Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Matrix Escapee]

I find it depends on what you are using for your feed. If it's pellets, it seems to expand double what it was before you added water. Crumble is definitely less. It grows maybe 1/2 of what it was dry. Grains, it pretty much stays the same. They eat less, but the weight is the same (or very close to original dry weight).

I save $30 a week in feed since starting. 100 pounds a week in dry.

So are you saying that the water/ferment juice is what is making the feed stretch further through the week?
You have reduced weekly feed by 100 lbs or you now use 100 lbs per week?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Isn't it wonderful not having to go to the feed store/mill so often? Breath of fresh air!

My problem is working out how much to feed, but I think i may have it down for now, I'm sure when spring rolls around and things start greening up and bugs are plentiful again, they will be eating less ff, but I usually put out a gallon bucket into 3 bowls in the morning then in the afternoon they get half a gal. plus meal worms and some corn to scarf up on the ground. My geese and ducks love corn and it's really the only snack they get, I can buy local corn here which I am so glad for. I watch them closely for weight gain too. So far so good.

 

[aoxa]

So are you saying that the water/ferment juice is what is making the feed stretch further through the week?
You have reduced weekly feed by 100 lbs or you now use 100 lbs per week?

Yes it is.

Last run I bought 5 bags of feed, that was 2 weeks ago tomorrow. I used to go through 4 bags a week. I still have quite a lot left in my storage. Maybe 50 pounds dry and 4 buckets going of FF (feed 1.5 buckets a day).

 

[Matrix Escapee]

Yes it is.

Last run I bought 5 bags of feed, that was 2 weeks ago tomorrow. I used to go through 4 bags a week. I still have quite a lot left in my storage. Maybe 50 pounds dry and 4 buckets going of FF (feed 1.5 buckets a day).

Wow. That seems like a substantial feed use decrease.
So assuming 50lb bags, you went from using 200 lbs/ week to better than 250 lbs in two weeks!? So you basically cut feed use in half (on a weekly basis)?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yes it is.

Last run I bought 5 bags of feed, that was 2 weeks ago tomorrow. I used to go through 4 bags a week. I still have quite a lot left in my storage. Maybe 50 pounds dry and 4 buckets going of FF (feed 1.5 buckets a day).

what do you mean by 1.5 buckets a day? your not saying you feed 1.5 gal a day right, if so then I am way over feeding my flock of 32.

 

[armorfirelady]

Thanks Aoxa.....I have a busy weekend but my plan for Sunday is to put a piece of wood across front of nesting to try & keep nesting materials in. The golf balls havent convinced them to lay in the nesting box yet......tho I know the hens go in there since all the shavings are kicked out.

My hens are polishing off a larger bowl of FF every day by mid morning so I have been giving them a small bowl full when I get home in addition to some veggies. I couldnt figure out why the increase in food consumption but then it dawned on me that there was dry layer pellets in a pvc feeder in the small coop. I checked it the other day all the pellets are gone. Guessing thats why they are hungrier......but the feeder lasted from August till now (about 3 # feed) so it lasted awhile.

Thankfully the hens are still busy scratching through the veggie gardens.....and must be still finding goodies to eat since they spend a lot of time out there

 

[aoxa]

Wow. That seems like a substantial feed use decrease.
So assuming 50lb bags, you went from using 200 lbs/ week to better than 250 lbs in two weeks!? So you basically cut feed use in half (on a weekly basis)?

Depends on forage.

I also put scratch in there as well. When I last fed dry, it was warm and lots of bugs available so feed was low (for them). Probably would have fed 6 bags a week of dry over the winter.

So last run I bought 5 bags of feed and 3 bags of scratch. I have 1/2 a trashcan full of scratch, and my big black composting bin full of dry scratch and crumble that I've already mixed.

 

[aoxa]

what do you mean by 1.5 buckets a day? your not saying you feed 1.5 gal a day right, if so then I am way over feeding my flock of 32.

It's a 5 gallon bucket I believe.




This is 3 days worth of feed. Going to add 2 more systems to make it 5 days.

I may not even go through a full 1.5 buckets. I usually only feed what they will eat in one sitting at night, because it freezes and I have to crumble it with my hands and it takes too much time.

 

[Miss Lydia]

It's a 5 gallon bucket I believe.




This is 3 days worth of feed. Going to add 2 more systems to make it 5 days.

I may not even go through a full 1.5 buckets. I usually only feed what they will eat in one sitting at night, because it freezes and I have to crumble it with my hands and it takes too much time.

Okay so your saying 1.5 5gal buckets. that sounds better. I like your setup and thats one reason I like the heated dog bowls it's makes it so nice not to have to break the ff apart. But then again i don't have as many birds as you so I can get away with 3 dog bowls. to hold the ff. Great idea ya'll came up with too to keep your ff going, if i had to do that many buckets in my house I'd have to dedicate a whole bedroom to it, don't think that would go over so good.

 

[aoxa]

Okay so your saying 1.5 5gal buckets. that sounds better. I like your setup and thats one reason I like the heated dog bowls it's makes it so nice not to have to break the ff apart. But then again i don't have as many birds as you so I can get away with 3 dog bowls. to hold the ff. Great idea ya'll came up with too to keep your ff going, if i had to do that many buckets in my house I'd have to dedicate a whole bedroom to it, don't think that would go over so good.

My one bucket in our room for the chicks (who are in the basement of the house - as Clem is in the chick area of the barn, and I do not trust her that much to leave playpens of chicks with her at night) - and the FF smells like we have a wine operation going!

I'd have trouble with all those cords for heated bowls here. Tilly & Rosa are trouble makers, and would surely eat the cords.

I really need to figure out how to slim them down for breeding season.. Any tips?