FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[FlyWheel]

Chicks aren't interested in calcium, at that age all they want is food and grit that is fine enough for their tiny digestive system to digest it. OS is ground too large, I doubt they could even swallow it.

 

[lazy gardener]

Unless it's the OS fines at the bottom of the bag. My last bag has about 5# of fines! Agreed, they really won't be interested in eating OS.

 

[Jennrz]

Update:

4 laying hens.
1 50lb bag of layer feed.
$18/bag
Purchased on 4/10
Used final bit on 6/21.
72 days

soooo

50lbs / 72 day = .694 lbs per day
.694 lbs per day / 4 hens = .173 lbs per hen per day

$18 / 72 day = $.25 day
$.25 day / 4 hens = $.0625 per hen per day

Also to note - they forage in our 1/3 of an acre undeveloped yard, and get scraps/treats 1-2 a week. I have noticed that in the last 3-ish weeks their consumption of FF went up. I think it's because most of the tender new spring growth on our property is either growing big or dying back. (not irrigated)

The new bag I purchased is a grower crumble vs the layer pellets I was buying. I have 9 and 4 week old pullets and didn't want to have all the different aged chickens on different food. So the older chicks and hens are getting "all flock" grower style crumbles (FF) and the younger chicks are still getting FF starter. Have put out some oyster shells for calcium and have started saving egg shells to recycle and supplement since they wont have a layer mix with calcium until the chicks start laying.

Cheers Everyone! Still loving the FF system!

 

[lazy gardener]

Update:

4 laying hens.
1 50lb bag of layer feed.
$18/bag
Purchased on 4/10
Used final bit on 6/21.
72 days

soooo

50lbs / 72 day = .694 lbs per day
.694 lbs per day / 4 hens = .173 lbs per hen per day

$18 / 72 day = $.25 day
$.25 day / 4 hens = $.0625 per hen per day

Also to note - they forage in our 1/3 of an acre undeveloped yard, and get scraps/treats 1-2 a week. I have noticed that in the last 3-ish weeks their consumption of FF went up. I think it's because most of the tender new spring growth on our property is either growing big or dying back. (not irrigated)

The new bag I purchased is a grower crumble vs the layer pellets I was buying. I have 9 and 4 week old pullets and didn't want to have all the different aged chickens on different food. So the older chicks and hens are getting "all flock" grower style crumbles (FF) and the younger chicks are still getting FF starter. Have put out some oyster shells for calcium and have started saving egg shells to recycle and supplement since they wont have a layer mix with calcium until the chicks start laying.

Cheers Everyone! Still loving the FF system!

Excellent post.

 

[Finnie]

Nice point about the tender spring forage vs the tall dry summer forage. My FF consumption has gone up too, but I was attributing that to my multitude of chicks growing larger.

 

[FlyWheel]

I think something went wrong with my ferment.

Usually the chickens literally try and jump into the cask when I go to pour the feed into their trough, and gobble it all up withing less that 30 minutes. But today they only nibbled at it, and when I came out at 2 O'clock to check for eggs the trough was still full, they hadn't eaten any!

I tasted a little and it didn't have that vinegary tang it usually does, but instead tasted like - well, wet feed. So I poured it out and gave them some dry feed and they ate that OK.

I tasted the batches currently fermenting and they both have the familiar vinegar tang. I wonder what happened to the last batch? Did something get in to spoil it? Did it not ferment at all?

Has anyone else had this happen?

 

[lazy gardener]

Um... I've never tasted my FF, and I've fed it out when it's been barely if at all fermented, as well as when it's been super ripe. I understand the reason why you are doing the taste test. I'd not worry about it. Perhaps, for some reason, that batch simply didn't grow as well.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

My duckling arrived Wednesday morning. I cannot believe how much easier it was to them to eat FF than chicks!!

Anyone know of issues with ducks eating FF? Anyone feeding it to ducks?

 

[Elyrian1]

I'm feeding fermented to my four month olds. I don't have any issues with them even though one duck came from the feed store a little bowlegged (it never got worse but its the funniest looking waddle), but ducklings would still need the yeast (brewer's I think?) supplements I would imagine... without doing a scientific analysis on the contents of the FF I couldn't say whether it was present in the ferment, or if it was even close to enough dosage. Any body got a home laboratory? lol

 

[FlyWheel]

Um... I've never tasted my FF, and I've fed it out when it's been barely if at all fermented, as well as when it's been super ripe. I understand the reason why you are doing the taste test. I'd not worry about it. Perhaps, for some reason, that batch simply didn't grow as well.

Possibly. Today instead of back-slopping I rinsed out the cask and filled it with fresh feed and water. I'm leaving the lid off to start a new culture, just in case.