Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[poularde]

Just fed my first batch of FF this morning. Seemed to go well. I will have to give them a bit more before I leave for work. I let my batch sit for 48 hours. It was bubbling quite a bit. Not sure why, but I found that quite exciting.

Now does anyone add garlic too their FF? What about sweet potatoes? Just curious. I am coming up with all kinds of ideas I want to try.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Just fed my first batch of FF this morning. Seemed to go well. I will have to give them a bit more before I leave for work. I let my batch sit for 48 hours. It was bubbling quite a bit. Not sure why, but I found that quite exciting.

Now does anyone add garlic too their FF? What about sweet potatoes? Just curious. I am coming up with all kinds of ideas I want to try.

I was wondering about garlic too, but not sure on how much for a 3-5 gallon of ff also if they turn their noses up at it then what? Maybe sprinkling some over top to see if they will even it it. not sure about Sweet potatoes do you mean cooked and added to the fermenting bucket or just mixed in after?

 

[WRVgirl]

Can someone please help me?

I just checked my ff and its growing fluffy white mold around the edges of the inner bucket.

Is that normal/ok to feed?

What did I do wrong???

Please help, I don't want to feed it to them if its bad, but I don't want to lose all of that feed either

 

[Miss Lydia]

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?

The cords on the heated bowls and buckets are covered with rigged spiral wire, to keep chewers at bay, and I use gorilla tape around where the outside extension and the other cords meet. so far Missy our chewer hasn't bothered them too much. no visible signs of damage. But I know they aren't feasible for everyone, I just like being able to use them. Someone with the Dewlap Toulouse knowledge will have to help ya there. Do you think they are over weight? I didn't think they looked over weight at all, but I have an untrained eye.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Can someone please help me?
I just checked my ff and its growing fluffy white mold around the edges of the inner bucket.
Is that normal/ok to feed?
What did I do wrong???
Please help, I don't want to feed it to them if its bad, but I don't want to lose all of that feed either

it's not like a grayish film across the top of the ff? can you post a pic? maybe you have it too close to a heat source.

 

[WRVgirl]

There is no heat source. It's in our dark shed

 

[texasmomma]

There is no heat source. It's in our dark shed

I would not feed that part. Try to keep the sides of your bucket/container free of feed, if you can. It will grow mold. I keep a lid on mine and have to wipe the condensation off of it, or I get mold, too.

 

[WRVgirl]

I would not feed that part. Try to keep the sides of your bucket/container free of feed, if you can. It will grow mold. I keep a lid on mine and have to wipe the condensation off of it, or I get mold, too.

So if I just remove the mold part, the feed is still good? Or should I take out the inner bucket, hose it down and replace the feed? I just don't want the chickens to get sick.

I keep a lid on mine as well. We've had some warmer days the past week so I wonder if that affected it?

 

[aoxa]

The cords on the heated bowls and buckets are covered with rigged spiral wire, to keep chewers at bay, and I use gorilla tape around where the outside extension and the other cords meet. so far Missy our chewer hasn't bothered them too much. no visible signs of damage. But I know they aren't feasible for everyone, I just like being able to use them. Someone with the Dewlap Toulouse knowledge will have to help ya there. Do you think they are over weight? I didn't think they looked over weight at all, but I have an untrained eye.

They aren't necessarily over weight, but they should be in better shape for breeding. They are eating a lot of FF right now, and not any grass (snow is stuck solid to the ground and is icy), so I know it's just a matter of time before they do get to be over-weight.



Quote: and that's for standard toulouse. My girls are from the extreme form of exhibition toulouse. Their mothers are just massive.



Honestly though, what dewlap toulouse looks in-shape? That's why I like them. They are obese looking. It makes me giggle.

 

[aoxa]

So if I just remove the mold part, the feed is still good? Or should I take out the inner bucket, hose it down and replace the feed? I just don't want the chickens to get sick.

I keep a lid on mine as well. We've had some warmer days the past week so I wonder if that affected it?

What I do is make sure I scrape down the feed on the sides every time. Haven't had mold yet. Been going for quite some time, and haven't added new feed in a week or so.