FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[chicken curious]

Don't forget to consider the fat content of BOSS is quite high... So while it's good and enjoyable, I probably wouldn't make it a main ingredient. 

X2
If you're going to use in any sort of quantity above 'occasional treat' check out the whole nutrition panel for any ingredient and consider what else you're feeding

 

[lazy gardener]

I heard that BOSS was good for the chickens. Can you put it in the FF or do you give it separately?

Quote:

Oh and I think BOSS is high protein so consider that in your nutrition totals...if you're mixing your own feed or adding it to a complete feed you'll need totally different amounts

I would not choose to use BOSS very often b/c of it's high fat content:

Black oil sunflower seeds will be about 17% protein, 44% fat and 24% neutral detergent fiber (NDF). Striped sunflower seeds will be about 16% protein, 24% fat and 40% NDF.Aug 4, 2014


Several years ago, I did include BOSS in my sprouting mix, but only during the winter.

 

[aart]

I would not choose to use BOSS very often b/c of it's high fat content:

Black oil sunflower seeds will be about 17% protein, 44% fat and 24% neutral detergent fiber (NDF). Striped sunflower seeds will be about 16% protein, 24% fat and 40% NDF.Aug 4, 2014


Several years ago, I did include BOSS in my sprouting mix, but only during the winter.

Odd use of the word 'detergent'.<scratcheshead>

 

[lazy gardener]

Quote:

I would not choose to use BOSS very often b/c of it's high fat content:

Black oil sunflower seeds will be about 17% protein, 44% fat and 24% neutral detergent fiber (NDF). Striped sunflower seeds will be about 16% protein, 24% fat and 40% NDF.Aug 4, 2014


Several years ago, I did include BOSS in my sprouting mix, but only during the winter.

Odd use of the word 'detergent'.<scratcheshead>

I hadn't paid attention to that, agreed!

 

[Molpet]

Odd use of the word 'detergent'.<scratcheshead>

fiber scrubs you out

Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF) is the most common measure of fiber used for animal feed analysis, but it does not represent a unique class of chemical compounds. NDF measures most of the structural components in plant cells (i.e. lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose), but not pectin.
Neutral Detergent Fiber - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutral_Detergent_Fiber

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Lefty the lid off my bin to catch rain water over night... caught a mama and 2 juvenile rats that had been leaving a couple droppings around. I put my feed trough up every night. But they had been looking and if I had to guess maybe finding some feed that flung out from how the chickens feed. Pretty sure there are no more current rodent families here as the dropping evidence was so few. But always keep my eyes pealed! So awesome to head thing off before they become a problem.

Had been reading about a maggot bucket... and one said feed the kill to the birds instead of to the flies and on down the line... So I took them out of the bucket and chopped them with a shovel and the hens went to town.

Since I knew they were from my barn and had not been fed any poison...

@Beekissed seems like I remember you saying your animals clean up any mess from you butchering? Does that mean that you don't throw anything away from the innards but still don't worry about them eating say the bile sac or anything else?

I'm discussing it here since it was my FF bin that caught the little buggers.

 

[aart]

Quote: Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF) is the most common measure of fiber used for animal feed analysis, but it does not represent a unique class of chemical compounds. NDF measures most of the structural components in plant cells (i.e. lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose), but not pectin.
Neutral Detergent Fiber - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutral_Detergent_Fiber
Yeah, I had found that googling......still seems a weird word to use.
Maybe it sounds better than 'filler'.
..or maybe it does mean "fiber scrubs you out"

 

[lazy gardener]

Here's the ? of the day: How many of you who use FF as the only feed for your adult flock start your hatchlings on FF? Or do you start them on crumble and then switch over to FF?

I tend to do the latter. Chickens are notorious about resisting new things, and newly hatched chickens are no exception. Even when it comes to eating scrambled egg: Day one, they are afraid of it, and it will sit and rot before they will eat it. Day two: a few brave souls will try it, and by golly, they like it. But they don't finish it up. Day three, and every other day after that: They see that plate of egg coming, and they go into a total feeding frenzy.

So, it comes as no surprise to me that they respond to FF the same way. I've been taking advantage of the scrambled egg frenzy, and putting it first ON TOP of their FF, then mixing it into the FF. Today, they are chowing down that FF like it's a brand new treat!

They like to stomp all over their FF. When it's mashed down into the dish, they no longer want to eat it. So, I've been dropping one of my extra round chick feeder tops over the dish of FF, and sticking a plastic cup upside down in the middle hole to keep them from wallowing in that big hole. This works very well to keep them out of the big hole, and to keep them from mashing down the FF and even pooping in it!

So, let's hear it: how many of you start your chicks out on FF on day one, and how many of you convert them over after day 1? Any particular things you've done that make it easier? Any particular methods of serving that have worked for you?

 

[Kiki]

I use ice cube trays for the first few days set up just like this^^^
After a couple of days, I switch to a heavy glass dish...so they don't tip it over.



I start my chicks on fermented feed....
My chicks get a more soupy version for the first couple of days.
I have never been able to get any of my chicks to eat scrambled eggs!

 

[TexasLisa]

I start my chicks on FF right off the bat. They see Momma eating, so they jump right in there.

When I bought my chicks, I sprinkled a little chick feed on top and they had no problems eating the FF.