Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Beekissed]

Oh, TW...you are good for my soul!

I like Leghorns....was raised on leghorn roosters. Never met a mean one. The last one we had was so moochy and just wanted to be near the humans that he wouldn't stay down at the coop area but must be waiting on the porch all the time. Dad would get out the shotgun and "send" him on his way back to the coop...HOP!..RUN....HOP!...RUN....the next day he would come right back. He was the one that bred our Scovy duck and they would roost in the trees together. Star crossed lovers...

 

[Beekissed]

You have got me wanting to do that but I am paranoid I will bring in some kind of swamp flu or something and kill all my birds.

Faith. That's all it really takes in the end. I just create a separate pen, dust their butts for any carry on luggage, grease up their legs for the same reason, dose with castor oil to kill any carry ons in there and then have faith in my methods of developing good immune systems in my flock that will fight off transmission of disease and just plain ol' faith in God that everything works to the good for those who love Him...and I sure do love Him. So, I expect the good!

 

[Triple Willow]

    Oh, TW...you are good for my soul!     I like Leghorns....was raised on leghorn roosters.  Never met a mean one.  The last one we had was so moochy and just wanted to be near the humans that he wouldn't stay down at the coop area but must be waiting on the porch all the time.  Dad would get out the shotgun and "send" him on his way back to the coop...HOP!..RUN....HOP!...RUN....the next day he would come right back.  He was the one that bred our Scovy duck and they would roost in the trees together.  Star crossed lovers... 

That's funny! haha My leghorn rooster is mean to the others. He has them ALL beat into submission! LOL He had one big ol' Delaware rooster so scared of him that it stayed in a nest most of the time with its head hid in the corner! HA! I really do like him though and the pullets. I think I may have to have some more leghorns!

 

[Triple Willow]

Faith.  That's all it really takes in the end.  I just create a separate pen, dust their butts for any carry on luggage, grease up their legs for the same reason, dose with castor oil to kill any carry ons in there and then have faith in my methods of developing good immune systems in my flock that will fight off transmission of disease and just plain ol' faith in God that everything works to the good for those who love Him...and I sure do love Him.  So, I expect the good! 

Sounds like a plan, but do you want all my chicken diapers if I kill my whole flock? LOL

 

[Beekissed]

Those contaminated things!!! No WAY! Burn them......

Take the leap, TW....feels like floating.....

 

[Triple Willow]

Those contaminated things!!!  No WAY!  Burn them......     

Take the leap, TW....feels like floating..... 

I think I can, I think I can... lol

 

[Triple Willow]

The other day I got the bright idea of getting one of these feed blocks for my birds to give them something to do. Well when we had that storm front blow through this past Sunday the block got wet and part of it fell apart. Of course I am cheap and don't want to just throw it away but I didn't want it to eventually mold either and I didn't want them eating that much of it that fast. So I decided FERMENT! This stuff looks like upchuck in the bucket with water on it but I don't see how it could hurt my birds. It did have a little fermented feed in with it so it is bubbling away, but looks nasty.

Any thought from you experts??? (I doubt I will be buying any of this stuff again!)

Purina

Flock Block

SunFresh

Recipe is great for free-ranging poultry and game birds.

Encourages natural pecking instincts to help reduce cannibalism Contains oyster shell and grit 20 lb. block

Ingredients: Cracked Corn, Whole Milo, Whole Wheat, Whole Barley, Cane Molasses, Oystershell Flour, Sunflower Seeds, Sodium Bentonite, Dehulled Soybean Meal, Lignin Sulfonate Dehydrated, Monocalcium Phosphate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Grit, Salt, Propionic Acid (A Preservative), DL-Methionine, Choline Chloride, L-Lysine, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine, Biotin, Riboflavin Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Menadione Dimethylpyrimidinol Bisulfite ( Source of Vitamin K), Vitamin A Supplement, Folic Acid, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Calcium Carbonate, Manganous Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite. Ruminant Meat and Bone Meal-Free.

 

[Beekissed]

Since it's designed to be a supplement, you might want to dilute it into your feed outs a little at a time so as not to overfeed any one thing...sounds pretty concentrated. I wouldn't buy anymore of it, though...you've got all that and more if you are feeding a balanced ration that you've fermented~minus the grit and OS.

If you want to give your chooks something to do and peck at for the winter months, the suet cakes with bird seed or BOSS in them seem to get rave reviews...but I'd put them in a suet cage or they will gobble it all up at once and I wouldn't give it to them too often...they don't need too much fat, but some additional for the winter time wouldn't hurt. Some folks are making their own chicken treats by melting down suet fats and adding the ingredients they like, then stringing them on twine to tie to the run fencing for bird entertainment purposes.

 

[armorfirelady]

The other day I got the bright idea of getting one of these feed blocks for my birds to give them something to do. Well when we had that storm front blow through this past Sunday the block got wet and part of it fell apart. Of course I am cheap and don't want to just throw it away but I didn't want it to eventually mold either and I didn't want them eating that much of it that fast. So I decided FERMENT! This stuff looks like upchuck in the bucket with water on it but I don't see how it could hurt my birds. It did have a little fermented feed in with it so it is bubbling away, but looks nasty.

Any thought from you experts??? (I doubt I will be buying any of this stuff again!)

Purina

Flock Block

SunFresh

Recipe is great for free-ranging poultry and game birds.

Encourages natural pecking instincts to help reduce cannibalism Contains oyster shell and grit 20 lb. block

Ingredients: Cracked Corn, Whole Milo, Whole Wheat, Whole Barley, Cane Molasses, Oystershell Flour, Sunflower Seeds, Sodium Bentonite, Dehulled Soybean Meal, Lignin Sulfonate Dehydrated, Monocalcium Phosphate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Grit, Salt, Propionic Acid (A Preservative), DL-Methionine, Choline Chloride, L-Lysine, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine, Biotin, Riboflavin Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Menadione Dimethylpyrimidinol Bisulfite ( Source of Vitamin K), Vitamin A Supplement, Folic Acid, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Calcium Carbonate, Manganous Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite. Ruminant Meat and Bone Meal-Free.

I use this as a supplement for my hens since I feed them fermented grains. I have it in a plastic tray now but I am going to try & make a homemade suet holder-like container for it so I can keep it off the litter yet securely fastened to the side of the hoop coop

 

[BCMaraniac]

I use this as a supplement for my hens since I feed them fermented grains. I have it in a plastic tray now but I am going to try & make a homemade suet holder-like container for it so I can keep it off the litter yet securely fastened to the side of the hoop coop

The birds absolutely LOVE that thing!!!