Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Kassaundra]

So i can just keep reusing the bottom water over and over right? Do you use the two bucket system

I use the one trash barrel system. lol I use a 33 gal black plastic trash barrel, when it gets low to about a weeks worth of food left I take it out leaving the liquid, add grain, feed and water straight from the hose (city water) feed out of the small bucket for the week while the big batch gets good and fermented again. My barrel sits outside in the chicken yard all year long. I move it into a very sunny spot in the winter and a shady spot in the summer. I scoop out food w/ a shovel. I always keep a layer of water on top of mine, but I know others successfully do it w/o a layer of water.

 

[Triple Willow]

Please excuse my ignorance but I am very new to this process. What is ACV? I am really interested in fermenting feed, also is it possable to start fermentation with a bread yeast or similar?

thanks

Hey there funfrock. ACV is "apple cider vinegar". Some people use it in their fermented feed and some use it in the birds drinking water (1 tablespoon/gallon water). If you use ACV be sure to buy the "unpasteurized" kind. That is the one that has the "mother" floating around in it. You don't have to use anything to start your feed, just feed+water and wait and it will ferment. But I have used buttermilk to start it with.

Welcome and good luck.

 

[Kassaundra]

Please excuse my ignorance but I am very new to this process. What is ACV? I am really interested in fermenting feed, also is it possable to start fermentation with a bread yeast or similar?

thanks

You can start it w/ water, grains (feed) and time. All the additives (acv, yeast, yogurt, lab kimbache??(sp) and anything else you read about ) is just to "get it going" faster.
and to make the human think they are "making" it when nature does all the work!!! lol lol lol that was meant as funny not mean
none of it is ness, especially in the warm weather.

 

[Triple Willow]

I'm certain Triple Willow meant no harm and I certainly didn't take it that way.  I don't mind someone suggesting helping the less fortunate/elderly but I was hoping there might have been just a little effort to shed some light on my question in the post.  

I really hate to begin giving eggs to people because they learn to expect them and when the time comes that I'm don't have them, I feel bad for the people and I don't like to feel bad.  As I said, we give a lot of resources to help the elderly and other unfortunate people.  In fact, If I posted what we do, It wouldn't be believed.  That's it.

Turk 

Sorry, didn't see your post up there. No I didn't mean anything by my answer. Didn't mean to offend you, not at all. I had no answer about fermenting eggs soo...

 

[Turk Raphael]

Sorry, didn't see your post up there. No I didn't mean anything by my answer. Didn't mean to offend you, not at all. I had no answer about fermenting eggs soo...

You certainly didn't offend me and I got 'schooled' about fermenting eggs.

 

[Angelicisi]

Be nice to my Willow

No such thing as a stupid question. Always ask what you want to know! How else will we all learn.
Fermenting the eggs hard boiled would become just that. It would give you a hard boiled egg marinated in fermented chicken food (chicken food Scooby if you're just using the 'juice' @ Scooby juice) . Cons? Possible contaminant introduced via handling the eggs that the Scooby isn't accustomed to could kill it or turn it vile. In general when fermenting feed its better to not ferment meat products, I consider eggs a meat. Meats are often already a great digestible protein, give meat straight up raw or cooked. Eggs I scrambled up, extras or rejects, shells and all, I add fresh garlic and lots of cayenne pepper and serve it up. Easy peasy and they love it.

I have a question but first a statement:  Like many chicken keepers, there is almost always more eggs than a small family could even force themselves to eat, so again, like others, we boiled the eggs and fed them back to the birds.  To the question:  Would there be any cons to submerging the whole pealed boiled egg into the ff 'broth' for a few days? 

I have considered washing an onion bag to keep them all together and be able to pull them out at will.  It might be a border-line stupid question, but you might want to get used to those from me.  

 

[Angelicisi]

@ schooled - best place to get real answers! Even if some of us are waaaay delayed in catching up before responding...like me I need to read threads backward.

You certainly didn't offend me and I got 'schooled'  about fermenting eggs.

 

[Triple Willow]

You certainly didn't offend me and I got 'schooled'  about fermenting eggs.

I figure it takes too much work/feed/money for me to get those eggs 'out' of my chickens so I'm not putting them back 'in'. hahahaha I bet fermented eggs sure would stink to high heavens. Some people that get too many eggs freeze them and use them later. A lot of us had some frozen eggs this past winter. lol They taste the same as one that hasn't been frozen. Well at least the ones I ate tasted the same. What's that got to do with anything? I rattle on now and then. LOL

 

[Turk Raphael]

Be nice to my Willow

No such thing as a stupid question. Always ask what you want to know! How else will we all learn.
Fermenting the eggs hard boiled would become just that. It would give you a hard boiled egg marinated in fermented chicken food (chicken food Scooby if you're just using the 'juice'

@ Scooby juice) . Cons? Possible contaminant introduced via handling the eggs that the Scooby isn't accustomed to could kill it or turn it vile. In general when fermenting feed its better to not ferment meat products, I consider eggs a meat. Meats are often already a great digestible protein, give meat straight up raw or cooked. Eggs I scrambled up, extras or rejects, shells and all, I add fresh garlic and lots of cayenne pepper and serve it up. Easy peasy and they love it.

Sorry to be the one to tell you but Willow now belongs to me...We've made a pact that could exclude you if you're not nice to me!

 

[Triple Willow]

Well darn. My Braggs was supposed to be delivered today but since tracking is saying it is still in Memphis TN (and I'm in RI) I don't think it will make it today.

After almost a year I have chicks again and starting them back on FF. Have my chick crumbles and alfalfa cubes. Just needed the raw ACV.  When they are a bit older I will add grains to it. Will also sprinkle grit so they can digest the alfalfa. This is what I used before and had incredibly healthy chickens and beautiful eggs.

I use alfalfa too, pellets. Sure does make some pretty yolks. I've also read about some good health benefits that are passed on too. Hope your ACV gets too you soon. Don't forget you can use that Braggs to make more "good" vinegar from regular old pasteurized that you find in the grocery.