near 65 daytime today). I went with the lightbulb in a concrete block to keep my ff edible. Worked great. I normally use a plastic tray hanging, so just stuck the block under.

 

[melishkia]

These were the sources that I had found just in case anyone was interested, I just liked it because it was easy and didn't require any thought what-so-ever, it also worked for me
I'll definitely read the Tikk Tok blog and try it out too, thanks!

https://www.scratchandpeck.com/feed-and-fines-maximizing-the-value-with-fermented-feed/

http://countrysidenetwork.com/daily...rmenting-chicken-feed-can-benefit-your-flock/

http://ohlardy.com/fermented-chicken-feed/

 

[melishkia]

actually its the same

 

[ShanandGem]

I found that serving it on paper plates instead of porcelain made a big difference. Just have to remove the plates or they pick them to confetti.