Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Loc20chick]

Two of my CX are making a coughing like sound and shaking their heads could this be related to fermented feed? Should I be worried or is it something that will pass? They are still feeding and walking okay.

 

[Beekissed]

Two of my CX are making a coughing like sound and shaking their heads could this be related to fermented feed? Should I be worried or is it something that will pass? They are still feeding and walking okay.

Shouldn't be anything related to the fermented feeds...we've had no reports of anything like that in conjunction with chickens. I'd wait and see what happens. Did you add anything new to the brooder or anything dusty in their environment? Sounds like they are sneezing. Look at them closely and see if anything is crawling on them, look in their mouths and see if you see anything unusual. Listen closely when they breathe to see if you hear any wheezing.

 

[Loc20chick]

Shouldn't be anything related to the fermented feeds...we've had no reports of anything like that in conjunction with chickens. I'd wait and see what happens. Did you add anything new to the brooder or anything dusty in their environment? Sounds like they are sneezing. Look at them closely and see if anything is crawling on them, look in their mouths and see if you see anything unusual. Listen closely when they breathe to see if you hear any wheezing.

Ok thanks. Just checked on them no wheezing or anything unusual I added DE about 9 days ago when I cleaned and put new shavings and the grass I gave them last week the soil was damp. I'll see how they are tomorrow.

 

[sonjanz]

Hi I have been reading this thread for a few weeks,am still on page 331 but have been doing FF for near to a month.I love it. I do FF for chickens,ducks,turkeys and my goats! I do it a bit differently i have 5 8ltr house bucket and a large 20 ltr tub for goats. I have no holes I started a ferment with whole grains,ACV,and water and leave at least 36 hrs and pour off excess liquid to new bucket,top with water andstart again till have my permanent 5 buckets going,just backslop all daily and top with water,have only added new acv once and not because of any smell or problems but just thought i should.
My goats drink about 3 ltrs of ferment liquid daily,just slurp down and they h=look great,shiny coats,less lameness and creaking in older does.
My ducks love there food swimming in liquid.After tipping off excess ferment liquid before feeding i just retop bucket with water and that with the ferment still in feed (I don't drain just tip off excess) makes up the liquid i put in with grain into feeders.They are far better foragers with FF.
BTW I live in NZ and grains for FF are hard to find and can be very expensive!

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Well ladies and gents. We just spent 48 hours putting in the new deep litter in my run and raised garden beds in my back yard. Back breaking work to say the least but the girls are on two feet of fresh woodchips now. Mostly pine this year. The old deep litter was SOOOO full of earthworms! They chickens feasted as I moved the old bedding about my lawn to start raising it above the local water table (which is quite high as all the lawns in the area flood and it used to be natural Wetlands).

After hours of backbreaking work hauling literal tons of dirt around, what better way to end the night but with my last FF roaster from last fall? 5.5 lbs of glorious, white, healthy chicken stuffed with potatoes and chorizo sausage!!! Yuuum!

Cant wait to post a couple quick photos of the new raised beds tomorrow. They look AMAZING!

 

[Beekissed]

Hi I have been reading this thread for a few weeks,am still on page 331 but have been doing FF for near to a month.I love it. I do FF for chickens,ducks,turkeys and my goats! I do it a bit differently i have 5 8ltr house bucket and a large 20 ltr tub for goats. I have no holes I started a ferment with whole grains,ACV,and water and leave at least 36 hrs and pour off excess liquid to new bucket,top with water andstart again till have my permanent 5 buckets going,just backslop all daily and top with water,have only added new acv once and not because of any smell or problems but just thought i should.
My goats drink about 3 ltrs of ferment liquid daily,just slurp down and they h=look great,shiny coats,less lameness and creaking in older does.
My ducks love there food swimming in liquid.After tipping off excess ferment liquid before feeding i just retop bucket with water and that with the ferment still in feed (I don't drain just tip off excess) makes up the liquid i put in with grain into feeders.They are far better foragers with FF.
BTW I live in NZ and grains for FF are hard to find and can be very expensive!

Great feedback!!!

I think that is just neat about your goats...I never thought about folks giving it to ruminants to drink!

 

[sonjanz]

I know Bee,I keep seeing comments throught out about ruminants not needing FF but a ruminant does not ferment feed just regurgitates and redigests its food.My nubian Izzy is 15 yrs old,has a foot growth that plays up some time and creaks something chronic,but is happy and content to graze the 100 acres they have access to. Since FF no creaks,no flare up in growth,her coat is glossy and straight not little turn up at the end when mineral levels are not right and no bottle jaw which we hd been having a problem with in our herd due to the extreme drought we are having.i only worm as needed and have had to repeat treat some goats which is highly abnormal. my new buck who is a little wary had a very runny rear end and we were thinking we needed to get the herd in and drench...but 2 days on FF liquid and he has not looked back..that was a week ago.i get mobbed for the liquid by the 3 goats i feed it too,the rest just get a slightly watery mix in the bins.these 3 drink till they get to the grain in the bottom and would drink more if they were allowed....they could walk away to feed bins with feed in but choose liquid first then feed!

 

[Triple Willow]

I know Bee,I keep seeing comments throught out about ruminants not needing FF but a ruminant does not ferment feed just regurgitates and redigests its food.My nubian Izzy is 15 yrs old,has a foot growth that plays up some time and creaks something chronic,but is happy and content to graze the 100 acres they have access to. Since FF no creaks,no flare up in growth,her coat  is glossy and straight not little turn up at the end when mineral levels are not right and no bottle jaw which we hd been having a problem with in our herd due to the  extreme drought we are having.i only worm as needed and have had to repeat treat some goats which is highly abnormal. my new buck who is a little wary had a very runny rear end and we were thinking we needed to get the herd in and drench...but 2 days on FF liquid and he has not looked back..that was a week ago.i get mobbed for the liquid by the 3 goats i feed it too,the rest just get a slightly watery mix in the bins.these 3 drink till they get to the grain in the bottom and would drink more if they were allowed....they could walk away to feed bins with feed in but choose liquid first then feed!

Wow, that is some great information!

 

[Beekissed]

I know Bee,I keep seeing comments throught out about ruminants not needing FF but a ruminant does not ferment feed just regurgitates and redigests its food.My nubian Izzy is 15 yrs old,has a foot growth that plays up some time and creaks something chronic,but is happy and content to graze the 100 acres they have access to. Since FF no creaks,no flare up in growth,her coat is glossy and straight not little turn up at the end when mineral levels are not right and no bottle jaw which we hd been having a problem with in our herd due to the extreme drought we are having.i only worm as needed and have had to repeat treat some goats which is highly abnormal. my new buck who is a little wary had a very runny rear end and we were thinking we needed to get the herd in and drench...but 2 days on FF liquid and he has not looked back..that was a week ago.i get mobbed for the liquid by the 3 goats i feed it too,the rest just get a slightly watery mix in the bins.these 3 drink till they get to the grain in the bottom and would drink more if they were allowed....they could walk away to feed bins with feed in but choose liquid first then feed!

That is amazing! I wish you would go on the sister site BackyardHerds and report that...those people all have the sickliest goats I've ever heard of in my life! They sure could use this information.

Funny, isn't it? Water, feed, ACV(or not), stir and wait....a few easy and free steps to better health and vigor.

 

[sonjanz]

well after a very frank and honest discussion here amongst family,after reading about personal bombs being dropped and me saying i was tempted to strain some FF liquid for myself to drink ad enjoy some good health benefits my 21 yr old son suggested i just drink ACV by the gallon,he reckons i need it, he of course releases pre deodorised ones!!
This board has given my family many laughs and lots of discussions since i started reading.
Bee, we live on what is here called a station,its 3000 acres in size and we raise beef and sheep for market and breed both. i have my own mini farm off to the side whee i raise dairy goats,poultry (chickens,ducks,turkeys) for our consumption. I use as many natural ways as i can and the health of my own livestock is always a good indicator of whats going on out in the paddock.My husband farms conventionally to a very high standard and is always interested in what i do.
i have discovered some many misconceptions about goats and realise many people do not undertand how there systems work or the dietary requiremnts but they also do not want to know...it easier to be ignorant. i even have vets refer people to me.