Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[colburg]

OK I am trying to do this feed But my question is it is just a supplement to the regular feeding times ? You don't Just feed them this right?
I was amazed to find the ACV with mother at walmart today

This is all you feed. Don't give them a choice(well, you can if you want), but it's not necessary. Mine have had nothing but FF and what they get free ranging for 6 months.

 

[Noncentzter]

Quote:

This is all you feed. Don't give them a choice (well, you can if you want), but it's not necessary. Mine have had nothing but FF and what they get free ranging for 6 months.

X2

 

[paridisefarm2009]

 

[cutechick2010]

Hi cutechick2010! We feed all of our chickens an Organic and/or Non-GMO feed made of whole and cracked grains that we mix ourselves. We are also trying to avoid Soy, so we use alternative beans for protein, such as Lentils, Adzuki Beans, and Garbanzos/Chick Peas. But you can get Organic Soy if you are ok with soy. We get most of our grains from a local Organic Grain processing and sorting facility. We can usually get the splits or smalls/tailings for a cheaper price. We just started using Fermented Feed last summer, and my brother and I raised 64 Cornish broilers from new chicks to processing on ONLY our homemade fermented feed. We just ground the grains a bit smaller when the chicks were little, and added more Organic Fishmeal for extra protein. They grew GREAT, and we had ZERO chick deaths with this batch, which was unheard of in our previous batches!

So to answer your question, YES, it is possible to raise chicks on FF. If you are ok with, and able to get Organic Soybeans, you shouldn't have too much trouble getting a 18%-20% protein feed, though you will probably still have to add a little Fishmeal, and the animal protein is good for them anyway. Of course, fermenting the feed will make the protein more available to the chicks too, so you may not need to worry about having as high of a protein level as you would with dry feed.

Hope this helps a little!

Hi there! Would you happen to know what the protein content is on the fishmeal? This may sound silly, but does it get smelly when you ferment it? Thanks!

 

[NotAFarm]

I was wondering if anyone has raised chicks on fermented whole grains? I am trying to find a way to raise my birds non-GMO start to finish, and of course that means no commercial chick starter. I am worried about the protein levels.

I see you are in Illinois. I belong to a co-op, Azure Standard, and they carry the feed listed below. It $33.45 per 50 lbs delivered to the co-op drop-off. Where are you in Illinois?

Product Description

Corn & Soy Free!
Product of Oregon.
Cascade Feeds has changed our ration. We are dedicated to being Certified Organic and supplying you with the VERY BEST for your flock. Being Certified Organic means never any GMO grains or grains treated with pesticides and or herbicides! There is a shortage of Certified Organic grains in the Midwest (which is where the majority of it is grown) due to the draught, which has made the cost of some of the grains out of our price range to make into feed, (food grade prices). Our feed is formulated by Fretrells, and is nutritionally balanced for your birds health. We use our own flock to test the feed on and before ever sending out to you for quality control, and our girls have done great on the new ration! So, yes our ration looks and smells different, however it is still Quality Certified Organic feed you have come to expect from Cascade Feeds. Thank you for your continued support and understanding.
Ingredients:Organic Wheat, Organic Flax, Organic Peas, Shrimp Meal, Fish Meal, Organic Flax Oil, Dicalcium Phosphate, Dehydrated Seaweed Meal, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Menadione Nicotinamide Bisulfite Complex, Riboflavin Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenic Acid, Niacin Supplement, Choline Chloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Pyridoxine Hydrchloride, Biotin, Manganese Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, , Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Dried fermentation product of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Dried fermentation product of Lactobacillus casei, Dried Fermentation product of Lactobacillus plantarum, Dried fermentation product of Enterococcus faecium, Dried fermentation product of Bacillus coagulans, Dried fermentation product of Bacillus Licheniformis, and Dried fermentation product of Bacillus Subtilis, Dried Asperfillus Niger Fermentation Extract.
FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS: Feed this complete mash feed to poultry one day to 6 weeks of age, Provide plenty of fresh water.
CAUTION: Do not feed to cattle or other ruminants.
Guaranteed Analysis
Nutrient Name Amount
Crude Protein min 19.00%
Lysine min 1.06%
Methionine min 0.36%
Crude Fat min 6.06%
Crude Fiber max 8.04%
Calcium min 2.13%
Calcium max 2.17%
Phosphorus 1.06%
Salt min 0.28%
Salt max 0.35%

 

[Bleenie]

The birds are down to a single gallon today. just doing the mixing and draining I can already tell how much more feed it makes for the birds, it's pretty great!

I brought the "babies" home that my mother has been raising so I will have to up the feed tomorrow. I gave them some of the FF at her place a few days ago and they loved it so I don't forsee much hesitation with them eating it tomorrow, lol.

 

[JoyfulPromise]

Hi there! Would you happen to know what the protein content is on the fishmeal? This may sound silly, but does it get smelly when you ferment it? Thanks!

We get Organic Fishmeal in 50lb bags from a local Feed store, I believe it is the Fertrell brand now, and the protein is about 60%. It is quite expensive, up to about $1.50 per pound where we get it now, but it is worth it since only a little bit, say 3-6% of your feed, raises the protein significantly. We couldn't do soy-free feed without it!

And no, I don't think it is too smelly when fermenting the feed. I mean, yes, the Fishmeal itself has a "fishy" smell obviously, but it is dry, so you don't notice it much except when you are measuring it out. Our fermented feed just smelled nicely fermented, not terrible. There is such a small amount of the Fishmeal in the feed that I don't think it makes much of a difference in the smell overall.

Oh, and by the way, I know prices are different everywhere, but with the cheaper bulk grains that we get at the local organic processor, our total feed ends up costing around $0.35 per pound, or $17.50 for 50lbs. Just to give you an idea.

 

[countrygirl74]

I see you are in Illinois. I belong to a co-op, Azure Standard, and they carry the feed listed below. It $33.45 per 50 lbs delivered to the co-op drop-off. Where are you in Illinois?

Product Description

Corn & Soy Free!
Product of Oregon.
Cascade Feeds has changed our ration. We are dedicated to being Certified Organic and supplying you with the VERY BEST for your flock. Being Certified Organic means never any GMO grains or grains treated with pesticides and or herbicides! There is a shortage of Certified Organic grains in the Midwest (which is where the majority of it is grown) due to the draught, which has made the cost of some of the grains out of our price range to make into feed, (food grade prices). Our feed is formulated by Fretrells, and is nutritionally balanced for your birds health. We use our own flock to test the feed on and before ever sending out to you for quality control, and our girls have done great on the new ration! So, yes our ration looks and smells different, however it is still Quality Certified Organic feed you have come to expect from Cascade Feeds. Thank you for your continued support and understanding.
Ingredients:Organic Wheat, Organic Flax, Organic Peas, Shrimp Meal, Fish Meal, Organic Flax Oil, Dicalcium Phosphate, Dehydrated Seaweed Meal, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Menadione Nicotinamide Bisulfite Complex, Riboflavin Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenic Acid, Niacin Supplement, Choline Chloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Pyridoxine Hydrchloride, Biotin, Manganese Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, , Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Dried fermentation product of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Dried fermentation product of Lactobacillus casei, Dried Fermentation product of Lactobacillus plantarum, Dried fermentation product of Enterococcus faecium, Dried fermentation product of Bacillus coagulans, Dried fermentation product of Bacillus Licheniformis, and Dried fermentation product of Bacillus Subtilis, Dried Asperfillus Niger Fermentation Extract.
FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS: Feed this complete mash feed to poultry one day to 6 weeks of age, Provide plenty of fresh water.
CAUTION: Do not feed to cattle or other ruminants.
Guaranteed Analysis
Nutrient Name Amount
Crude Protein min 19.00%
Lysine min 1.06%
Methionine min 0.36%
Crude Fat min 6.06%
Crude Fiber max 8.04%
Calcium min 2.13%
Calcium max 2.17%
Phosphorus 1.06%
Salt min 0.28%
Salt max 0.35%

This is what we use too!! The mash works great with fermenting - drains well - I love it!

 

[Noncentzter]

Product Description

Corn & Soy Free!
Product of Oregon.
Cascade Feeds has changed our ration.

I'm from Oregon and didn't know anything about this...interesting! Now I'll have to check it out!!

 

[maryhysong]

Has anyone else ever had a case of sour crop in a bird getting FF? I thought the FF full of probiotics would help prevent such a thing? I have a young one almost 10 weeks with a big squishy gassy crop. I'm checking some of the other forums on the issue and will try the suggestions. So far none of the other nearly 30 birds in with him seem to have any issues. I'm not sure, maybe he found something to eat that blocked the crop and he couldn't pass his feed. He has been eating, drinking & pooping just fine though.