FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[EggSighted4Life]

Why not?.....it's better than the grain mites that was in it before they added the DE.

Ya, I know that was your experience.... I would say it hasn't been mine. But I'm using the feed with the DE in it now. I always think about you though whenever I start thinking about DE.

So I haven't had mites YET, even in my 50# wheat bran or with other feeds I used. Main thing is I don't like breathing it and don't wish to wear a mask every time I make a new batch. Which I always happen to be surrounded by the dogs and chickens and see them sitting in the cloud to.

So that is my actual concern.

There are so many decisions to make and precautions to take.... It can be quite overwhelming sometimes.

Guess I might try the other feed again. I buy 5 bags at a time so I would expect to see something by the end of the month. And that's long enough to see if it effects the chickens smell, eggs or anything like that. I can always switch back. The other product is also made by Purina under another label with the same nutrient analysis for $1 less in a less spiffy bag. But last time I read them seems like the off label ingredients were more to my liking (aside from the DE). But the FR had a slightly yellower color when compared side by side. So I wen't with the FR because I thought it would give me darker yolks. The crumbles on the other feed were also a little smaller and seemed to have more powder adding to that decision, though neither should have any impact since I ferment everything anyways.

Sometimes we have to choose the lesser of the evils.

And so far with flock raising I've learned I better keep my mind open and be ready change with the flock dynamics!

 

[shortgrass]

Why not?.....it's better than the grain mites that was in it before they added the DE.

Lol, true....


@EggSighted4Life, DE is added to pretty much ALL grain as soon as it comes in from the field to store in grain elevators. Any grain that goes to the mill comes from an elevator, hence, has DE in it. So, in essence, DE is in all feed, whether it's labeled or not

 

[Tikkijane]

I was actually looking at the purines in the cat food

Purines (specific chemical compounds found in some foods) are broken down into uric acid. A diet rich in purines from certain sources can raise uric acid levels in the body, which sometimes leads to gout. Meat and seafood may increase the risk of gout.

Makes sense!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Lol, true....


@EggSighted4Life , DE is added to pretty much ALL grain as soon as it comes in from the field to store in grain elevators. Any grain that goes to the mill comes from an elevator, hence, has DE in it. So, in essence, DE is in all feed, whether it's labeled or not

Well.... that's not quite the same as being an added ingredient.... And before purina added it @aart had grain mites so that would indicate it isn't very effective coming from the mill.

And I don't dump bags of flour every weak for our family... so haven't really thought about it.

So all other things being equal, I'll take my air without the extra DE.

 

[shortgrass]

Well.... that's not quite the same as being an added ingredient.... And before purina added it @aart
 had grain mites so that would indicate it isn't very effective coming from the mill. 

And I don't dump bags of flour every weak for our family... so haven't really thought about it. :/

So all other things being equal, I'll take my air without the extra DE.  

Ah, ok gotcha. Yeah it can be some pretty dusty stuff

And yeah, sometimes I think it's either useless or overrated, since I still find weevils in my flour if I don't use it up quick. But then again, I've bought organic wheat to grind myself, and the stuff was so full of weevils after a couple weeks that I fed it to the chickens, never did think about whether or not that was related to being without the DE or not.


Hubs is asthmatic, so he stays away from it, too, don't blame ya there

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Ah, ok gotcha. Yeah it can be some pretty dusty stuff

And yeah, sometimes I think it's either useless or overrated, since I still find weevils in my flour if I don't use it up quick. But then again, I've bought organic wheat to grind myself, and the stuff was so full of weevils after a couple weeks that I fed it to the chickens, never did think about whether or not that was related to being without the DE or not.


Hubs is asthmatic, so he stays away from it, too, don't blame ya there

Isn't DE organic? I would think they could still use, but what do I know?

Crazy the things they can use early on and still be certified organic as well. But when we buy organic fruits and other things they do seem to rot a little faster for some reason.

We had weevils before. They would come out of boxed stuff that was in the cupboard. We haven't had them in several years. I wonder if it's because we don't use boxed stuff much any more. But we do buy our flour in 25 or 50 # bags for the last year plus 50# bag of wheat bran for the meal worms and still no problem.

I must have just been lucky recently!

I did buy the other feed yesterday and it does not have DE in the ingredients. I realize we will still breathing the other dust that comes along with it.

Interestingly... Both feeds are made by parent company Purina with the same nutrient values, though slightly different ingredients. As I was mixing my batch I notice the bottom of the bag and funny enough, they come from the same mill to.

Oh well, by the end of the (feed) month, I should be able to tell if I can notice a difference in the quality of the eggs or flock and their overall smell. And those thing would probably be the ultimate deciding factor. If I prefer the DE one, I will just lock animals up and wear a mask.

With the dust from the hay and everything else... I should have a mask on top of my head at all times and just pull it down as needed! Animal husbandry seems to be an ever learning process.

 

[Molpet]

Isn't DE organic? I would think they could still use, but what do I know?

Crazy the things they can use early on and still be certified organic as well. But when we buy organic fruits and other things they do seem to rot a little faster for some reason.

they treat the regular fruits and veggies with chemicals so they don't rot or sprout as fast

 

[EggSighted4Life]

they treat the regular fruits and veggies with chemicals so they don't rot or sprout as fast

Like on the pre made salad mixes... even though they don't list it on ingredients.... there is some kind of gas they pump into the bag before vacuum sealing. I can tell because it always makes me feel sickish and (excuse me) have weird burps that only come when I eat bagged salad.

Even the fruits that have food grade wax decompose faster. I guess the reason they wax everything is to keep the oxygen out.

 

[FlyWheel]

Sorry to interrupt the current topic here, but I have a feeding proportions question: I am currently using Purina Flock Raiser feed as my feed-to-be-fermented and was wondering how much DRY feed per chicken per day I should use? Let me clarify. if I were to mix up enough to provide ONE DAY'S WORTH of fermented feed, how many cups of DRY feed should I use PER CHICKEN in that mix? At least as a starting point. I ask this because I know the total volume increases with the addition of water, but so does the nutritive quality of the feed. Hence the "less feed required" bonus of fermenting. I'm curious of how much less.

 

[lazy gardener]

IMO, you are overthinking this. The goal is not to feed as little as required. But, they will simply require less, so over time, they will eat less, therefore over time, your feed bill will go down. Simply mix up a bucket of feed, and start feeding it out. Take note of how much they ate today, and feed the same amount tomorrow. I've been mixing FF long enough for my adult flock of 16 long enough that I know that they eat approximately 2 qts of dry feed/day. So, when I fill my FF bucket, I put 4 qt of dry feed, and enough water to mix the FF to the right consistency. Usually, that bucket will last 2 days. Sometimes just a bit less, sometimes just a bit more. The variation may be due to birds having access to more feed scraps from kitchen, finding a good bunch of goodies in the compost, colder weather, warmer weather, laying fewer or more eggs. Some nights they go to bed with a bit of FF still left in their feed bowl. No problem. I don't run right outside first thing in the morning to let them out, so they have a bit of a snack to work on while they wait for the sun to get up a bit, and all of the night time predators to toddle off to bed. Other days, they are giving me the "I'm starving to death" puppy eyes at the end of the day. I will then give them a bit of scratch in their bedding, or just make note that they may need more feed the next day. Perhaps my scenario of how much I feed did answer your question???? Either way, my recommendation is, just do it. It'll all work out.