Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[aoxa]

When I stir I'm not stirring the bottom 

When you stir, is water squishing out of the holes in the sides of your bucket?  This is water from the bottom reservoir and throughout your mix that is sloshing back and forth.  And I'd occasionally stir that bottom, if I were you.  Some one had a nifty paint stirrer idea that you put onto a drill that will mix the bottoms of buckets if you have nothing to do it with.  Me? When I was mixing entire buckets of FF, I just used a big ol' stick to mix it all up.  Easy. 

That's one cheap stirring contraption!

 

[Ullie]

When you stir, is water squishing out of the holes in the sides of your bucket? This is water from the bottom reservoir and throughout your mix that is sloshing back and forth. And I'd occasionally stir that bottom, if I were you. Some one had a nifty paint stirrer idea that you put onto a drill that will mix the bottoms of buckets if you have nothing to do it with. Me? When I was mixing entire buckets of FF, I just used a big ol' stick to mix it all up. Easy.

No, nope no squishing here

Maybe I just need to have more water over all in the buckets.
It's been good ff, no stinking smell, but might be good idea to add a bit more water so that I have a thicker type of pancake mix consistency when it's all done.

 

[Beekissed]

That's one cheap stirring contraption!

Doin' it farmer style!

Quote:
Maybe more holes in your bucket? Allows good flow through...almost like when clothes are being spun out on the rinse cycle of a washing machine. Lots more holes, better integration of all the fluids throughout all levels of the mix. My mix isn't pancake consistency...more like good mortar that you use to mortar bricks together.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Doin' it farmer style!

Maybe more holes in your bucket? Allows good flow through...almost like when clothes are being spun out on the rinse cycle of a washing machine. Lots more holes, better integration of all the fluids throughout all levels of the mix. My mix isn't pancake consistency...more like good mortar that you use to mortar bricks together.

Mine too, pretty thick paste, drywall "mud" thickness... it bubbles up a little after a stir. Mine is mostly crumble with scratch, like 3:1 and it smells wonderful. Feed, backslop, done.

 

[Mountain Momma]

Doin' it farmer style!

Maybe more holes in your bucket? Allows good flow through...almost like when clothes are being spun out on the rinse cycle of a washing machine. Lots more holes, better integration of all the fluids throughout all levels of the mix. My mix isn't pancake consistency...more like good mortar that you use to mortar bricks together.

Yes, cover the bottom with holes. There is a pic on m y profile. I never stir the bottom, I use an old plastic spatula with a burned edge and I put in the dry then top it with water till its about 2 inces over the dry then 5-6 quick stirs and walk away. There is always foam and the dry swells and by the next day it smells tasty and lookes like a bran muffin till I scoop it out. I never have to drain it either. Its always just right no matter what kind of feed mix im using etc. I used a whole bottle of ACV in 5 gal buckets though. Didnt want a glass bottle sitting around in the coop and didnt want it back in the house to get used.
L

 

[AlivianAcres]

We have been doing this for about a week now and our 8 week old pullets literally jump into the pan when I feed them lol...they eat like crazed chicks!!! Its adorable! My big chickens are just getting interested. I would be interested to see what everyone feeds the FF to their chickens in...I have been using old pie tins but there has to be a more sanitary way (ie the chicks literally standing in it)

 

[Miss Lydia]

I think that was the problem here I wasn't using enough water. it wasn't keeping the ff moist enough. I worked on it last evening and this morning it was looking a whole lot better. Not as dry more like crunchy peanut butter again. and I didn't have holes in the bottom of my bucket only around the sides, fixed that too.

 

[3 NH reds]

I ferment scratch grain or cracked corn in the two bucket system. when I get near the bottom of a batch I add grains and use a hose nozzle to stir it up. All that spray seems to get it quite mixed.I was making two batches a few days apart so I always had a fresh batch ready.

 

[aoxa]

So my new buckets are overflowing from the bottom bucket out where the two buckets sit together. I didn't have the chick bucket more than half full, but the big chickens need a full bucket, as I go through one bucket a day (at least). I didn't put holes all the way to the top. Do you think that is why it's overflowing?

I still have two buckets to drill. I'm going to do the holes all the way to the top to see if that helps.

 

[Suzierd]

It's too bad that this thread is in the meat section, because small pet flock owners avoid this area like the plague.
I've even encouraged people in the silkie thread to give it a try. We frequent posters can really get the word out to pet flocks as well. Those are the ones that need the natural way most!

I mentioned the FF in the Silkie thread a few times to see if any one tried it with silkies and what results they got, with zero replies. I was excited to see you starting it! finally another Silkie friend using it. I think the narley bunch really helped to spread the word, a lot of people read in the emergency thread. I two continue to mention it and find that people are more likely to use it by referring them to the blog then the meat section. Great Blog well done! what a great idea.