Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[BlueMouse]

So glad to hear it's going good for you!

From what I've read in various places, garlic and dogs do not mix. I don't know about other animals; but...dogs = no no for garlic and onions.

Just the chickens are getting the garlic and cayenne treatment. We do give our dog garlic for flea prevention, but not this time of year. I'm not sure he'd like the cayenne though. He'd probably still at least try it. I've had all kinds of dogs and this blue heeler is worse than a labrador for eating absolutely anything.

thankfully nothing ever seems to disagree with him.

Yay! You could also put a sprinkle of Oregano or Thyme in there as well. They are GREAT health builders/preventives.
Garlic is fine for dogs and chickens. Onions? Not so much. I have always given garlic to my dogs.

I keep reading about the oregano and thyme. I don't have thriving plants of these in the garden (hopfully in a couple years) so I don't want to use them constantly because of the price problem. what would people reccomend? a couple weeks course every few months? add it in once a week? once a month? Same with the pumpkin seeds, I haven't been able to find them for a price that I feel comfortable just adding them to my feed all the time (althogh I would love to, they're so nutritious as well as being a natural wormer) how often would you give them? and at a rate of what? a tsp per pird per day mixed into the ration? Less? More?

 

[JulieNKC]

I've still been giving dry and fermented feed here. I might stop giving the dry food here soon though. Last night when I went to refill feeders my goose ignored the dry feed and came over and started munching the fermented stuff instead. The waterfowl are the main reason I've still been offering dry, so if they are eating the fermented not much reason to feed anything else.

 

[armorfirelady]

I add oregano and garlic when I add more food to my bucket (its almost to bottom of bucket by then). Cayenne pepper about once a month or when I remember. I buy the oregano and basil at bjs in the giant containers and they last at least a month.

My girls had access to pumpkins all winter since I collected them after Halloween and stored them on a pallet with a tarp on them and broke one open once a week or so. But I do get pimpkin seeds from wegmans to add to top of FF or to the homemade lard cakes I make for the girls.

 

[tackleberry]

OK, I am a newbie to the chicken game and I keep seeing the term BOSS as in some sort of seed that is sprouted, What is it?????

 

[Lacy Blues]

Just the chickens are getting the garlic and cayenne treatment. We do give our dog garlic for flea prevention, but not this time of year. I'm not sure he'd like the cayenne though. He'd probably still at least try it. I've had all kinds of dogs and this blue heeler is worse than a labrador for eating absolutely anything.

thankfully nothing ever seems to disagree with him.

I keep reading about the oregano and thyme. I don't have thriving plants of these in the garden (hopfully in a couple years) so I don't want to use them constantly because of the price problem. what would people reccomend? a couple weeks course every few months? add it in once a week? once a month? Same with the pumpkin seeds, I haven't been able to find them for a price that I feel comfortable just adding them to my feed all the time (althogh I would love to, they're so nutritious as well as being a natural wormer) how often would you give them? and at a rate of what? a tsp per pird per day mixed into the ration? Less? More?

I have found both oregano and thyme at the dollar store. Try there, it's WAY better than $6 for a small jar!

I would recommend adding it to the ferment during times of stress and also for about a week at the changing of the seasons.

 

[Lacy Blues]

OK, I am a newbie to the chicken game and I keep seeing the term BOSS as in some sort of seed that is sprouted, What is it?????

black oil sunflower seeds

 

[ash10383]

just fed our first meal of FF (well half dry / half FF) to my layers and a couple of things I didn't expect:
1) all the BOSS floated to the top
2) I noticed it a bit of a smell last night (Monday) when I gave it a stir (started it on Sunday night) and it was even stronger today but it smelled like day old puke, not ACV or kraut like at all. I have fish in my feed (2# out of 50 or 4%) so I'm guessing that's what is causing the odor. I'm going to finish feeding it as I put 2 days worth of feed to ferment and finish out this feed batch dry, luckily I only made a half batch. and make the next batch of feed with out the fish mixed in and just add the fish sprinkled on top just before I take it to them I can't stand to smell that all the time, it really sticks with ya'

the girls seemed to like it as they all crowded around the feeder which is slightly unusual, usually I have 1 or 2 wondering around as I gather eggs and change out the water

Question should the strainer be plastic or is Stainless Steel ok? if SS is ok, do I need to rinse it every day, I don't have any plastic sitting around but several SS that I could spare one

 

[Kilsharion]

just fed our first meal of FF (well half dry / half FF) to my layers and a couple of things I didn't expect:
1) all the BOSS floated to the top
2) I noticed it a bit of a smell last night (Monday) when I gave it a stir (started it on Sunday night) and it was even stronger today but it smelled like day old puke, not ACV or kraut like at all. I have fish in my feed (2# out of 50 or 4%) so I'm guessing that's what is causing the odor. I'm going to finish feeding it as I put 2 days worth of feed to ferment and finish out this feed batch dry, luckily I only made a half batch. and make the next batch of feed with out the fish mixed in and just add the fish sprinkled on top just before I take it to them I can't stand to smell that all the time, it really sticks with ya'

the girls seemed to like it as they all crowded around the feeder which is slightly unusual, usually I have 1 or 2 wondering around as I gather eggs and change out the water

Question should the strainer be plastic or is Stainless Steel ok? if SS is ok, do I need to rinse it every day, I don't have any plastic sitting around but several SS that I could spare one

Yes, the smell is from the fish meal fermenting... I swear the area I keep the FF is permeated with the smell. I could probably stop using FF and still smell it for the next several months.

I found that any feed that has an animal protein in it smells poorly after fermentation has truly set in. **scrunches nose**

I try to avoid metal when I'm fermenting; but, others might be able to supply you with personal experience on how SS reacts to FF.

 

[Lacy Blues]

FF doesn't react to stainless steel. Besides, it won't be in there long enough. I would rinse it daily as the tiny holes can become plugged with dried "hooch."

 

[Bleenie]

I started out using a SS collander to drain the feed, I loved it because it was like mesh and drained fluid quicker. I switched to a larger plastic one though because it fit perfectly in the top of my bucket and was big enough that it held all the feed after it was drained. So I can just dump it out of the collander instead of back into a bucket and carrying it to the coop.