Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Sally Sunshine]

Here is a video of my little ones chowing down on FF

 

[Pozees]

When mine had the blobs on their feet, it would take longer than a day for it to get very bad. Are you gone four days in a row where you can't look at the chickens? I'm not sure if it would be a problem or not. My guess is that it would not. I only had this problem for a little while with some younger chickens. Not all of mine have had this issue.

Yes 4 in a row, Monday through Thursday, I leave here at around 5:15 am and return sometime between 4:30 and 5:00 most days. I have a 70 mile round trip commute to work, so I get in all the hours I can the four days so Fridays when I work from home I don't have to work too many hours, and can spend time getting things done here. I'm just thinking if I cover the feeders or even use the standard feed store plastic feeders and switch them out twice a day, I might be able to minimize the foot blobs.

 

[erinszoo]

Quote:
Both times were the same ... cornish cross but from two different hatcheries. First ones were from McMurray and the second ones were from Meyer. I think part of the difference was getting a good ferment on the feed. It was too cold this time to leave it outside so we brought it inside and put it near the floor furnace. It bubbled so much we had fermented feed on the floor ... but the cats ate it. Ew! We've been processing this week and the birds have cleaned up so much easier this time, no skin tears, nice big livers and hearts, no water build up anywhere, no broken wings during processing ... and we ate one tonight roasted in our cob oven. It was so succulent and tender and tasted great!

 

[Lacy Blues]

Yes 4 in a row, Monday through Thursday, I leave here at around 5:15 am and return sometime between 4:30 and 5:00 most days. I have a 70 mile round trip commute to work, so I get in all the hours I can the four days so Fridays when I work from home I don't have to work too many hours, and can spend time getting things done here. I'm just thinking if I cover the feeders or even use the standard feed store plastic feeders and switch them out twice a day, I might be able to minimize the foot blobs.

My birds don't get in their ff but the "quality" of the dirt around here when wet is extremely sticky. After a good rain and they go scratching around outside, they get blobs of mud stuck to their toenails. After it dries, I just catch them and sit down with a pair of pliers. I use the pliers to squeeze the blobs until they crumble. I don't twist or anything that would cause pain, I just pinch the blobs and they break off.

 

[pigeonguy]

I don't add UN-ACV, garlic powder, garlic oil, chili powder, pumpkin seed, or oregano to my FF as medicine. It is fed as extra insurance for healthy immune systems for already healthy chickens. Most of you here already know the only thing in my barn medicine cabinet is Nu Stock and a hatchet.

Mostly I was talking about the oregano as an antibiotic. Why would we need to give antibiotics on a daily basis to build a good immune system. Same with pumpkin seeds why would one worm on a daily basis. That is what the conversation was about giving oregano on a daily basis. I know you don't give these things every day. So in a manner of speaking there in your medicine cabinet. You feed pumpkin seed, garlic and chili powder some times just to make sure they don't get worms or some other creepy crawlies. But you don't give it every day. UP/ACV you give all the time for the vitamins and good probos. So where do I keep my preventive medicine's in my medicine cabinet. Figuratively speaking because my yogurts in the fridge and the other things are in the cupboard. None the less we are giving these things as preventive medicine to build good immune systems the natural way.
I have the same things you have if a chicken actually gets sick or cut that you have plus one other thing. That is ichthammol drawing salve if something gets infected put this on and it will clear up. Been used on me and all the animals I ever had that got a cut that got infected never seen it fail.
I forgot to add this link
http://www.tractorsupply.com/ichthammol-20-drawing-salve-14-oz--5002510

 

[pigeonguy]

Is this a problem (blobs on chick feet) that can be resolved by covering the feeders with netting/wire? I want to start all chicks this year on FF but 4 days a week I'm gone almost 12 hours a day and don't have a lot of extra time evenings those 4 days to clean chick feet I want them to have the benefit of FF, but will also offer free choice dry crumble, since most will be sold and I want to avoid change of feed issues for new owners. Does that make sense or am I thinking wrongly about it?

Yes you could cover the feeders with wire.

When I tried to ferment my dogs' food (Costco brand kibble), all it did was make it swell up. It did not keep ANY liquid in the bucket. It ALL went into the food. It was just swollen kibble. It never bubbled. Am I missing something or?????

If it soaked up all the water you should have put in more water in.

 

[Toast n Jelly]

While we're talking about cleaning the FF off the facial area, also check the nasal openings as FF can get built up in there as well as other gummy dirt.

 

[Miss Lydia]

http://herbs.lovetoknow.com/Ichthammol_Ointment Thanks for the link pigeonguy, I didn't know what is is and this explains it and whats in it. Similar to Nustock but has other herbs too so i'll be adding it to my med chest.

 

[aoxa]

Is this a problem (blobs on chick feet) that can be resolved by covering the feeders with netting/wire? I want to start all chicks this year on FF but 4 days a week I'm gone almost 12 hours a day and don't have a lot of extra time evenings those 4 days to clean chick feet I want them to have the benefit of FF, but will also offer free choice dry crumble, since most will be sold and I want to avoid change of feed issues for new owners. Does that make sense or am I thinking wrongly about it?

It could be resolved with covered feeders, but I can only get those long troughs made for a large # of chicks at a time. If I filled it up, they wouldn't finish it before mold started to grow, and I'd have to toss a bunch of feed before that, so I just use little cream cheese containers.

It doesn't happen to every chick, just a few.. and it's like cement, not easy to get off by pinching.

 

[Mumsy]

Yes. I keep first aid things for wounds. I keep Blue Kote and a Blood Stop powder in the barn. Only used it once this year when the roo caught a spur in the fence. Used both and the spur fell off in five days without complications. I don't use anti-biotics on the chickens. If the chicken dies it is worthless as meat and I wouldn't eat any eggs from a treated bird. That's just me.