Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[aoxa]

Me too hard to catch up when following all 3 of Bees threads.  

I haven't seen Bee around this thread in a while!

 

[Mumsy]

I spent the day out of the house on Tuesday, and when I came home there was 106 posts on the Gnarly Bunch and 36 on this one. The funny thing, I wasn't even surprised.

I know what you mean! Yesterday I felt like the catching up on all my favorite threads was becoming a full time job. I think I may need an intervention. Hah!

 

[nyanamia]

I haven't seen Bee around this thread in a while!

Me too hard to catch up when following all 3 of Bees threads.

Maybe she's taking a rest, I don't know how she keeps up with all these threads as well as she does. I missed a weekend of reading and had almost 400 posts to catch up on. And that's just from the three "Bee threads"!

 

[Melabella]

I know what you mean! Yesterday I felt like the catching up on all my favorite threads was becoming a full time job. I think I may need an intervention. Hah!

HA!

 

[DaniellePage]

OK....
Someone needs to write an article on how to do FF and the tips and tricks!

There is a contest going on right now for chicken related articles .... Hint

I am so tired of trying to fish through this thread

the "search this thread" gets me nowhere.

Good news:

My feed seems to be fermenting very well - finally getting that sourdough smell.
The hens LOVE it from the get go!

Although, I think they would eat ANYTHING that i put in a container in front of them.

I am going to try to use it as a main feed but also leave dry in there as a free choice (mainly so when I have to be gone, the chicken sitter wont have to worry about the FF)

QUESTION:
I had mold (blue and charcoal and white colored) on the inside sides of my bucket today.
I wiped it off with a papertowel.
Should we be concerned about the sides getting moldy (not in the feed itself - just the surface of the inside of the bucket)?

QUESTION:
Would it be best to empty all the FF in your bucket, reserve the liquid & add more feed and water to the old liquid to make a new batch?
OR
can we add water and feed to the already working FF mixture and keep on using it from that bucket?
OR does it matter?

 

[Beekissed]

OK....
Someone needs to write an article on how to do FF and the tips and tricks!

There is a contest going on right now for chicken related articles .... Hint

I am so tired of trying to fish through this thread

the "search this thread" gets me nowhere.

Good news:

My feed seems to be fermenting very well - finally getting that sourdough smell.
The hens LOVE it from the get go!

Although, I think they would eat ANYTHING that i put in a container in front of them.

I am going to try to use it as a main feed but also leave dry in there as a free choice (mainly so when I have to be gone, the chicken sitter wont have to worry about the FF)

QUESTION:
I had mold (blue and charcoal and white colored) on the inside sides of my bucket today.
I wiped it off with a papertowel.
Should we be concerned about the sides getting moldy (not in the feed itself - just the surface of the inside of the bucket)?

QUESTION:
Would it be best to empty all the FF in your bucket, reserve the liquid & add more feed and water to the old liquid to make a new batch?
OR
can we add water and feed to the already working FF mixture and keep on using it from that bucket?
OR does it matter?

Ask and ye shall receive! http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com/2012/11/how-to-ferment-feed-for-healthier.html One of our very own BYCers has created a blog site and has included a helpful tutorial for all the newbies!

 

[Beekissed]

You can add feed and water to the existing mix and this will keep your batch filled with already existing cultures that won't need to build up each time you empty and fill. It's called backslopping and it's highly recommended.

 

[DaniellePage]

Ask and ye shall receive! http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com/2012/11/how-to-ferment-feed-for-healthier.html One of our very own BYCers has created a blog site and has included a helpful tutorial for all the newbies!

 

[heavygear88]

so how long do you need to let the feed sit in the water and acv to actually ferment. and whats the max time you can leave it in before you cant use it anymore

 

[Beekissed]

That all depends on temps and how often you feed the mix. The warmer the temps the quicker it ferments. If you leave it sit too long without feeding the enzymes, it will harbor bad bacteria and molds and will go bad...but it's an indeterminate time, according to how fast your enzymes are working, how many have been cultivated, etc.