Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Beekissed]

Here is a pic of my feeder made from scrap 2x4s and rain guttering..yes, it's got a coating inside that keeps the feed from coming in contact with the metals. My hens do not get inside this or scratch but if they did, it is very easily overlaid with wire to prevent this. Drill a hole or two and zip tie on a wire cap...done. The wood feet keep it at a good height that prevents climbing inside but allows the standard bird to stand easily and eat at chest height. Coupla boards, coupla screws and you are in business! I've even drilled holes in the bottom of this feeder to allow excess fluids to drain off the feed.

 

[armorfirelady]

I have been feeding FF for a few weeks now and both my flock and I like it. What I don't like is the feeders that I am feeding in. What worked before no longer works. What type of feeders are you using that will keep the birds out of the food, by that I mean, no jumping in and scratching around. I am interested in something that can be made or is repurposed, and that will stay up off the ground whether inside or outside. Pics? I know someone clever has come up with a no tip, no scratch, easy cleaning FF feeder.

Yup Bee did. A gutter!!! Just screw it to the frame of the coop. I had some extra pieces around and its anchored high enough that they can just get their head in there and its not strudy enough to hold their big ole fluffy butts

Edited: oops Bee sorry I didnt see your post !!!

 

[Beekissed]

We know how to chicken "cheep", don't we?

It doesn't have to be a complicated thing to get into chickens or into FF....gutters, boards, buckets. Not pretty but they get the job done and won't hurt the pocketbook.

 

[Lacy Blues]

This sounds great and I hope you will pardon my ignorance, but what is clabbered milk?

clabbered milk: if you get a small glass of milk and pour in some vinegar you will see. Milk and vinegar do not get along. The vinegar makes the milk look like it has gone sour. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but isn't this one of the steps in making cottage cheese?

I have been feeding FF for a few weeks now and both my flock and I like it. What I don't like is the feeders that I am feeding in. What worked before no longer works. What type of feeders are you using that will keep the birds out of the food, by that I mean, no jumping in and scratching around. I am interested in something that can be made or is repurposed, and that will stay up off the ground whether inside or outside. Pics? I know someone clever has come up with a no tip, no scratch, easy cleaning FF feeder.

Before I found out about Bee's rain gutter feeders, I used, and still have several in service, drywall mud pans. They're long and rectangular and about 4 inches deep. I drill a couple holes in the back side (either side) and screw them to the wall. They can't get in them because the wall won't allow it. They're a bit pricey though. Next time I need to make feeders, I'm getting a section of pvc rain gutter!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

The duckweed in the FF went over a litte TOO well, it was completely GONE when i closed up. So now we see if it settles ok with everyone

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Here is a pic of my feeder made from scrap 2x4s and rain guttering..yes, it's got a coating inside that keeps the feed from coming in contact with the metals. My hens do not get inside this or scratch but if they did, it is very easily overlaid with wire to prevent this. Drill a hole or two and zip tie on a wire cap...done. The wood feet keep it at a good height that prevents climbing inside but allows the standard bird to stand easily and eat at chest height. Coupla boards, coupla screws and you are in business! I've even drilled holes in the bottom of this feeder to allow excess fluids to drain off the feed.

Sweeet!!! i have a few of those in the scrap pile!!! Thanks!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Woo hoo! Babies!

X2

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote: You can clabber milk by adding the vinegar as stated above. The idea is to lower the pH (raising acid level) in the milk as you would in cheesemaking to produce a curd. Adding vinegar is a "quick way" to accomplish this. In most cheesemaking you would let the lactic acid bacteria do the job by raising the temperature to a conducive temp for whatever bacteria you want to proliferate and let the LABs do the work. Adding vinegar, citric acid, etc. is kind of "cheating the system" to make it happen faster rather than developing the LABs.


When folks had a cow - or real, unpasteurized milk prior to the widespread acceptance of pasteurization - they would just leave a little milk out on the counter to clabber on it's own. The naturally present LABs in the milk would begin to digest the lactose and produce lactic acid. - thus lowering pH effectively and increasing "good bacteria".

If you're using pasteurized milk, adding the vinegar is a safer way than just putting pasteurized milk out on the counter to clabber on it's own. Pasteurized milk will ROT rather than naturally sour/clabber.

Sorry so long. These are the musings of a raw cheesemaker. The simple explanation.

 

[NickyPick]

clabbered milk: if you get a small glass of milk and pour in some vinegar you will see. Milk and vinegar do not get along. The vinegar makes the milk look like it has gone sour.

This is also a great way to make buttermilk pancakes when you don't have any buttermilk. Just let it sit for 5 minutes or so before adding to the pancake batter. Yum!

 

[Pozees]

You can clabber milk by adding the vinegar as stated above. The idea is to lower the pH (raising acid level) in the milk as you would in cheesemaking to produce a curd. Adding vinegar is a "quick way" to accomplish this. In most cheesemaking you would let the lactic acid bacteria do the job by raising the temperature to a conducive temp for whatever bacteria you want to proliferate and let the LABs do the work. Adding vinegar, citric acid, etc. is kind of "cheating the system" to make it happen faster rather than developing the LABs.


When folks had a cow - or real, unpasteurized milk prior to the widespread acceptance of pasteurization - they would just leave a little milk out on the counter to clabber on it's own. The naturally present LABs in the milk would begin to digest the lactose and produce lactic acid. - thus lowering pH effectively and increasing "good bacteria".

If you're using pasteurized milk, adding the vinegar is a safer way than just putting pasteurized milk out on the counter to clabber on it's own. Pasteurized milk will ROT rather than naturally sour/clabber.

Sorry so long. These are the musings of a raw cheesemaker. The simple explanation.

Thank you - I recently listened to a news story about a cheese company finding profitable uses for the whey, the byproduct of cheesemaking, which was fascinating. I wondered at the time whether the company was using pasteurized milk, I assume they probably are, and I wonder whether it changes the protein value, or nutritional value of the protein, in the whey, which is apparently being dried and sold as a nutritional supplement at a pretty substantial profit. The story did a brief history of what used to be considered a waste product sometimes dumped on pastures, and sometimes sold for pennies to hog farmers, among other things. Very interesting.