Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[ChocolateMouse]

Typical retail is 3-4X's the manufacturing cost. So if it costs you almost nothing to make (e-book) you could charge $0.99-$2.99 and make a good, reasonable profit. If you're publishing it and it takes $1 to make, charge at least $4 for it, you know? (Done some retail planning in my time.)

That being said, I, personally, would not be sure about wanting to support missionaries. Some of them do sincerely good work (educating subsitance farmers on chicken keeping in 3rd world underprivldged societies to increase their production and life for their families and food supply in the local community for example would be a great cause to associate with this book that some missionaries might do), and some of them just want to push religion and hand out bibles and make people say confessions and pray on sundays. I've had so many people pushing religion on me that now I want nothing to do with the entirety of Christianity at all. :/ Seems like it kind of misses the point, and it should be more about doing good and less about making people believe what you want. So I guess I just really hope you pick one of the first kind of missionaries, rather than the second.

 

[Kassaundra]

Ok so my husband put yeast in it last night, stirred well. No bubbles or yeasty this morning and smells just awful. It has definitely turned on us. I guess we gotta start over, we are off to the feed store today to get feed, price some other grains as well. Also need to pick up some more acv because my homemade stuff isn't ready yet. Another thing learned.... always have at least 1 bag of feed laying around to get them breakfast.

Husband's thought... maybe a mouse got in and drowned..... going to change the lid. How long does everyone's buckets take to drain in the am?

Sorry that the whole barrel ruined. I do 33 gallon barrels all the time (just grains though) and have never had that problem, mine sits for several weeks at a time before adding new. My lid fits down over and catches so it can't be blown off easily, but is not air tight so allows the ferment bubbles to escape w/o build up of pressure. I would put it in the compost personally I know the chickens have access to the compost but I have not seen a chicken that had a choice chose to eat something harmful, the probiotics already going on in the compost could neutralize whatever is going on in your ferment too.

 

[foreverlearning]

Okay....you guys are waaaaayyyyy ahead of this old country woman! I'm going to spend the next couple of days studying up on ebooks and all the ins and outs and get back to you. You understand that I have absolutely NO money for start up costs, so this is going to take some doing. I know there are always some bucks that have to flow down the line somewhere to get anything published in any form, so don't get your hopes up on it too much.

I do know that, if you charge too little, people think it's not worth much and if you charge too much it's not going to be affordable, so I'll have to choose a middle of the road, leaning towards more affordable. I do know that $.99 won't work...I've given away too many free things of great value to people who turned up their noses at them because they were free, so I know the nature of humans. For some reason they have the attitude that you have to pay a lot for something for it to be worth anything. It'll take some figuring, to be sure. I like things to be cheap and worth my money at the same time.

The best way to charge is $4.99 plus free sample for the first one. It would be cheap enough for the poorer folk while still catching the eye of those nose in the air types. You could charge more for the second and later books. On each book give a free sample. It could be as simple as the first two paragraphs to an entire chapter. Once someone is hooked they are hooked. I get free samples on new authors and when I like how they write I run to the store and buy a hard copy. It keeps me from wasting my money on a new author just to find out I can't stand their writing in the first paragraph. For some reason I cannot stand to read a book on my e-reader. Something is missing, but the up and coming authors tend to prefer that format to start. I am sure it has something to do with costs.

 

[Triple Willow]

Good morning all.

@Bee... I think if it is any size book at all, and it would have to be to hold much information, somewhere between $10-12 would be great for the first printing. I know two feed stores in my town that would probably sell them, maybe the stockyard and other places, possibly TSC because they do have books. That is where I got my Storey's Guide ... for right at $20! LOL Shoot, I have a friend that has had chickens, quail, rabbits etc etc for years and he knows a lot of people who also have chickens. I will give him a copy and then he will tell all his friends I'm sure. I bet you could pre-sell a lot of the books right here on BYC. Then there are the BYC members who are also regulars on the other "sustainability" websites. They can advertise the book by "word of mouth". I don't see a way that it can't work! But, while there are a lot of people who do the e-book thing, there are many more who don't. It might be a way to start but as far as really selling books and getting the information out, I think an old fashion hands on book is always best. Just some thoughts...

 

[PaisyQ]

Bee,
You could take a preorders to get the start up money and if you wanted to do spiral bound I have a little machine that does it if you wanted to do the first 50 or so that way. You print them & mail them to me and I could spiral bind them. I am sure the small feed stores would want to carry them also especially if they were cheaper than other chicken books, but that would depend on how cheap you could get them printed for.

You could use Kickstarter to get some of those start up costs, too. I've been wanting to support something through kickstarter, but haven't found anything I really liked yet. This would fit the bill for me.

 

[foreverlearning]

I would spend quite a bit on a hard copy! The e-books are a little tricky because you normally don't get to flip threw and check out the titles and if the person actually has something to offer. Word of mouth is always the best advertising, and you would have a bunch sold just from BYC. It seems like every time I respond to a newbie having problems I either refer them to one of your articles or one of your posts for the answer.

 

[KWSRetMSgt]

Is anyone concerned about botulism? The reason I ask is due to the link in improperly fermented feeds in horses, especially (like haylage/silage) and botulism.

Otherwise I really want to try this. I am experimenting with home-made sauerkraut as well!

As an aside, where do you find unpasteurized ACV?

Woo Hoo, Home made sauerkraut now that brings back memories. Three large stone vessels sitting in the kitchen dirt / mold growing all over the water on the top edges. but I can tell you it was probably some of the best Sauerkraut I've ever eaten. Also it brings back the memory of me telling my cousins about the roast beef they were eating exactly what it looked like only minutes before we cut it up and made sandwiches.

Good times !!

 

[skitzkle]

Ok so my husband put yeast in it last night, stirred well.  No bubbles or yeasty this morning and smells just awful.  It has definitely turned on us.  I guess we gotta start over, we are off to the feed store today to get feed, price some other grains as well.  Also need to pick up some more acv because my homemade stuff isn't ready yet.  Another thing learned.... always have at least 1 bag of feed laying around to get them breakfast.

Husband's thought... maybe a mouse got in and drowned..... going to change the lid.  How long does everyone's buckets take to drain in the am?

Don't throw it out! How bad does it smell, cause fermented feed is supposed to smell sour! Go back in this thread I know bee has talked about the smell and helped others that have thought theirs went bad. Some days my chickens eat all I give them sometimes they don't , it doesn't mean it is bad. They can be like kids sometimes and be picky but that doesn't mean you have to change it.

 

[Beekissed]

I bet there's an "E-Books for Dummies"! LOL

Y'all are going to make this hick buy one of those dang Kindle thingies. This e-book is gonna cost me, what? $150 lol

I'd only offer to an ebook for a limited time before putting it out to print...the platform from ebook sales and a blog can often attract book publishers if the sales show the book has garnered interest in the populace. You wouldn't have to wait long at all to get an actual book if this book shows any promise...if it doesn't show promise, it's not worth the reading anyway.

Bee, I would really like to see something that takes a few teeth to digest, worded simply. All the info you share regarding feeding, rearing methods, health issues or the lack of them, completely natural lifestyles for these birds (not what Purina calls "natural" bah!).

A bit more than basics please.

In today's world, I've found that most people want sound bites and their attention span is much shorter than days gone by...I'll be offering both in this book. A rough outline of basics and maybe more details following or even a meatier second volume to explain in depth the philosophy of natural chicken life in full.

Bee,
You could take a preorders to get the start up money and if you wanted to do spiral bound I have a little machine that does it if you wanted to do the first 50 or so that way. You print them & mail them to me and I could spiral bind them. I am sure the small feed stores would want to carry them also especially if they were cheaper than other chicken books, but that would depend on how cheap you could get them printed for.

I think that the ebook start will reach a wider audience in a quicker manner than my trying to print off a substandard version of my own....I've seen those here and there in gas stations and craft stores and I know those people are losing money on the whole deal. I know it sounds stupid but many people very often do judge a book by its cover when they go to purchase it..and that means how professional it looks, regardless of the information inside. I don't think it needs to be a glossy coffee table book but it definitely needs to have a "finished" product look and feel in order to attract most buyers.

Ok so my husband put yeast in it last night, stirred well. No bubbles or yeasty this morning and smells just awful. It has definitely turned on us. I guess we gotta start over, we are off to the feed store today to get feed, price some other grains as well. Also need to pick up some more acv because my homemade stuff isn't ready yet. Another thing learned.... always have at least 1 bag of feed laying around to get them breakfast.

Husband's thought... maybe a mouse got in and drowned..... going to change the lid. How long does everyone's buckets take to drain in the am?

You shouldn't ever need yeast..especially if you've already been experiencing good ferment. Even if a mouse fell in and got fermented along with it all, it should still remain good. Fermented fluids and grains don't usually "turn" unless the LABs run out of sugar to feed upon....that takes a good long time...but shouldn't be happening at all in this situation, particularly if you are adding fresh feed to the mix after you use it.

You don't need to add yeast or anymore ACV, that sour smell you are smelling is very deep fermentation and there is nothing wrong with it. Please, please do not dump out all that feed!!! Feed it anyway...the birds will eat it, trust me. If you are finding you are hitting really deep fermentation before you can feed out your bucket/barrel, mix smaller batches next time if the smells bother you and the animals don't find it as palatable. You won't be seeing bubbling as much at that level as the fermentation isn't just getting started.

Please believe me...your FF didn't turn bad or spoil....the smell is the nature of fermentation and gets deeper into that vomit smell the more it ferments. My chickens eat it every day and are happy to get it, so if your birds are not eating it, cut back on feed a bit until they clean their plates. I've found that, the deeper the fermentation, the less feed they seem to need...I can only conclude the more amino acids are being produced, the more perfect nutrition is available.

Me, too. Best "come-on", Bee, is "Free shipping".

Price depends on your costs. When you get it done, throw it "out there" and we'll all help you with a fair price, especially for the author.

Do you know how much shipping costs??

More than most here are proposing for the cost of the book! Wait for it to hit Amazon and order it there...sometimes they have free shipping deals. You are talking to someone who has NO MONEY...none...zippo....as in haven't worked in 2 years kinda broke. Crippled up, can't do ma job anymore broke down and plain ol' BROKE.

I couldn't even buy a tank of gas right now if I needed to....THAT kind of broke. Free shipping is not on the horizon, folks...not for now.

Typical retail is 3-4X's the manufacturing cost. So if it costs you almost nothing to make (e-book) you could charge $0.99-$2.99 and make a good, reasonable profit. If you're publishing it and it takes $1 to make, charge at least $4 for it, you know? (Done some retail planning in my time.)

That being said, I, personally, would not be sure about wanting to support missionaries. Some of them do sincerely good work (educating subsitance farmers on chicken keeping in 3rd world underprivldged societies to increase their production and life for their families and food supply in the local community for example would be a great cause to associate with this book that some missionaries might do), and some of them just want to push religion and hand out bibles and make people say confessions and pray on sundays. I've had so many people pushing religion on me that now I want nothing to do with the entirety of Christianity at all. :/ Seems like it kind of misses the point, and it should be more about doing good and less about making people believe what you want. So I guess I just really hope you pick one of the first kind of missionaries, rather than the second.

"Cost almost nothing to make" is a relative term...what would one reasonably charge for a life time of experience and the time it takes to put it down on paper and shape it into words that someone can actually enjoy? Diamonds take a long time to make so they are generally not sold for $.99. When I give to a charity, it must be a good one and I must see the need and the Holy Spirit put it on my heart to give to that place....the general populace that drops a cool $400 on a cell phone or $150 on a Kindle is not someone I consider in great need, so giving a book to them at $.99 probably won't be in the agenda.

I won't be using any marketing ploy about part of the proceeds going to missions, as I feel many use it as just that...a ploy to get people to buy. The book will be sold and bought on its own merits or not at all, if God wills it, or not. What happens to the money after that will be in God's hands only, as none of our money is OUR money and we only have anything in this world due to God's grace. It's His money, so when it comes in or goes out, it will be where He wants it to go....that's not my end of the business. I'm only to be the conduit, but I won't use Him in the marketing of it. If He wants it to sell, it will sell, if it is not in His will for it to sell, it will not sell. Either way, I'm just as content as before I started!

Life is good when you don't hang your hopes on money~ or the getting or the losing of it. He provides for my needs in all things and that's a good feeling!

The best way to charge is $4.99 plus free sample for the first one. It would be cheap enough for the poorer folk while still catching the eye of those nose in the air types. You could charge more for the second and later books. On each book give a free sample. It could be as simple as the first two paragraphs to an entire chapter. Once someone is hooked they are hooked. I get free samples on new authors and when I like how they write I run to the store and buy a hard copy. It keeps me from wasting my money on a new author just to find out I can't stand their writing in the first paragraph. For some reason I cannot stand to read a book on my e-reader. Something is missing, but the up and coming authors tend to prefer that format to start. I am sure it has something to do with costs.

On ebook, the first 5 days the book can be viewed/downloaded for free from what I understand, after that it's in their library for lending only for 90 day periods at a time and earns money each time it is loaned out or downloaded to Kindle. I think it has very much to do with costs, as most new authors have no money to self publish. At any time after each 90 day period, the book can be withdrawn from the library and published elsewhere.

 

[browncow15]

I know this information is in here somewhere but its hard to find from my phone. my feed didn't get stirred or used for a couple of days while i was gone, now it smells like alcohol. can i fix it?