Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[BCMaraniac]

It might be a tic high in sodium....not sure. I'm not sure just how much salt chickens can handle...they don't seem to crave it like other livestock/animals.

I make my FF in a 5 gallon bucket, so I was just thinking about a few tablespoons in a big bucket. I figured it wouldn't be any worse than the occasional fried rice they get......LOL, and that it would be diluted very quickly.

 

[Beekissed]

Most likely wouldn't hurt a thing in those amounts...or even more. I'm thinking most things in moderation won't hurt those birds..they are tough. I was glancing over another post where someone was cutting a fuss over feeding apples to chickens because they felt the arsenic levels in the seeds would kill or sicken the chickens. What's with these people??? Do they think chickens haven't been eating apples for thousands of years now?

If chickens got sick or died over apples seeds I'd never have had a bird one...I've been keeping chickens under apple trees for the last 7-8 years now.

Same with dogs eating grapes. My dogs ate all my grapes each year and I didn't get a one...they also get any that have gone over the hill and we throw out in the garbage.

Either folks out there are raising some real sissy dogs and chickens or mine are just extra hardy...can't figure out which.

 

[armorfirelady]

Thank goodness no one told my hens apples were bad for them........it's one of their favorite treats

 

[Triple Willow]

And bones, some people freak over feeding dogs scrap bones. We have done it as long as I can remember and the only time we ever had a problem is when one dog got a chicken leg bone hung crossways in the back of his mouth. lol Of course we never feed fish bones or anything real small and sharp.

 

[Triple Willow]

I make my FF in a 5 gallon bucket, so I was just thinking about a few tablespoons in a big bucket.  I figured it wouldn't be any worse than the occasional fried rice they get......LOL, and that it would be diluted very quickly.

I think mine is needing a boost too. I think I'll add a little yogurt. Wish I had some buttermilk.

 

[Beekissed]

And bones, some people freak over feeding dogs scrap bones. We have done it as long as I can remember and the only time we ever had a problem is when one dog got a chicken leg bone hung crossways in the back of his mouth. lol Of course we never feed fish bones or anything real small and sharp.

I do. I feed the dogs whatever bones there are, regardless of type and size. I think it's more of an issue with small dogs than big, as I've never had a dog choke or get a bone lodged.

Preds eat all types of bones, big or small, sharp or not, and they manage to do it without dying and so I treat the dogs like wild canines in that regard. Anything they would normally put in their mouths on their own that is not poisonous(like rat poison), I let them have a go at it.

Had some lady on another forum tell me that if I ground up chicken bones, heads and feet to cook into dog bones that I should monitor the muscle to bone ratio to insure he didn't get an imbalance.

I told her real dogs don't care about muscle to bone ratio and if I dumped all those parts out in a pile in the woods my dog would eat them all in a couple of days, imbalance or not....'cause he's a real dog and that's how they roll.

 

[Beekissed]

I think mine is needing a boost too. I think I'll add a little yogurt. Wish I had some buttermilk.

Is your ferment slowing down due to the cold? I know mine is, so my solution is going to be to keep it a little warmer. It might be that it's all yours needs is a warmer temp to keep the scoby active. If you just add a booster and it's still too cold to encourage metabolism, you'll still have what you had, I'm thinking.

Mine is very dormant nowtoo and even with mixing a bigger batch and letting sit long, it still is not metabolizing well so it's either bring it indoors or put it in the heated bucket. I haven't made up my mind yet which I will do....the coop is far away and I have to carry water to it to batch my FF. If I keep it in the house, the only thing I have to carry is dry feed to the house and wet feed up to the coop...much easier than transporting water on the icy path.

I kept it indoors last winter and it went very well, it was not sloppy or smelly, and it fermented just right in my bedroom..the furthest room from the heat source and still warm enough to support the ferment. I just place a trash bag and a rug under the base of the bucket so any drips don't get on the carpet.

 

[armorfirelady]

And bones, some people freak over feeding dogs scrap bones. We have done it as long as I can remember and the only time we ever had a problem is when one dog got a chicken leg bone hung crossways in the back of his mouth. lol Of course we never feed fish bones or anything real small and sharp.

I do.  I feed the dogs whatever bones there are, regardless of type and size.  I think it's more of an issue with small dogs than big, as I've never had a dog choke or get a bone lodged. 

Preds eat all types of bones, big or small, sharp or not, and they manage to do it without dying and so I treat the dogs like wild canines in that regard.  Anything they would normally put in their mouths on their own that is not poisonous(like rat poison), I let them have a go at it. 

Had some lady on another forum tell me that if I ground up chicken bones, heads and feet to cook into dog bones that I should monitor the muscle to bone ratio to insure he didn't get an imbalance.  I told her real dogs don't care about muscle to bone ratio and if I dumped all those parts out in a pile in the woods my dog would eat them all in a couple of days, imbalance or not....'cause he's a real dog and that's how they roll. 

Just my -2 cents......I used to get soup bones boil them than freeze them. I would give them to my dogs once in awhile. Last spring I gave one to my blue heeler and she got sick. I originally thought she broke off a piece and had a blockage. Lots of $$ later it turned out just a really bad upset tummy. The vet asked if they were cooked or not but never explained further. I am guessing cooked bones splinter easier? I haven't tried giving them to either dog again. Think when I unbury them in the freezer the hens can have fun picking all the marrow out.

I should add lily has had problems with food since she was a puppy. I had them on one food for years now but she was having stomach problems again so they are on a natural food with no grains and no corn.

Now the chickens they love a good bone picking

 

[Triple Willow]

Is your ferment slowing down due to the cold?  I know mine is, so my solution is going to be to keep it a little warmer.  It might be that it's all yours needs is a warmer temp to keep the scoby active.  If you just add a booster and it's still too cold to encourage metabolism, you'll still have what you had, I'm thinking. 

Mine is very dormant nowtoo and even with mixing a bigger batch and letting sit long, it still is not metabolizing well so it's either bring it indoors or put it in the heated bucket.  I haven't made up my mind yet which I will do....the coop is far away and I have to carry water to it to batch my FF.  If I keep it in the house, the only thing I have to carry is dry feed to the house and wet feed up to the coop...much easier than transporting water on the icy path. 

I kept it indoors last winter and it went very well, it was not sloppy or smelly, and it fermented just right in my bedroom..the furthest room from the heat source and still warm enough to support the ferment.  I just place a trash bag and a rug under the base of the bucket so any drips don't get on the carpet. 

Oh me! The way I run my bucket over I wouldn't dare set it on carpet unless it was sitting in another container. LOL But I haven't done that lately thank you very much! hehehe

Mine is in the garage but it just doesn't seem to be perking like it ought to. I never have got around to starting a second bucket but I need to. I'm sure sitting longer would help.

 

[Triple Willow]

I do.  I feed the dogs whatever bones there are, regardless of type and size.  I think it's more of an issue with small dogs than big, as I've never had a dog choke or get a bone lodged. 

Preds eat all types of bones, big or small, sharp or not, and they manage to do it without dying and so I treat the dogs like wild canines in that regard.  Anything they would normally put in their mouths on their own that is not poisonous(like rat poison), I let them have a go at it. 

***Had some lady on another forum tell me that if I ground up chicken bones, heads and feet to cook into dog bones that I should monitor the muscle to bone ratio to insure he didn't get an imbalance.  *** I told her real dogs don't care about muscle to bone ratio and if I dumped all those parts out in a pile in the woods my dog would eat them all in a couple of days, imbalance or not....'cause he's a real dog and that's how they roll.  .

Some people have entirely too much time on their hands huh? LOL