Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Heron's Nest Farm]

My birds are ranged and I use fermented food. I have 22 birds. They eat approximately 10c of dry feed put into the fermenter at night. It of course expands. My birds are standard breeds and I use an amazing feed called Peck and Scratch that is soy free and organic. It is NOT a mash. It is an amazing blend of grains that are cracked or whole. I love to see the grains swollen after a night or two in the bucket. I occasionally regenerate my mash by leaving them for 2 days, but I am simply moving to a 2 bucket system.

 

[Regin]

I have been feeding my chickens on fermented feed for almost 2 years now. They do really well on it . And the turkeys too.

Now, considering ducks and geese. Does anyone feed FF to their waterfowl?

 

[DesertChic]

I have been feeding my chickens on fermented feed for almost 2 years now. They do really well on it . And the turkeys too.

Now, considering ducks and geese. Does anyone feed FF to their waterfowl?

I've seen a few posts from people who say their ducks and geese flat out refused to eat the FF, so if you're going to try it, I would suggest you start with making a small amount so as not to waste food if they reject it.

 

[Regin]

Hmm... I just assumed it would be the same FF as the others get. Now I'm wondering how much different heir requirements are.

No waterfowl here yet just thinking about for next year.

 

[chickngranny]

I love that feed but I am in Indiana so I order monthly from Azure Standard. I ferment fed all my new chicks and meat birds and they fought over it. The new chicks that are now 25 week old pullets still prefer the fermented feed over the dry but they love the whole grain!!

 

[19disbre]

and welcome to the thread. As you have time, you may want to go back and peruse as there's a WEALTH of info in all those pages. Anyway, for a shortcut, please check out: https://tikktok.wordpress.com/2014/04/13/fermented-feed-faq/

I make my FF in a 5 gallon bucket. I have ~35 adult LF birds of 5 breeds (none are meaties, all are dual purpose) I use approximately 1/2 of the bucket each morning placed in 4 troughs set up in 4 separate enclosures. Most days they finish it all by late afternoon. Some days they don't. If there's still some ff in the trough the next morning, I put less in so it has basically the same amount to start the day each day. Every flock is different and much depends on time of yr, weather, location, bird breed, age, etc.etc. The variables are numerous. Some days they have the trough picked sparkling clean by early afternoon, in which case I often bring them additional FF or some other snack late in the day to hold them overnight.

I recommend you start out feeding them what you think they should have and watch to see how much they consume and how quickly. If they wipe it out immediately, you aren't giving them enough. If there's much left, then you're giving them too much. You will then have to adjust daily as you observe the dynamics of the flock.

IMHO, birds in a tractor will wipe out the earth beneath them within an hour of being moved. After that time there's very little left for them. Obviously the more often they are moved, the better it is for the birds. They can't really "forage" in a tractor (unless it's a really huge tractor). Maybe you could free range them instead of tractors? That would give them better access to the worms as well as better exercise (to keep them active).

best o' luck to you!

Thanks a lot! that post was very helpful. Sadly I can't really free range them. Tractors are still better than nothing though. I might make a little pen and will let them out if I am there for the day and then to put them back in just feed them or catch them. Meat birds can't really fly well enough to escaped me can they? But anyways I have figured out what I will feed them for dry feed and will just use half of that fermented, then if I think they need more will move it up to 3/4 of that. I would like them to clean up there food quickly so they can't be lazy & feed them late in the day so they have to forage all day. Thanks again!

 

[lazy gardener]

19disbre: You'll rarely, if ever have to catch a meat bird, unless it's on processing day. They will follow you any where for a morsel of feed.

Regin: Regarding ducks and geese: I've never had geese, unless you count the Canada goose that roosted on top of my mom's car for a week one winter... and I've not had ducks for more than 25 years. But, the thought that crosses my mind is that they like to slurp their feed. They will eat some, then wash it down with water, making a mess of both the feed and the water. What would happen if you made that FF more of a liquid consistency. you'd have to play around with it to be sure they were getting enough to meet their nutritional needs... but worth a try.

 

[JJSS89]

Thanks a lot! that post was very helpful. Sadly I can't really free range them. Tractors are still better than nothing though. I might make a little pen and will let them out if I am there for the day and then to put them back in just feed them or catch them. Meat birds can't really fly well enough to escaped me can they? But anyways I have figured out what I will feed them for dry feed and will just use half of that fermented, then if I think they need more will move it up to 3/4 of that. I would like them to clean up there food quickly so they can't be lazy & feed them late in the day so they have to forage all day. Thanks again!

You can make a very large tractor that isn't hard to move. Mine for meat birds are 18'x18'x2' and they are able to spend a whole day without destroying the ground.

 

[lazy gardener]

I have very little space that would be flat enough to accommodate anything that size. But, for the person with the available flat land, that would be wonderful. I'm partial to my electronet fencing. gives1600 s.f. of "pasture" which can be rotated.

 

[19disbre]

Well I just figured out how I can free range these birds, now my plan is 50 black broilers, 50 red rangers and 50 CX, they will have 1/2 an acre for 150 birds, will they burn out the ground? I know that has nothing to do with fermented feed, but I am trying to figure out expenses and costs I will probably make more money with the CX's I plan on selling at one of our farmers markets. I want to have them all 3 kinds for sale at once but I want to butcher them maybe all at 10 weeks? I would also be able to weigh the live birds to figure out what I'll get dressed