Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[armorfirelady]

Quote: I have a white tarp that is fastened all the way around with zip ties at the bottom. I could just try a gutter attached at both ends with zip ties & see how much rain I collect that way. And If I could collect it into a rain barrel to use to fill their waters that would be golden !!

 

[foreverlearning]

I just started the FF on my broilers (2 days old) and they were eating it quickly and left the dry stuff alone. Some have decided to take a nap and they perked up really quickly. I was outside stirring the mix and one of my regular flock decided she wanted to know what I was up to, so I put a little in a plastic bowl and set it on the grass. When I got back to the bucket one of my girls was returning the plastic bowl and trying to get into the mix. I thought it would be hard to get them interested. They are normally free range with lots of scraps and dry layer feed in the coop and don't eat much of that. I closed up the bucket and stopped giving them any more when I realized they had consumed more than 3 times their normal feed intake. They just kept bringing me the bowl. They are 8 months old and I have never had a problem with them overeating before, can they overeat the FF? I have heard of it happening with meat birds but don't know about layers. I have RIR's, langshans, sebrights, jersey giants, and a rose comb silkie/buttercup mix. Does anyone know if they are prone to overeating or that fluid stuff in the breast?

 

[Windy Bay Farm]

I switched my girls at 12 weeks as that is when they went into the big girl pen.  There was really no way to feed them separately anymore.  They have done just fine.

Thank you, Mon27 ! I'm going to finish feeding out the grower and then switch them to layer

 

[Demosthine]

I have a white tarp that is fastened all the way around with zip ties at the bottom. I could just try a gutter attached at both ends with zip ties & see how much rain I collect that way. And If I could collect it into a rain barrel to use to fill their waters that would be golden !!

We get about 50" of rain a decade, so I can't be too much help. That dream is one I will never accomplish here!

 

[RoseMarie1]

Bee I have a BA cockerel that is pulling feathers out and eating the whole feather. Not seeing blood on the ends of the feathers but he's eating the whole feather....... It's the little fluffy feathers and I saw him today pull out at least 5 out of one of the chickens. Day before yesterday it dawned on me that I had lowered their protein level by mixing the 3 way scratch and the layer crumbles half and half so they're not getting much protein from that. It just didn't dawn on me I was lowering the protein doing it like this since I was doing their starter and the scratch this way. UGHHH BUT was trying to LOWER the protein in that starter since it was sooooo high in it. But it just didn't dawn on me the layer was lower in protein and then when I added the scratch it WAS low...... Been feeding them this for close to 2 weeks now I guess......So I added some more layer to the ff. I'm sure it's still not where it needs to be yet since I did it half and half to ferment. They have tons of new feathers coming in now to. So this evening when I got home I tossed them a double hand full of BOSS and then also gave them some dry layer crumbles by themselves to try and get their protein back to at least 16% again. Anyway I have the one pulling feathers in a cage to himself. Wondering how long he needs to stay there? I'm also going to go out there tomorrow and sit with them to make SURE there's not another one doing it, you know, monkey see monkey do. I sold a couple of my BA cockerels this evening and I had put them into a pen to themselves this morning so I could catch them easier this evening and I didn't see them doing that thank goodness. So I'm thinking he's the only one doing it but want to make sure before it becomes a habit.
Any advise?

 

[foreverlearning]

Bee I have a BA cockerel that is pulling feathers out and eating the whole feather. Not seeing blood on the ends of the feathers but he's eating the whole feather....... It's the little fluffy feathers and I saw him today pull out at least 5 out of one of the chickens. Day before yesterday it dawned on me that I had lowered their protein level by mixing the 3 way scratch and the layer crumbles half and half so they're not getting much protein from that. It just didn't dawn on me I was lowering the protein doing it like this since I was doing their starter and the scratch this way. UGHHH BUT was trying to LOWER the protein in that scratch since it was sooooo high in it. But it just didn't dawn on me the layer was lower in protein and then when I added the scratch it WAS low...... Been feeding them this for close to 2 weeks now I guess......So I added some more layer to the ff. I'm sure it's still not where it needs to be yet since I did it half and half to ferment. They have tons of new feathers coming in now to. So this evening when I got home I tossed them a double hand full of BOSS and then also gave them some dry layer crumbles by themselves to try and get their protein back to at least 16% again. Anyway I have the one pulling feathers in a cage to himself. Wondering how long he needs to stay there? I'm also going to go out there tomorrow and sit with them to make SURE there's not another one doing it, you know, monkey see monkey do. I sold a couple of my BA cockerels this evening and I had put them into a pen to themselves this morning so I could catch them easier this evening and I didn't see them doing that thank goodness. So I'm thinking he's the only one doing it but want to make sure before it becomes a habit.
Any advise?

Give them some scrambled eggs or yogurt, both will bring up the protein level in the birds.

 

[RoseMarie1]

Give them some scrambled eggs or yogurt, both will bring up the protein level in the birds.

How long do I need to do that I wonder to get it back up? I'm not going to add anymore scratch to their layer crumbles so it will only be layer crumbles. Man they sure not going to like that either cuz they sure do like their scratch.

 

[Beekissed]

Bee I have a BA cockerel that is pulling feathers out and eating the whole feather. Not seeing blood on the ends of the feathers but he's eating the whole feather....... It's the little fluffy feathers and I saw him today pull out at least 5 out of one of the chickens. Day before yesterday it dawned on me that I had lowered their protein level by mixing the 3 way scratch and the layer crumbles half and half so they're not getting much protein from that. It just didn't dawn on me I was lowering the protein doing it like this since I was doing their starter and the scratch this way. UGHHH BUT was trying to LOWER the protein in that scratch since it was sooooo high in it. But it just didn't dawn on me the layer was lower in protein and then when I added the scratch it WAS low...... Been feeding them this for close to 2 weeks now I guess......So I added some more layer to the ff. I'm sure it's still not where it needs to be yet since I did it half and half to ferment. They have tons of new feathers coming in now to. So this evening when I got home I tossed them a double hand full of BOSS and then also gave them some dry layer crumbles by themselves to try and get their protein back to at least 16% again. Anyway I have the one pulling feathers in a cage to himself. Wondering how long he needs to stay there? I'm also going to go out there tomorrow and sit with them to make SURE there's not another one doing it, you know, monkey see monkey do. I sold a couple of my BA cockerels this evening and I had put them into a pen to themselves this morning so I could catch them easier this evening and I didn't see them doing that thank goodness. So I'm thinking he's the only one doing it but want to make sure before it becomes a habit.
Any advise?

Yep...I think what you may be seeing is just the molting of their baby feathers and the growing in of their mature plumage. My yard looks like confetti right now and even the younger birds (almost 4 mo. ) are losing their fine, fluffy feathers. That you saw him pull a feather doesn't mean he is picking and eating feathers for protein needs. You free range them in addition to the feed rations and your protein isn't too low...at least, not low enough to cause a bird to pick feathers to eat.

You have plenty of space, so space isn't an issue. A cockerel isn't a production bird, so he doesn't need extra proteins for making eggs. My conclusion is that your birds are doing a soft molt and you witnessed one bird preening another. I see my ol' gals reach over and pull a loose feather on another and my old Toby lost both of his last cock feathers yesterday when I had give them an experimental tug just the night before and they were still pretty anchored...don't know if he pulled them or if someone else did, but those feathers weren't gonna come out on their own any time soon.

I'd release him from jail and just keep an eye on them...could be nothing and just a molting/preening socialization. I wouldn't increase the proteins just yet...just watch and wait. See what develops. The problem with things like this is no one waits to see if it's a real problem or a perceived problem, so they throw down some cat food and pronounce that the cat food did the trick because they haven't seen anymore feather pulling or eating. That's a form of inductive reasoning, but when dealing with chickens and trying to ascertain their needs when they cannot tell us, one has to use deductive reasoning.

That's my best advice!

 

[RoseMarie1]

Yep...I think what you may be seeing is just the molting of their baby feathers and the growing in of their mature plumage. My yard looks like confetti right now and even the younger birds (almost 4 mo. ) are losing their fine, fluffy feathers. That you saw him pull a feather doesn't mean he is picking and eating feathers for protein needs. You free range them in addition to the feed rations and your protein isn't too low...at least, not low enough to cause a bird to pick feathers to eat.

You have plenty of space, so space isn't an issue. A cockerel isn't a production bird, so he doesn't need extra proteins for making eggs. My conclusion is that your birds are doing a soft molt and you witnessed one bird preening another. I see my ol' gals reach over and pull a loose feather on another and my old Toby lost both of his last cock feathers yesterday when I had give them an experimental tug just the night before and they were still pretty anchored...don't know if he pulled them or if someone else did, but those feathers weren't gonna come out on their own any time soon.

I'd release him from jail and just keep an eye on them...could be nothing and just a molting/preening socialization. I wouldn't increase the proteins just yet...just watch and wait. See what develops. The problem with things like this is no one waits to see if it's a real problem or a perceived problem, so they throw down some cat food and pronounce that the cat food did the trick because they haven't seen anymore feather pulling or eating. That's a form of inductive reasoning, but when dealing with chickens and trying to ascertain their needs when they cannot tell us, one has to use deductive reasoning.

That's my best advice!

OK thanx...... will keep an eye on them and see what's going on. I saw him do this twice to different birds in about 5 minutes or so today. They'll be laying down resting and he was standing over them pulling them. They do have a herd of new feathers coming in. I picked up one of them and felt something stiff in it's neck and checked to see what it was because I thought it was like a matted spot and it was FEATHERS herds of them coming in. I banded him before I put him in jail so I could know which one it was and just put a black dot on his band. They are eating the feathers and I have seen several of them do that today. Thought it was weird but they wasn't pulling them out, only this one cockerel that I caught doing that.... these two others are just finding them n the run or in the roosting area and eat them. I'm also wondering IF they are smelling the fermented food on them and that's what's causing it now that you said what you did. Because they all have fermented food on them. They sling the stuff like crazy. lol Can they smell? Wondering if that could be it? Don't know IF they can smell or not. lol
Thanx again Bee.

 

[Windy Bay Farm]

Here's a strange one; yesterday and this morning a caught a few of my chickens picking and eating the styrofoam insulation that is between the outer walls of the house and the vinyl siding. They are going up to the side of the house and reaching up under the siding to pick at it. This is frustrating as I have to find something to block them for eating it but in the meantime if they do eat some, will it cause harm ?