Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[DaveMorey]

Question time again... Does anyone keep their FF outside in the winter? I am trying to figure out what to do with it during the winter since I know my wife will be less than thrilled with it in the house. I guess I should define winter as well below freezing. I imagine the FF would freeze solid.

 

[Beekissed]

Question time again... Does anyone keep their FF outside in the winter? I am trying to figure out what to do with it during the winter since I know my wife will be less than thrilled with it in the house. I guess I should define winter as well below freezing. I imagine the FF would freeze solid.

The SCOBY action will slow way down in the cold, I found. I keep mine in my bedroom...it seems to be the room most conducive for keeping it going just right..not too fast, not too slow. I just set the bucket on top of a plastic trash bag that is lying on top of a rug. Never had any mishaps and didn't have any problems with smells when it's that cool(I like a cool room for sleeping).

Some devise hot boxes in their coop but if you have consistent below freezing or below zero temps, I doubt a heat lamp or insulated box will keep it going as well as you would wish. Might be time to sweet talk the woman into allowing it to reside in the laundry room or somewhere similar.

 

[DaveMorey]

I am thinking I may have to put it in my basement. It is cool down there but stays around 55°. It would be in an area where she can't smell it. She complained about the odor now and it's in my garage.

 

[Kassaundra]

I can keep mine outside all winter, but I move my black trash can to the south side of the coop and live in Oklahoma. Even on our really cold times we still usually have lots of sun and the black barrel in the sun keeps it from freezing (except on the edges) Mine is such a deep ferment it has not killed it off, it has survived 2 winters that way.

 

[armorfirelady]

Question time again... Does anyone keep their FF outside in the winter? I am trying to figure out what to do with it during the winter since I know my wife will be less than thrilled with it in the house. I guess I should define winter as well below freezing. I imagine the FF would freeze solid.

Mine goes back into the house on the kitchen counter. I have a large amount of counter space so I just tuck it in the corner where it bothers no one.

 

[hogster160]

Can any of you guys tell me how risky it is to bring in eggs from an outside flock and let a broody hatch them? I've got a pullet that is wanting to hatch out some babies and I'd like to get her just a few guinea eggs. I know a lot of people do it but how likely is it that disease can be spread? Thanks as always!

My broody just hatched out 6 chicks out of 9 eggs that I got from a local chicken raiser here in town. The first was Tuesday morning and the last was Wednesday morning. Wednesday was day 21. They started out on ff from day one. I am using non medicated chicken starter for them and mom. Its so dang cute seeing those babies eating the ff off mamas beak, and she lets them lol. My broody is 8 months old tomorrow. She has done a stellar job. She was broody for 2 weeks before I decided I couldn't break her and just got her some eggs. Today mama totally showed them the ropes. They were scratching and pecking. Mama wanted outside, so I put mama and babies in part sun part shade in a 4x4 screened crate so the chicks would be safe from the other girls and the turkeys. They LOVED it! Mama taught them to take a proper bath!

I say go for it, it was a fantastic experience and I will do it again I'm sure. Maybe I'll get a rooster or two out of this bunch and then I won't have to bring new blood in til the following year or so.

Good luck with what ever you choose to do!

Deb

 

[KYTinpusher]

I need some advice from all you experienced fermenters. I love reading this thread for the wealth of information (Beekissed, I want to be like you when I grow up!) I made the switch to FF about 6 weeks ago and the colors that are coming out in my BCM roo are AMAZING! I will try to get pics within a few days.

Right now, I would like to pick your brains. I belong to a produce co-op that happens to share space with a central food pantry. I usually take home several boxes of free past prime produce whenever I go. The best goes to the chickens, then to the worms, and anything left after that goes into the compost pile. They are quite happy to have me remove as much of the old stuff as I can.

Well, today's load was

. I filled the back end of my pick-up (luckily it is a short bed). Apparently, there was some kind of a banquet and the leftover food was donated to the pantry and they didn't have any takers. I came home with probably 100-150 lb. of veggies, some already prepared, but many still raw. There was a mix of carrots, squash, broccoli, onions, and peppers, lightly spiced. There is a 5 lb. bag of shredded red cabbage, several trays of sliced eggplant, several boxes of leaf lettuce, three large boxes of tomatoes on the vine, about 10 pounds of spinach salad with mandarin oranges and cranberries, and the list goes on....

Anyway, most of this is going to end up in the compost pile because I don't have time to deal with it until tomorrow afternoon. Most of it is sitting beside my driveway for the night and I hope we don't have too many critters find it before I can take care of it. I need some advice on perhaps fermenting a windfall like this so next time I can make the best use of this.

I did take the bag of red cabbage into the house. I am planning to add some whole grains, some feed, a half gallon of raw milk that is starting to turn, and some kefir and some alfalfa. I'll let it set overnight and feed it to the chickens tomorrow. What do you all think about that plan?

I have an extra 5-gallon bucket. Do you think I could fill it with some of the other veggies, add some ACV and water to cover and let that sit for a couple of days until I can feed out to the birds a little at a time. Should I take the onions out? I have about 100 chickens, but even they can't make too much of a dent in what I brought home before it starts to mold.

I don't have a lot of room in the freezer, but I may freeze a few bags of the veggies. Since they are already cooked al dente, I don't have to blanch them or anything.

Any other ideas?

 

[Beekissed]

Wow! Aren't you lucky!

The cabbage won't ferment overnight, so you might let that bucket sit a little longer...it won't hurt. If you have a freezer, you could freeze some of this bounty and dole it out as time goes along, but if you are getting surplus like this all the time you probably won't have room for all that. With 100 chickens, they should be making short work of all that...I'd just toss it to them and let them eat it at their leisure. Whatever they do not clean up over the next 2-3 days could be raked up and fed to the worms and compost pile. Ferment what you can, freeze what you can and then let the chooks have the rest.

You could start a deep litter in your coop and run so that you can just leave such items in the future and whatever doesn't get eaten can get buried in the litter and composted in place.

So glad you joined us!

 

[armorfirelady]

I don't have a lot of room in the freezer, but I may freeze a few bags of the veggies. Since they are already cooked al dente, I don't have to blanch them or anything.

Any other ideas?

I freeze any veggies I get. Squash, zucchini, cucumbers, watermelon,apples, kale & beet greens.....just about anything I know they eat I freeze through out the summer. I fill a small chest freezer and it lasts all winter. I just cut it up into slices before I freeze it. Its a great way for them to have fresh greens all winter.

It only takes a few minutes depending on how much I have. I also lucked out this summer from friends and farmers giving me free veggies.

 

[Triple Willow]

My broody just hatched out 6 chicks out of 9 eggs that I got from a local chicken raiser here in town.  The first was Tuesday morning and the last was Wednesday morning.  Wednesday was day 21.  They started out on ff from day one.  I am using non medicated chicken starter for them and mom.  Its so dang cute seeing those babies eating the ff off mamas beak, and she lets them lol.  My  broody is 8 months old tomorrow.  She has done a stellar job.  She was broody for 2 weeks before I decided I couldn't break her and just got her some eggs.  Today mama totally showed them the ropes.  They were scratching and pecking.  Mama wanted outside, so I put mama and babies in part sun part shade in a 4x4 screened crate so the chicks would be safe from the other girls and the turkeys.  They LOVED it!  Mama taught them to take a proper bath!

I say go for it, it was a fantastic experience and I will do it again I'm sure.  Maybe I'll get a rooster or two out of this bunch and then I won't have to bring new blood in til the following year or so.

Good luck with what ever you choose to do!

Deb

Thanks Deb. That sounds so cute. I let mine out to free range today and I made my pullet get off the nest. She stayed outside for a little while but returned to the nest. I noticed she has her feathers plucked off her abdomen. She is fluffed up as big as a basketball. lol I may get her some guinea eggs.