Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Triple Willow]

Yesterday I was sitting a room with several people and about five of us watching this and I was the only one who thought it was funny. What is wrong with people! They didn't even crack a smile! The reporter faints from the high altitude...THUMP!!! LOL It is funnier with no sound. Anybody else think it's funny? Maybe it's because I am so familiar with fallling...?

 

[WalkingWolf1]

Quote:
You have what winemakers (beermakers) would call an infected ferment. I'd recommend throwing it out and disinfecting everything with a dilute bleach solution (maybe even wash/rinse and repeat the bleach solution). Some folks may have success with grasses in a FF situation but I'd recommend you leave that out. You recognize this is where your outfit went south. I know the grains, etc. will have pollen and mold spores but I've always felt the grasses have a larger burden.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Walkingwolf, I kind of would like to leave the grasses in. I would like to switch my hens over to a high hay content diet at some point and see how they do on it... Since hay is dry and hard to eat chopping it into the ferment will soften it and could greatly reduce my feed costs. It's part of my trying to get away from commercial feed in a small space. But I will dump it and try fermenting again after cleaning! I also switched containers when I added the alfalfa and started using some containers that I had been using for sprouting wheat that were getting some mold issues from a lack of airflow so that may have introduced it. I will dump what remains on my compost and I will sanitize and restart.

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:

I agree! I used to feed alfalfa pellets in the winter...did that all of one winter before I realized how quickly the pellets molded in storage and this is the same storage I've always used for all feeds without getting mold problems. And it molded rather quickly! I think it has a high sugar and also a high moisture content...both are recipes for increased mold growth, so they may contain the wrong kinds of mold before you even add them in the mix. Keep in mind they have to be steamed to get them into that extruded form of a pellet or to be formed into a cube, so adding warm steam to alfalfa might just boost the high mold content.

Another little note to those trying to avoid GMO sourced feed ingredients, alfalfa is on the list of one of the most frequent GMO sourced crops.

Maybe by next winter you could have some grow frames of grass going in the run, with plastic tunnels to improve growth through the winter, that may give the birds the greens you like them to have. You could even sprout grains right now to give them some of the same benefit.

But..yeah..I'd toss that mix. Sorry.

 

[Beekissed]

Yesterday I was sitting a room with several people and about five of us watching this and I was the only one who thought it was funny. What is wrong with people! They didn't even crack a smile! The reporter faints from the high altitude...THUMP!!! LOL It is funnier with no sound. Anybody else think it's funny? Maybe it's because I am so familiar with fallling...?

I thought it was hilarious! I've seen that look and anticipated the fall...I used to work for the Red Cross, collecting blood.

You'd be surprised at the big guys at some of the locations that would fall like a pole axed steer and stay down for a good long time.

 

[Beekissed]

Sweetums was crowing this morning, by all reports...I was dead to the world and didn't get to hear him. He seems to have established his pecking order status as well, as he dominated the feeder this morning...not in a bad way but still pretty decisive. He's not so timid anymore and is looking great! We'll see how he does out on range and how closely the hens will stick with him and regard him as flock leader.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Bee, GMO is not my biggest concern right now. My biggest concerns with GMOs are pesticide use (will show up almost no matter what hay I use) and environmental concerns... Not so much the impact on the animals.

Like I said, I suspect the issue came from the containers, not the alfalfa itself. Grow frames aren't happening in the winter up here. We just got a foot of snow in 24 hours. My yard doesn't have grass let alone my chicken pen! It's all mud underneath, too. My site has horrible drainage too and while I am working on it it's tough. Most days my yard is a lake.

By summer I intend to have a fodder system going on. I think that will do wonders. But I am still looking for alternatives to a feed-store based diet for my own personal sustainability. If I can work out how to balance my hens diet on mostly fermented hays and sprouted fodder I will be quite pleased and may be able to switch my egg layers to an "organic" diet eventually with little impact on my budget and the added benefit of being much more sustainable.

 

[Triple Willow]

I thought it was hilarious!  I've seen that look and anticipated the fall...I used to work for the Red Cross, collecting blood.    You'd be surprised at the big guys at some of the locations that would fall like a pole axed steer and stay down for a good long time. 

I thought it was hilarious too and had a good laugh whille everybody else watched it with a deer in the headlights look. What's wrong with people!

 

[Triple Willow]

Sweetums was crowing this morning, by all reports...I was dead to the world and didn't get to hear him.  He seems to have established his pecking order status as well, as he dominated the feeder this morning...not in a bad way but still pretty decisive.  He's not so timid anymore and is looking great!  We'll see how he does out on range and how closely the hens will stick with him and regard him as flock leader. 

Go Sweetums! You tha man! Just don't get too high and mighty or those hens are liable to give you a thumping. LOL

 

[Lacy Blues]

I've ordered from McMurray and Meyer and liked both - good service. I did have the ones I ordered vaccinated for Marek's. I hear there is now a vaccine for cocci. I believe I would get that one unless I hear something bad about it.

You can use yogurt to ward off coccidiosis. Mix some into your ferment. It works great.

I am going through these in order so if this has been answered sorry. Marek's cannot be prevented. The vaccine meerly keeps the birds from having the symptoms, or reduces the symptoms. I feel the vaccine only gives you a false sense of security.... while your birds are still contagious with the disease. Boosting the immune system can only be a good thing.

deb

Mareks can be prevented. Your birds just need access to turkey manure/litter.


Happy New Year everybody! May the Lord bless you in 2014.