Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[jrsckn]

I used a wide 1' piece of osb/plywood to keep the woodchips out. When they were young I covered it in papertowel but as they got older they started to eat it so then I just kept washing it off to try to keep it somewhat clean. Then by 3 weeks I upgraded it to a meatie bird picnic table like this



As chicks with the plywood

 

[JoyfulPromise]

Thanks everyone! You are all very helpful! I put the lids back on the feeders after seeing MonsterClucker's picture, but my brother thought they looked like they were standing on their heads to try and get the food, and some of them couldn't reach very well. NOW, thanks to Lacy Blues, I think I know why! We HAD screwed our feeders to boards to raise them up a bit for when they were taller, but the boards were not much wider than the feeders. When they are little we usually dig the boards down in the bedding so the feeders aren't too tall, but the chicks always scratch the bedding away from the sides of the feeder, causing a trough, which raises the height of the feeder back up. That was fine when we had dry feed that was filling the feeder to the top, but with a small amount of FF in the bottom, it becomes more difficult for the chicks to reach. So I think it would help a lot if we switched to wider boards that the chicks can stand on while they are eating!

I also LOVE your suggestion Baybrio, about cutting the dividers between every other hole! That will greatly help so we can use the feeders longer after their heads have become too big for the single holes.

Learning as we go...

 

[knightie]

knightie,
Somehow your ferments are becoming contaminated. I'm not sure what to suggest though. It might help if you got a bucket without a spout so you could keep it covered a little better. Is there anything close by that might have mold or bacteria that could be drifting into your mix? I know when sour dough or kefir starts going off it's because mold or bacteria of some kind drifts in and causes the regular little beasties to get out of balance.
Is it sitting in sun most of the day or mostly shade? What kind of water are you using? Has your grain ever gotten wet or damp? Does it contain whole corn? Knowing the answer to these questions might help us come up with a solution.

Jeanette

I kinda thought that might be it. But,I've had it in different places first time it went bad was in my office which is near the chicken area, then I had it on the porch (porch gets morning sun but shade by noon or so.) I bleached the bucket after the first time it went bad (second time I didn't and when I started a new batch it went bad quickly so I bleached and let it dry for several days)

The first time it went bad there was some oats, some scratch (which has cork but I think it's all cracked corn) and some store bought feed. Second time it was just scratch and oats (third time more scratch than oats. I started some oats yesterday.
To my knowledge none of the feeds have been wet.
Oh and I used the well water we drink with a splash of braggs acv.
I don't think I have another bucket I can use (fixed income, so I can't just go buy another at least night for a while this months money is gone and. Next months isn't available until mid to end)

Thank you for any suggestions

K

 

[Lacy Blues]

I kinda thought that might be it. But,I've had it in different places first time it went bad was in my office which is near the chicken area, then I had it on the porch (porch gets morning sun but shade by noon or so.) I bleached the bucket after the first time it went bad (second time I didn't and when I started a new batch it went bad quickly so I bleached and let it dry for several days)
The first time it went bad there was some oats, some scratch (which has cork but I think it's all cracked corn) and some store bought feed. Second time it was just scratch and oats (third time more scratch than oats. I started some oats yesterday.
To my knowledge none of the feeds have been wet.
Oh and I used the well water we drink with a splash of braggs acv.
I don't think I have another bucket I can use (fixed income, so I can't just go buy another at least night for a while this months money is gone and. Next months isn't available until mid to end)
Thank you for any suggestions
K

I've been using my large glass mixing bowls with wire shelf pieces to cover and clean dish towels over all. Works great but it's taking up the whole end of my table.

Still trying to figure out exactly how I'm going to do my buckets.

 

[trifecta]

Yeah I think my chicks prefer the FF. I am trying to just feed what they eat in a 12 hour period. Today I had to work all day, so I gave them a "scoop" of FF in the feeder and left them some extra regular starter in case they ate it all. Long story short, the FF was picked as clean as they could get it (there was one industrious CX who was attempting to climb through the grate to get the left overs) but there was quite a bit of the regular feed left. I refilled when I got back from work and they went right at it and then all went to sleep. They seem pretty happy with it, and I swear they are eating less than my last batch did.

Not using medicated chick starter either this time. Also, I am totally amazed... they all have normal manure, which I think is the biggest improvement! I am weighing them daily (twice today... I lost one of the dark cornish pullets and I'm not sure why) to track their progress. So far I think they are gaining the same as my last batch, but the last group was from the feed store so I didn't have to start them as day olds either.

 

[Jeanette56]

This is a Great Idea Baybrio!

I'm incubating some eggs right now and I will try to remember this tip for when they hatch.

Finally something I can contribute to! I can't remember if I came up with this myself or if someone else gave me the idea.

I use the red feeders but I cut off every other "brace" (the plastic between each hole) so the holes are 2x the normal size, then I attach the feeder to a scrap piece of wood (currently a piece of 1 x 10) that is just a bit longer and a few inches wider than the feeder. This way they can get to the feed even when they are a little older, and they cannot tip it over. I even use this setup if I have to isolate an adult in a dog crate for any reason.

You folks are the best. I've learned SOOOOO much.

 

[Island Roo]

Quote:
Keep trying different sources of food and different locations. Is there something about your property or building that could be contributing?

You might want to rule out your water as a problem. You could try a batch with water that you boiled - or better yet use purified bottled water (without any addiditives) . It may not be a long term solution but at least you'll know its not the water.

 

[galanie]

My fermented feed using vinegar when bad every time. I make Kefir so I have some of the "whey" from it, the clear part, so I used that. It doesn't go bad. Try whey. You can even get some by simply souring milk and using the liquid part, not the chunks.

 

[JoyfulPromise]

Just a quick update on the feeders - I put 10x24 pieces of plywood under the red 20inch feeders last evening, and it made all the difference!!! The chicks were able to reach SO much better, and this morning the feeder was picked clean, with only a few stray pieces of bedding in it!

Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU to all those who gave the suggestion for a wider board under the feeders!

P.S. I gave the chicks another bucket top full of dirt today, and they ate it all up again (besides what they knocked into the bedding). Is too much dirt bad for them? I did notice several very black stiff poos the morning after they ate up the first topful of dirt...

 

[MonsterClucker]

Just a quick update on the feeders -  I put 10x24 pieces of plywood under the red 20inch feeders last evening, and it made all the difference!!! The chicks were able to reach SO much better, and this morning the feeder was picked clean, with only a few stray pieces of bedding in it!     Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU to all those who gave the suggestion for a wider board under the feeders!   

P.S.  I gave the chicks another bucket top full of dirt today, and they ate it all up again (besides what they knocked into the bedding).  Is too much dirt bad for them?  I did notice several very black stiff poos the morning after they ate up the first topful of dirt... :/

Niceeee!!

I like when they clean the feeder!