Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Beekissed]

Thanks Bee just want to make sure I do this right. So do you put fresh feed in everytime you take out FF? Sorry if this has all been asked.

Depends on how low my bucket is or if taking any solids out makes the mix look too soupy. I try to keep my FF at a thick, peanut butter or mortar consistency for ease of feeding. This means that, though I keep the fluids near the top of the mix, it is not swimming in fluid. When stirred, you can see the fluid in pockets near the top and all the feed stays very moist but are not submerged totally under the water.

Right now I add feed every other day and maybe just a little more water, depending on the need for it. Each time I feed, I stir the mix well to see how it all looks and smells and to see if I need to add more dry or more wet to the mix.

 

[ChestnutRidge]

Thanks, ChestnutRidge...I just read the post over at your site too!

BALANCE is definitely the key.

(And...I want to clarify that I wasn't using the "candida" example [bodily yeast infection] to imply that we're working with candida by using baker's yeast.........it was just an example to make the "balance" point... I hope I made that clear but I'm not sure so I thought I'd clarify that!)

I completely agree! I also wanted to thank you for pointing out that longer fermentation is needed to get to the second, more acidic, phase. I added that to my 'science' post.

There is so much great information on this thread!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Depends on how low my bucket is or if taking any solids out makes the mix look too soupy. I try to keep my FF at a thick, peanut butter or mortar consistency for ease of feeding. This means that, though I keep the fluids near the top of the mix, it is not swimming in fluid. When stirred, you can see the fluid in pockets near the top and all the feed stays very moist but are not submerged totally under the water.

Right now I add feed every other day and maybe just a little more water, depending on the need for it. Each time I feed, I stir the mix well to see how it all looks and smells and to see if I need to add more dry or more wet to the mix.

Thank you a great help. I also enjoyed your web page

 

[JulieNKC]

I completely agree! I also wanted to thank you for pointing out that longer fermentation is needed to get to the second, more acidic, phase. I added that to my 'science' post.

There is so much great information on this thread!

I just looked at your siggie and realized the scratchcradle thing is yours. I love your site! It has tons of awesome info, and you explain it all wonderfully. I've learned a ton from it. Great job!

 

[Beekissed]

I agree! I think I linked it on my webpage...it was that informative!

 

[Nomibear]

Good morning FF friends
Just wanted to turn in a report.
I started my 19 layers on the FF 5 weeks ago. They were 16 weeks. Today they are 21 weeks. Last Tuesday I got my first two eggs! (Only 2 of my girls are laying) I have heard so many stories here on BYC of soft-shelled or no shell eggs when they first start laying that I assumed that would be expected from all Pullets.
Not these! They were a little small, but smooth. They had a lovely shape, and were at least twice as hard to crack as the store bought eggs.
I am using the two bucket system that Beekissed has shared with us. Half layer/half scratch. I also try to keep it at that paste like consistency. The way my poultry eats, I can fill the bucket one day, feed them from it for 2 days and refill it after that 2nd feeding. I also throw the empty egg shells back into a corner of their run. They must be getting enough calcium, because they leave most of the broken up shells there. (I only smash them in my hands, Not to a powder)
Thanks to all the info and advice that you have each shared here, I feel like I am avoiding problems that most people have with their starter flock. Thank you!!

 

[Bossroo]

As a safety precaution... If I were you, I would bake the used egg shells in the oven untill the shells start to turn color to sterilise them. Doing this will prevent any bacterial or viral growth on the inside of the shells. I am sure that You know that they use eggs to grow various viruses , etc. to manufacture vaccines, etc..

 

[Beekissed]

In a laboratory, yes, they may. In the real world, people have been feeding the shells back to their birds for thousands of years without baking them and it works out just fine. The very soils on which they stand and which they ingest grow bacteria and viruses. No need to sterilize a chicken shell at all, IMO.

 

[bruceh]

ok has anyone just combined the feed and water together and strained as they use it. not using the 2 bucket system.

 

[Beekissed]

Plenty on here are using strainers and scoops with holes drilled for this purpose, Bruce. With the amount of chickens you are running, I imagine you'd need a bucket strainer, wouldn't you?