sprucehaven
Hatching
- Mar 28, 2015
- 2
- 0
- 7
I started our flock on FF last week. I did put in some ACV, but since it was not the kind "with mother", I added a spoon of Greek Yogurt for the active cultures. I put it in a gallon glass jar as we do not have a large flock. I have read through this thread looking for guidance prior to starting the feed. There are a lot of questions about what to add and if it is ok to add this or that in the thread. What I have read from those that have been doing it for a while is to ferment whatever you are already feeding your flock. You don't need a special formula for fermenting. Since mine are on a 16% layer crumble, that is what I used. I am at the point where I am switching them to a layers mash, so I am mixing that half and half with the crumble. I also add in some BOSS for added protein for the turkeys who run with my chicks. The smell from the straight crumbles was a bit disturbing to me, but improved greatly with the added grain mash. My starter basically activated over night, so I was feeding them the very next day.
I started out mixing it thoroughly before scooping out what I feed them. That made the feed like runny pancake batter. It was fine, though, as the girls clean the dish out completely. I scoop a small dish full twice a day as well as make sure they have their dry feed. They eat very little of the dry feed, so that tells me I am giving them just about enough of the FF. The last couple of days, I have noticed a separation layer in the feed when I go to scoop it. There is a layer of saturated feed stuff on the bottom of the jar, a layer of liquid, and a layer of dryer FF on the top. I have started just scooping the dryer "fluff" from the top of the jar for feeding. It saves me from having to strain or drain the feed and the birds seem to like it much better. After scooping out what I need, I will add back in some dry feed and a bit of additional water. That is when I stir the container back up. It has been a lot less work and seems to please the girls. The consistency is more like sticky oatmeal now instead of runny. The dish I feed them with looks like a dogs dish after the dog licks it clean. The girls do not waste any of the FF. Water consumption is about half what it used to be as well and I have noticed the poop smell is not as bad.
I have also been reading about city tap water and the Chlorine in it. Our water doesn't have a strong flavor from chlorine. I worried about adding it to the FF and if I should be treating it. Our plants and garden do just fine with regular tap water. The girls have been getting water straight from the tap from day one when I got them. It seemed silly to me to add a step for the FF that I don't do with the water they drink daily. Anyone out there that has had problems with chlorine? And what happens to the chickens if they get too much of it?
People here have been very concerned about doing something wrong. I have learned to trust my girls. They will let me know if I am doing something wrong. Chickens do like variety. I try not to limit my girls to one source of food. If they are out in the run, they will still have FF and dry available. If the FF is bad, they will not eat it. When the chicks are small, they will let you know what temperature is right. Watch them and you will do fine. When my chicks were two weeks old and I had to move them to a larger brooder in an unheated space, I got up in the middle of the night to check on them. They were running around, eating, scratching and peeping contentedly. Even with the heat lamp, it had dropped to 70 in their brooder, but they were just fine. No complaints from them. They were really happy to have the additional run around space. While it is good to be concerned about their well being, you really just need to get in tune with them. Everything you read is a guideline. What has worked for me and my girls may not work for you. One hatch may be okay at two weeks with drops in temperatures overnight, the next may not. There is really no set in stone way to do things. You need to just find what your girls respond best to and run with that. Good luck everyone!!!
I started out mixing it thoroughly before scooping out what I feed them. That made the feed like runny pancake batter. It was fine, though, as the girls clean the dish out completely. I scoop a small dish full twice a day as well as make sure they have their dry feed. They eat very little of the dry feed, so that tells me I am giving them just about enough of the FF. The last couple of days, I have noticed a separation layer in the feed when I go to scoop it. There is a layer of saturated feed stuff on the bottom of the jar, a layer of liquid, and a layer of dryer FF on the top. I have started just scooping the dryer "fluff" from the top of the jar for feeding. It saves me from having to strain or drain the feed and the birds seem to like it much better. After scooping out what I need, I will add back in some dry feed and a bit of additional water. That is when I stir the container back up. It has been a lot less work and seems to please the girls. The consistency is more like sticky oatmeal now instead of runny. The dish I feed them with looks like a dogs dish after the dog licks it clean. The girls do not waste any of the FF. Water consumption is about half what it used to be as well and I have noticed the poop smell is not as bad.
I have also been reading about city tap water and the Chlorine in it. Our water doesn't have a strong flavor from chlorine. I worried about adding it to the FF and if I should be treating it. Our plants and garden do just fine with regular tap water. The girls have been getting water straight from the tap from day one when I got them. It seemed silly to me to add a step for the FF that I don't do with the water they drink daily. Anyone out there that has had problems with chlorine? And what happens to the chickens if they get too much of it?
People here have been very concerned about doing something wrong. I have learned to trust my girls. They will let me know if I am doing something wrong. Chickens do like variety. I try not to limit my girls to one source of food. If they are out in the run, they will still have FF and dry available. If the FF is bad, they will not eat it. When the chicks are small, they will let you know what temperature is right. Watch them and you will do fine. When my chicks were two weeks old and I had to move them to a larger brooder in an unheated space, I got up in the middle of the night to check on them. They were running around, eating, scratching and peeping contentedly. Even with the heat lamp, it had dropped to 70 in their brooder, but they were just fine. No complaints from them. They were really happy to have the additional run around space. While it is good to be concerned about their well being, you really just need to get in tune with them. Everything you read is a guideline. What has worked for me and my girls may not work for you. One hatch may be okay at two weeks with drops in temperatures overnight, the next may not. There is really no set in stone way to do things. You need to just find what your girls respond best to and run with that. Good luck everyone!!!
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