Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Peneliva]

Hey what does everyone feed fermented feed out of? I'm trying to work on a new feeder. What have you all found that is the best feeder?

 

[Zootopia]

Depends on how many you are feeding. Several of us have PVC, mine is cut about a third open, lots of people cut them in half. We then screw them to 2x4 scraps for feet. There are several fancier ones with tops posted on here as well. Some people are also using the plastic spackling containers, again some with tops to keep them from walking in it. The concept is simple, no bare metal.
Oh ya, someone is using rain gutters.

 

[RedRidge]

Hey what does everyone feed fermented feed out of? I'm trying to work on a new feeder. What have you all found that is the best feeder?

I use wallpaper troughs. They are $2.99 at the Home Depot. Cheap, easy, light weight.

 

[Peneliva]

I use wallpaper troughs. They are $2.99 at the Home Depot. Cheap, easy, light weight.

how big is a wallpaper trough and whats it look like

 

[armorfirelady]

I use drywall troughs. They are about 12 inches long, plastic & lightweight. About $3 each at lowes or Home Depot. I have one sitting in a wood holder I made and one zip tied to the side of my hoop coop with another that sits in it.

 

[RedRidge]

I use wallpaper troughs. They are $2.99 at the Home Depot. Cheap, easy, light weight.

how big is a wallpaper trough and whats it look like

Probably about 2' long. Similar to drywall troughs but a little wider and not as deep. I can easily get 4 lbs of FF in each one. I have 14 pullets eating out of one and the RIR pen has 20 11 week olds and I use two for them.

 

[locoguru]

Hey what does everyone feed fermented feed out of? I'm trying to work on a new feeder. What have you all found that is the best feeder?

Mine is in my profile picture. A piece of 4" drain pipe with 1/4 cut out of it hung on the fence.

 

[PaisyQ]

I have a batch of feed that has been fermenting for 4 days now. Last couple of days it has had a sort of sour-fruity smell. But today something has changed. I *think* the odor I am detecting is sort of vinagery, but not positive. I just know it doesn't smell the same as it did yesterday. Would this mean it is going bad?

 

[3 NH reds]

There really is no going bad with this stuff. It's going to have an off smell and using the ACV it may even get a grey film on top and that is just the active culture or " the mother". I have fed batches that were one month old and have no problem. I always re use the old juice. in beer making it is called pitching heavy meaning using allot of yeast to start it. keep it any place. I leave mine open outside and it's all good.

 

[Beekissed]

I have a batch of feed that has been fermenting for 4 days now. Last couple of days it has had a sort of sour-fruity smell. But today something has changed. I *think* the odor I am detecting is sort of vinagery, but not positive. I just know it doesn't smell the same as it did yesterday. Would this mean it is going bad?

Agree with the above post..there really is no going bad unless you aren't feeding it fresh nutrients and it has already eaten all the available sugars in the feed. That vinegar smell can be the wild acetobacter yeasts establishing in the mix..it's all good! It will deepen into that smell as the ferment gets older and according to how warm the ambient temps are.

It is a positive smell, though it may not smell that way to you....the only time I'd start to worry about FF is when it had NO smell.