Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[galanie]

I've been following this with interest and have a couple of basic questions:  Do you feed the FF to the chickens wet out of the bucket, or do you dry it?  We got some spent grains from a neighbor who brews and we dried them for storage.  The chickens love it but we've just been using it as a treat or scratch.  Do you feed them the FF exclusively, or still offer other kinds of feed?

Also, I see that folks feed this to their pigs...I'm wondering if it could be fed to rabbits as well.

It is recommended to be sure spent grains are only around... 10%? or something of their total feed. Long story but I have experience with spent grains fed 100% being bad for an animal and causing colic.

 

[mickey328]

Thanks, galanie...what they get is probably less than that since we only use it as a treat. Whew!

 

[mickey328]

So, you use it for a supplement, then Miss Lydia? I was thinking of not using corn at all...just oats, barley, wheat, maybe some rye.

 

[Nomibear]

Wow, it slowed down enough for me to catch up?! Amazing
I feed only the FF. We started this at 16 weeks. Their feed is 1/2 layer pellets, 1/2 scratch grains. This is my first flock. Ordered these day olds in May. Seems to be working great for us! We have 19 chickens, and 7 mallards. About half of My chickens are now laying. 2 weeks ago one of my Cali white Leghorns went broody. She is now sitting on some fertile eggs from a neighbor. One of our ducks is also sitting on a nest of 23 Eggs!!

 

[armorfirelady]

Could someone tell me if this feed looks bad? I made too much and it's been sitting for two days and I've never seen this growth before. (mold?) It smells like sourdough, but much stronger than what I previously had.( It could knock you over ) I don't think it smells like "bad bacteria" but I feel uncomfortable giving it to my pullets unless someone can tell if it looks okay. Thanks.

When I had this on top of my FF I just mixed it all up well. The hens ate it without a problem & I have learned on here that hens wont eat it if its not good for them.
My current 2 gallon bucket of FF has been going for close to a month or more now. I only have 4 hens so it lasts for awhile. I had it stiing in the kitchen window so the sun would warm it but since I left the bucket outside so a friend could feed the hens while I was out of town I now have it placed by the fireplace where its cooking away. I just mix it up once a day so its well mixed. No bad smells at all. Im guessing it will keep cooking as long as there is a heat source to keep it warm.

I currently have Layer pellets, rolled oats, scratch, BOSS & alfalfa pellets in the mix

 

[Beekissed]

Wow, it slowed down enough for me to catch up?! Amazing
I feed only the FF. We started this at 16 weeks. Their feed is 1/2 layer pellets, 1/2 scratch grains. This is my first flock. Ordered these day olds in May. Seems to be working great for us! We have 19 chickens, and 7 mallards. About half of My chickens are now laying. 2 weeks ago one of my Cali white Leghorns went broody. She is now sitting on some fertile eggs from a neighbor. One of our ducks is also sitting on a nest of 23 Eggs!!

Wowza!!! You are going to be overrun with ducklings!

Must have pics when this happens....thread requirement, you know.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'm not a photographer but did want to show a pic of 2 of my EE's chowing down on the ff, actually the plate is about empty.

 

[Beekissed]

What pretty, smoothly feathered hens! FF does a body good, don't it?

 

[Turkeytruff]

Seems there was some talk about rabbits not being able to eat corn I believe. So I'd wait till someone who has rabbits comes in, I feed both I am giving 20 chickens and about 8ducks 3cups of ff a day.I'll probably feed more when warm weather starts again in the spring, but I don't sit the ff out till late morning now so it has a chance to warm a bit outside. They have finished 3 cups by late afternoon, The chickens eat most of it the ducks nibble,. I use a strainer and scoop out 3 cups let it drain over the bucket for about 45min. then feed

Apologies if this is somewhere in the forums already. I have finally read all the FF info (wow!

) and all the turkey forums and have been feeding 14 chickens (7 bantams and 7 'rescue' black copper marans that were in severe moult and also had scaly problems and some had twisted feet from living on wire) and 4 turkeys (2 BB 'heritage' turkeys and 2 Narragensett ones). My query is that I have been feeding them about 90% FF for about 3 weeks now and wonder if there is enough available protein for the turkeys. They descend on it like there is no tomorrow but one of them is also eating feathers and sometimes plucking them from the others which I read is a possible sign of needing more protein. Any ideas out there? Thank you!

 

[Turkeytruff]

Seems there was some talk about rabbits not being able to eat corn I believe. So I'd wait till someone who has rabbits comes in, I feed both I am giving 20 chickens and about 8ducks 3cups of ff a day.I'll probably feed more when warm weather starts again in the spring, but I don't sit the ff out till late morning now so it has a chance to warm a bit outside. They have finished 3 cups by late afternoon, The chickens eat most of it the ducks nibble,. I use a strainer and scoop out 3 cups let it drain over the bucket for about 45min. then feed

Apologies if this is somewhere in the forums already. I have finally read all the FF info (wow!

) and all the turkey forums and have been feeding 14 chickens (7 bantams and 7 'rescue' black copper marans that were in severe moult and also had scaly problems and some had twisted feet from living on wire) and 4 turkeys (2 BB 'heritage' turkeys and 2 Narragensett ones). My query is that I have been feeding them about 90% FF for about 3 weeks now and wonder if there is enough available protein for the turkeys. They descend on it like there is no tomorrow but one of them is also eating feathers and sometimes plucking them from the others which I read is a possible sign of needing more protein. Any ideas out there? Thank you!