Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[AinaWGSD]

Another question on feeding FF to broiler chicks...would it be better to use unmedicated starter or meat bird crumbles? These will be my first broilers, so even if we weren't doing FF I'd still be trying to decide which is better. Does the fermentation increase the protein enough that it doesn't matter much?

 

[SunnySkies]

Has anyone fermented Countryside Organics? I bought a bag of the layer feed to try while I was in VA last week, and it's...well....dusty. They pick out what they like and leave the rest. At $30/bag, I don't appreciate that! Was thinking of fermenting it to prevent the waste if you guys think it would work.

I did try fermenting feeds before, and nobody was a huge fan. But I'm willing to try again.

 

[armorfirelady]

Sometimes when introducing older chickens to ff they take some time to get used to it. The best bet is to just offer the FF only. They will eventually eat it if their hungry enough. I know mine did. . Also if there is to much vinegar in it they might not like the taste as it might be to strong

 

[Kilsharion]

Another question on feeding FF to broiler chicks...would it be better to use unmedicated starter or meat bird crumbles? These will be my first broilers, so even if we weren't doing FF I'd still be trying to decide which is better. Does the fermentation increase the protein enough that it doesn't matter much?

I've never used medicated starter. Just a point of information

Fermentation increases the protein levels by roughly 3%.

 

[Kilsharion]

Has anyone fermented Countryside Organics? I bought a bag of the layer feed to try while I was in VA last week, and it's...well....dusty. They pick out what they like and leave the rest. At $30/bag, I don't appreciate that! Was thinking of fermenting it to prevent the waste if you guys think it would work.

I did try fermenting feeds before, and nobody was a huge fan. But I'm willing to try again.

"dusty" = mash. It ferments very well.

There are three types of feed - mash, crumbles and pellets. All ferment well. And, they eat every bite of the mash when it's fermented. Definitely less waste.

I use a mash feed. Check the label - if it's like mine, it may have fish meal in it. If it does - be prepared...the odour is not pleasant. Fermenting meats/meat meals is a nasty smelling process. I keep mine outside the house because of it.

Once they realize it's food, they go for it pretty well. You can entice them to it by putting some of their favourite treats in it...for my girls that meant bananas and grapes.

 

[Lacy Blues]

1 kg is 2.2 pounds.

No. They would attack the food and scatter it all over the place then go lay down in the shade. They would not start whining for more food until evening. Today was completely different.

I allow them to free range but around 50 of them won't leave the coup. I was taking the layer pellets out in the grass to feed them so they would have to scratch around in the grass to eat but the same 50 will just run back to the coop after they fill their crops then stay there the rest of the day. I guess I am lucky that I do have the majority of them running around eating bugs and such but I don't know what to do about the 50 or so that just want to hang out all day until they see me bring food.

Are the 50 that spend their time in the barn the youngest? I'm thinking that if you don't feed them more, it may force them to venture outside. How old are they and how long have they been doing this?

I know my Andalusians, in the summer, hardly come outside at all but I don't have any shade for them to hang out in. I'm working on getting some shrubbery between 6-10 feet tall for them to lounge under. My daughter's birds will spend time outside. I found out last summer that its because the ground is hot as one ran out into the yard one afternoon because she got caught between me and the doorway, and she started the craziest dance trying to get back to the barn!

Maybe the older birds pick on the 50?

 

[kaisabaijai]

Are the 50 that spend their time in the barn the youngest? I'm thinking that if you don't feed them more, it may force them to venture outside. How old are they and how long have they been doing this?

I know my Andalusians, in the summer, hardly come outside at all but I don't have any shade for them to hang out in. I'm working on getting some shrubbery between 6-10 feet tall for them to lounge under. My daughter's birds will spend time outside. I found out last summer that its because the ground is hot as one ran out into the yard one afternoon because she got caught between me and the doorway, and she started the craziest dance trying to get back to the barn!

Maybe the older birds pick on the 50?

No. All of the Warrens are the same age. I have the youngest chicks in the house to protect them from the heat.

The 100 or so that free range leave the coop when it is still dark out. Most of them come back to the coop to lay their eggs then go back out again in the tall grass or around one of the ponds.

I have no idea how to get the rest to free range. I already take the food 100 meters from the coop to feed the chickens and the non free rangers follow me out to get fed but then run back to the coop after they eat the food i put out. The rest will run over and get food then go right back to eating grass and whatever else they find.

 

[countrygirl74]

I have read up to page 41 so far and have decided to try this out.

I have over 200 chickens and turkeys so the 5 gallon bucket method was not enough. I ended up using a 30 gallon container but I did not anticipate as much swelling had to move half to another container.

I did not have a spoon long enough to stir the feed so I used my arm. That was fine for last night but this morning when i used my arm It swelled, turned red and got a bunch of bumps on it along with the itching. The fermenting much have either created a chemical that I am allergic to or the acid caused this reaction. Now I am stirring with a shovel.

After doing a lot of internet research I decided to use a mixture of Layer pellets, Rice Bran, coconut pulp and corn.

I fed this fermented version to my chickens today and they ate what I thought would be two days worth of feed. No hesitation at all on their part in eating the fermented feed. In the future I hope their consumption will be lower than what they were consuming in dry feed but today they ate like they have been starved for a week.

Mine also ate like pigs at first - then they eventually settled in and sometimes I wouldn't have to put any food out for a couple days!! Hope it all works out for you. Oh, and my hands couldn't take the contact with the feed either. But I only have a 5 gallon bucket, so I have a long enough spoon.

 

[countrygirl74]

Has anyone fermented Countryside Organics? I bought a bag of the layer feed to try while I was in VA last week, and it's...well....dusty. They pick out what they like and leave the rest. At $30/bag, I don't appreciate that! Was thinking of fermenting it to prevent the waste if you guys think it would work.

I did try fermenting feeds before, and nobody was a huge fan. But I'm willing to try again.

As Kilsharion said, mash ferments great! I prefer mash over crumbles, etc. anyday. I think it drains much easier - I say go for it! Here's a pic of a scoop in my draining spoon.

 

[kaisabaijai]

Mine also ate like pigs at first - then they eventually settled in and sometimes I wouldn't have to put any food out for a couple days!! Hope it all works out for you. Oh, and my hands couldn't take the contact with the feed either. But I only have a 5 gallon bucket, so I have a long enough spoon.

Thanks for letting me know yours did the same.

At least with the fermenting I can add the rice bran and coconut to the feed in order to reduce the cost per kg and it all gets eaten. I tried the rice bran before without fermenting and most of them shunned it.