Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[pigeonguy]

OK Didn't think the fat content through first, Maybe just won't use the flax. Glad I asked first. Thanx. Just in case someone maybe havin trouble finding un pasteurized apple cider vinegar, yes my Kroger said they had Braggs but also found it at wal-mart but it's Heinz.

I have to take that one on the chin. (googled flax seed benefits) It will be good for them. How much is the question now right. I use the 10% rule for just about everything . 10% of the daily intake of food. Like if you feed 10 pounds of chicken feed 1 pound of flax seed is ok. With your 17% protein feed @ 10 lbs and 10% of each grain you mentioned flax, barley, BOSS you protein level would be around 17.6 % . So you will be ok. Thanks mickey Heinz is ok but I do like Krogers and here they carry a brand called Spectrum it is two shelves or so above the Braggs and it is cheaper than braggs. I use it and it seems to work rather good.
I'm glad you ask too we all learned something. I'm going to see what 100 pound of flax seed cost from the feed mill.

 

[galefrances]

If I had read the thread today instead of posting on what I read last night before going to sleep with the mouse in my hand (somehow that don't sound right) I might not have typed it but kinda glad I did. None the less.
galefrances YAAAAYYYY YOUR BACK.

I think it's so kind that you did. And yes, I do know Bee from reading this thread and know that she is a kind soul. (bears repeating) Thank you to you and everyone else that welcomed me back, but I do think from now on I'll go and have a cup of coffee before I reply to anyone.

 

[Leahs Mom]

but I do think from now on I'll go and have a cup of coffee before I reply to anyone.

 

[galefrances]

I made another batch of feed today and I did it differently this time I mixed two cups of vinegar and eighth cup of bread yeast and three gallons of water and twenty percent layer pellet after a couple hours is was bubbling and smelled like dough.

Please check with Bee, I am too new to be giving advice, but I don't think you're suppose to use bread yeast to ferment your feed.

 

[Beekissed]

I've never used it on the FF but other here have....with mixed results. Some report that their FF went bad after using the bread yeast, some say it did the trick for them. I've never yet had any FF go bad, so I'm sticking with the ACV. It's cheap and it does the trick.

 

[Island Roo]

Just make sure if it looses that sour smell you give it a little kick start of ACV. I don't mean when it gets a bad smell but when it has almost no smell at all. I have noticed a pattern on this thread that just before someone says it started to smell bad they had said it did not have the sour smell any more.
Anyone else notice that?

My smell did not go bland before it went bad - it was a slow transition.
It was humming along with a nice "I could almost eat that for breakfast smell". Had a strong sour FF smell.
Then it slowly moved to "hmm... the chickens are still eating it"
In the end it almost made me gag

but the birds still loved it.

I was about to toss the last couple gallons but decided to revive it. Added more feed and a couple scoops from a good FF bucket. It took about a week but the batch was saved.

 

[Beekissed]

I jumpstarted mine with ACV this morning. All night in a warm room did not produce the desired effect, so this morning I had to bring out the big dog. I realized I had been adding fresh water for awhile to replenish moisture but had neglected to use their old drinking water, which always has ACV in it. Previously, I had only ever replenished the FF with the ACV water and my mix has always been fine, but this mix really needed that extra ACV. It's got it now and we'll see if it will start to ferment like it always has done.

 

[Island Roo]

BOSS
Black. Oil. Sunflower. Seed.

So they eat the whole thing - shell and all?
Or are you talking about about adding shelled BOSS?

 

[Beekissed]

Yep...they eat the whole thing, shell and all. I have BOSS in my FF at the present time also. I usually use it as a tool for turning the deep litter but decided to put some in the FF lately.

 

[Wax Myrtle]

Well let me tell ya. And I hope this is true for you. I felt worn out from about 44 to 51 (just wished it was over) and the don't know what happened but life got better think I got use to the pains don't think they went away (actually I know they didn't) but I am able to do more like when I was younger. My wife 7 years younger than me now feels worn out and she is at the same age I was when she was telling me. Your only in your 40's quit complaining now roles are reversed. I'm a little easier on her though cause I been there done that. Been with that woman 32 years married 26 of them and still don't know what she see's in me to keep hanging out. Keep exercising and eating chicken it's good for ya and will make you young again.

Just wait   With each year you find strength you didn't know you had, will you only dreamed of, and new ambition you must see through.  You go to bed just wiped out, and by some miracle, morning brings the renewal you need (often with the help of some ibuprofen) to start again!  One nice thing about aging is the appreciation you gain for things once minor, small increments of accomplishment, and kindnesses repeated day after day you never noticed before.

I SO needed to hear this. Thank you. My youngest is 3 1/2, and tbh, I've sort of begun to despair of the future. I already feel so worn out.

And, yes, ibuprofen is My Friend.