Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[griffinkid02]

Putting this question here, too...where I'll find it faster than at the OT thread.

OK, BK.....talking FF...... "colander-sized holes" doesn't tell me a dern thing. I have colanders with holes from less than 1/8th inch right up to over 1/4 inch. So....you got a ruler with mm reading? You know...for us OCD-ers.

(I'll be using crumbles with grains. If I can't get crumbles in the future I'm gonna grind farmers's grains down.)

PS If I say 'vental' instead of 'a....l' will I be understood?

Best comment I've seen all week.

 

[griffinkid02]

I had the same problem with no fermenting after pouring a couple glugs of UP/ACV. After 6 days of no ferment, I added about 1Tbsp of bakers yeast and it took off. Nice gray film in between the water and feed with that good sourdough smell. Yeast + ACV = great ferment for me. Haven't seen anyone else try this so be cautious.

I haven't had a problem with the cold the last few days. I can add new feed to the FF in the evening, and in the morning there's a layer of mother on top with bubbles coming up. Of course, cold for us the last couple days was the upper 40's.

My FF is 50% grower feed/ 50% scratch. The milo is the only thing left. I've thought about making my own cracking mill using a couple of old gears and a hand crank. I need to find a bulk feed supplier or a lot of extra time before I build it though.

Has anyone thought about just insulating their FF bucket? Maybe put their 5gal bucket in a 30gal drum, or put a 1gal bucket in a 5gal bucket? Since there is heat put off by the FF process maybe it will stay warm enough to go all winter.

That is EXACTLY how I started mine out. Bakers yeast, plus th ACV, of course in my case it was impatience rather than lack of success ont he ACV's part. Also, regarding the comments about leaving the uneaten out, or just adding the fresh ontop of it.....

I guess it never even occured to me that that COULD be bad for the chickens???????

I have always left the uneaten (when there ever IS any un eaten). I feed in 1 gallon plastic ice cream buckets, taking half a bucket each morning, there is usually about 1/4 inch feed left stuck to the bottom of yesterdays bucket when I get there each morning (I only feed once a day as it is well after dark when I get home and the kids had BETTER be in bed by 11:00pm, NOT looking for a snack

). Occasionally, I will find as much as half of the previous days food untouched (This usually coincides with the days I gave gifts of garden culls. Oversized cuccs, warty yellow squash, tomatoes with gooey spots, ya'll know what I mean). My default reaction has ALWAYS been to simply dump the uneaten feed out onto the floor of the coop/run, whichever was more conveinient. I've discovered that in this way food that was old and boring magically becomes a fascinating source of something to be scratched at, rolled in, and it generally dissapears in short order; either eaten, buried, or scattered to the 4 corners of the earth

. Lately, I have a pullet who has fallen in love with My production RIR cock that escaped confinement months ago. (We now leave him out because he does a better job of keeping the rabbits out of the garden than the dog ever did. and only takes a very modest tithe in return.

) No matter what schemes i put in place, she finds SOME way to escape the coop and spend the day gallavanting around with him. (I shall never, ever, EVER hatch those poor mutant eggs...... RIRxNankin Bantam..... Oh dear.... lol

) So my new custom is to dump the old bucket outside for her and him, so that they don't feel the need to wander too far from the door while foraging. The food still dissapears and the two wild souls seem to be appreciative.

 

[erinszoo]

Okay, we've been feeding our meaties fermented feed for all two and half weeks of their life. Our feed now smells like beer when we open the lid.

I'm guessing this is ok? We haven't really noticed any decrease in feeding with the fermented feed. They don't smell anywhere near as bad as the last meaties we did though and these guys are all very active, roosting at night, trying to fly outdoors, chasing bugs, etc... They're still PIGS!! and eat two full trays of feed as often as we'll feed them. Is there something we should be adding to our feed? We're using a mix of grains and 16% pellets.

 

[griffinkid02]

Make sure that you are accounting for the fact that the feed is wet when you feed them. It make take up the same amount of space, but there is more water in the FF, so it should equal out to less of the dry stuff

 

[Beekissed]

And less of what you are feeding is going to waste on the coop floor as dry matter in the feces. CX will eat how much you want to put in that feeder, so they don't actually stop eating so much food...they just get more nutrients from less feed. A person has to be careful not to fall down in the coop or they will eat ya'....so eating less is just not going to happen.

By increasing the total nutrients absorbed you can get by a little cheaper on the total feed consumed. At the end, do the math and let us know if there is a difference.

 

[galanie]

Has anyone used EM(effective microorganisms) from bokashi instead ACV? i use bokashi for composting and in the garden. i think it wouldn't be as acidic as ACV.

 

I wouldn't. Because EM are soil microorganisms, not gut ones. It may be that some can survive in the gut and some might be the same but I wouldn't think EM would be an optimal source.

 

[galanie]

(I shall never, ever, EVER hatch those poor mutant eggs...... RIRxNankin Bantam..... Oh dear.... lol ) appreciative.    

Maybe ugly but what a survivor it would be hehe.

 

[galanie]

Okay, we've been feeding our meaties fermented feed for all two and half weeks of their life. Our feed now smells like beer when we open the lid. I'm guessing this is ok? We haven't really noticed any decrease in feeding with the fermented feed. They don't smell anywhere near as bad as the last meaties we did though and these guys are all very active, roosting at night, trying to fly outdoors, chasing bugs, etc... They're still PIGS!! and eat two full trays of feed as often as we'll feed them. Is there something we should be adding to our feed? We're using a mix of grains and 16% pellets.

Mine were eating like pigs when I first switched but it's slowed down. And not just because the feed was swelled up and it seemed like I was feed more. Whereas they were eating one of my (about 2 cup) scoops a day, they started eating twice that and more with the FF. Now they are eating less of it. As far as I can tell, their available bugs/forage hasn't changed any, except now they might have more greens.

Edit: I see you are referring to meaties. Oops. Anyway, same can be said of layers eating more.

 

[barkinghills]

Hi all,

I am just trying to ferment whole grain for the first time. Several days ago I started a small batch of mixed whole grain, covered with warm water and added a glug of Bragg's ACV. I have it outside (70's during the afternoon, down to 40 degrees at night) and stir it several times per day. So far it smells pleasantly like grain, but it doesn't really smell like beer or anything close that. How can I tell if it is actually fermenting? There do seem to be tiny bubbles in the water.

Also, does anyone ferment pellets?

Advice appreciated.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hi all,

I am just trying to ferment whole grain for the first time. Several days ago I started a small batch of mixed whole grain, covered with warm water and added a glug of Bragg's ACV. I have it outside (70's during the afternoon, down to 40 degrees at night) and stir it several times per day. So far it smells pleasantly like grain, but it doesn't really smell like beer or anything close that. How can I tell if it is actually fermenting? There do seem to be tiny bubbles in the water.

Also, does anyone ferment pellets?

Advice appreciated.

I use Purina Flock raiser in pellets and it took about a week to see bubbles I also use whole oats , wheat and 7 way scratch in my ff, I used more ACV after a few days probably putting in a cup before it really got going Now it is really fermented nice and it's been about 2 weeks since it got going good. I have been feeding ff for about 3 weeks now.