Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Beekissed]

I think those red broilers are a little slower than the CX, aren't they? Could be why they seem smaller. The CX I had this year were definitely the slower growing, though they were not advertised in that manner. The birds that I held over longer did increase in size....I just hadn't waited long enough.

My last batch of CX were at finished wts at 8 wks and, though I kept them over to 11 wks, didn't seem to gain much in size...just sort of plateaued out at 8 wks. They dressed out on average 5-6 lbs.

I didn't really weigh any that I did this year due to unusual circumstances...just didn't take the time to weigh, didn't butcher like I usually do and did everything in a hurry.

 

[jrsckn]

I took my CX to 10 weeks. The smallest was 6.05lb before and 3.48 after processing and that is minus the skin and neck. The largest was 9.54lb before and 6.54 after. We processed 19 so we decided to skin them all to save time. I'm still working on my numbers (was out of town for a dogs show) to see what the averages, costs and such were for my experiment but I will say this, the largest birds were the ones fed fermented feed followed by the crumble chicks and the smallest were the 50/50 fermented crumble/grains.

 

[MonsterClucker]

@Bekissed Do you start your chicks on starter crumble that you ferment right? How old do you start the grains?

I bought this bag of feed today. It has whole corn, whole grain sorghum, whole wheat, whole oats, whole barley and fish oil. It was $25 for 75lbs. They call it "Rooster mix" or "super scratch".
If I wanted to cut my crumble with this, would that be ok?

The crumble I have is called Organic pride, its %20 protein. They say its good for the whole grow cycle. From chick to process

 

[Lacy Blues]

@Bekissed Do you start your chicks on starter crumble that you ferment right? How old do you start the grains?
I bought this bag of feed today. It has whole corn, whole grain sorghum, whole wheat, whole oats, whole barley and fish oil. It was $25 for 75lbs. They call it "Rooster mix" or "super scratch".
If I wanted to cut my crumble with this, would that be ok?
The crumble I have is called Organic pride, its %20 protein. They say its good for the whole grow cycle. From chick to process

I am just wondering which company puts that product out?

I have to order many of the whole grains I feed but that sounds like a nice mix... I wonder though if the fish oil would go rancid in the summer heat? Do you know if the grains used are GMO or not?

 

[Jeanette56]

I don't know if you can find this outside of Texas but I use a similar grain mix that is made by Acco Ful-o-pep feeds called El Gallo Rojo. It is also considered a rooster feed. It is high in protein (about 18% I think) and is mostly grains with a mineral pellet and an alfalfa pellet added. You can also check out whatever Dove or Pigeon mixes are in your area. They are usually a nice all-grain/peas mix and have a decent protein content.

I am just wondering which company puts that product out?

I have to order many of the whole grains I feed but that sounds like a nice mix... I wonder though if the fish oil would go rancid in the summer heat? Do you know if the grains used are GMO or not?

 

[MonsterClucker]

I am just wondering which company puts that product out?

I have to order many of the whole grains I feed but that sounds like a nice mix... I wonder though if the fish oil would go rancid in the summer heat?  Do you know if the grains used are GMO or not?

Farmers Best Poultry feed our of Keyes California. They said none of the products from them use GMOs so I'm hoping they were being honest. I specifically asked for Non-GMO. Im not sure about the fish oil. I keep the feed in my house and they don't leave any in the feeder for am extended period of time. So I wouldn't worry about that.

 

[JoyfulPromise]

Beekissed - I was wondering if you remembered where you heard or read that "Fermenting your grains is supposed to increase your protein by 12%" (Quote from the first post of the thread which was a quoted post by you, posted by Shadowmane)? I did look through the three articles that you posted links to on the first page of this thread, but I didn't see any reference to the fermentation increasing the protein - I could have missed it though. Could you point me in the right direction please?

Thank you!

 

[Lacy Blues]

I must have missed that part. I'd like to know too please?

 

[Beekissed]

I'd have to read those articles again. To tell you the truth, I can't remember which one stated that or if it was another article I had read on the same subject. At the time I was really reading everything I could get my hands on the subject before I attempted to implement it.

Let me find them and see if I can find that part?

 

[Beekissed]

Can't find it. Must not be true or able to be confirmed at this time.

There are so many different studies done on this subject and the material is so darn hard to wade through that it would take someone really interested in it to give it another go. Anyone interested in doing their own research on the matter and seeing if we can come up with the facts on the increased protein percentages or even the increase in the digestibility of the available feed proteins?

Back when I was interested in the matter, I had read many, many articles and studies and didn't bookmark them all. Now I don't have the same interest in finding out the facts. I've tried it, found it satisfactory for my needs and found that the end results were more than enough proof for my mind.

Maybe those who are still unsure and are still looking for more details could conduct their own fact finding mission and let us all know?