Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[bbdal]

Does anyone mix their own recipe to feement they'd like to share? Thanks!

 

[colburg]

Does anyone mix their own recipe to feement they'd like to share? Thanks!

2 scoops layer pellets
1/2 scoop alfalfa pellets
1/2 scoop 20% sweet feed
3 scoops scratch grains
crushed egg shells

The alfalfa and sweet feed help make up for the lost protien of the scratch grains. The egg shells from every egg we eat goes into the mix to help with the calcuim. We noticed we were getting thinner shells recently. The mix above, without the egg shells, gives them a little less than half the calcium they would have been getting. There has been a noticable increase in the egg shell thickness since mixing the shells into the feed.

The alfalfa, sweet feed, and scratch grains all cost about $5 less per bag than the layer pallets at local feed prices. Recently, however, I found a feed mill in Lubbock Tx that has layer pellets for a really great price.
TSC price is $16/bag with no bulk discount no matter how much you buy.
Feed mill is $13/bag if you buy less than 10 bags.
$12/bag if you buy more than 10.
$11.50/bag if you buy a ton or more.

The feed mill pellets are also 20% protien vs 16% protien of most other layer pellets.

Gotta love local.

 

[ocap]

started my ff this morning, chicks are "in the mail"

 

[wahmommy]

Hi, sorry but I don't have time to wade through all the posts on this thread today (although I have started reading them!) I have a jar of quinoa that is several years old (me and DH apparently don't like quinoa) but about six months ago it got pantry months in it and so I put the whole jar into the freezer for several weeks to get rid of the moths and any eggs. So my question is, I've started fermenting feed a couple of days ago, and the hens love it- but I've only used grower/starter with some raw pepitas thrown in (I'm going to switch to layer as soon as we finish this feed- all the hens finally started laying this week so I only have layers now). Can I throw in the quinoa too? Including dead moths and I assume (dead) eggs? I believe the cold killed them and chickens eat bugs anyway right?

 

[bbdal]

I apologize that I keep having questions that are probably common sense to most of you. But, I have come up with a recipe that I will adjust for pigs and chickens and then add in the appropriate supplements. For my protein portion, it will have fish meal (62% protein) flax seed whole (37% protein), peas/beans (25% protein). In a generic ratio, it comes out to be about 35% protein. I was planning on sprouting the peas and beans, maybe a small portion of boss in there too. For my carbohydrate portion, I am going to use a mixture of milo, oats, and wheat. Should I ferment only the milo, oats, wheat, and flax and then mix with the sprouts, fish meal and other things like calcium, grit, and vitamins upon feeding? Is there a reason to ferment the peas/beans instead of sprouting? Finally, my main question is if protein and nutrient availability increase so much with sprouting and fermenting, how do I know how much of each to include in recipe exactly? I don't want to over/under feed on the protein. Also, since when sprouting your yield can be 4 times what you started with, how do you measure what to feed to them since nutrition changes so much with sprouting? Do you measure out pre-sprouting what they should receive and then give them ALL of the sprouts? That seems like it would be too much protein. Thanks again!

 

[SeattleLeah]

I have a question about fermenting feed with Pea as the main ingredient.

Ive been fermenting crumble for a while with great success. My Co-op got a new brand of soy free non GMO feed at a decent price so I gave it a try. The main ingredient is Pea and its in pellets. When I mixed it with water it took a while for the pellets to break up which I expected but then it became a firm cement goo paste. no matter how much water I add its really just sticky. The chickens dont seem too interested in it but that could also be due to a brand change.

So have other people had success with a pea based feed?

thanks!

 

[SeattleLeah]

Hi, sorry but I don't have time to wade through all the posts on this thread today (although I have started reading them!) I have a jar of quinoa that is several years old (me and DH apparently don't like quinoa) but about six months ago it got pantry months in it and so I put the whole jar into the freezer for several weeks to get rid of the moths and any eggs. So my question is, I've started fermenting feed a couple of days ago, and the hens love it- but I've only used grower/starter with some raw pepitas thrown in (I'm going to switch to layer as soon as we finish this feed- all the hens finally started laying this week so I only have layers now). Can I throw in the quinoa too? Including dead moths and I assume (dead) eggs? I believe the cold killed them and chickens eat bugs anyway right?

If I were you I would go ahead and throw them in.

 

[Bmmjz Chicks]

What are you putting your fermented into to feed to your chickens? If I put it in a small bucket on the ground they will walk in it and tip it over and today I put it in a standard hanging circular feeder with holes all around similar to the picture below. The problem with the feeder is the food in the center hardened and didn't get out to the sides where the chickens can reach it.

 

[NotAFarm]

Don't use galvanized metal with your fermented feed. The acid and metal make a toxic mix.

The long, narrow chick feeder with the top that has holes for their heads works good for chicks.

 

[countrygirl74]

What are you putting your fermented into to feed to your chickens? If I put it in a small bucket on the ground they will walk in it and tip it over and today I put it in a standard hanging circular feeder with holes all around similar to the picture below. The problem with the feeder is the food in the center hardened and didn't get out to the sides where the chickens can reach it.

When they are little, I use glass bowls (or tupperware bowls) with lids. I cut areas out of the lids that were big enough for them to get food but not step into, etc. My older girls just get a big glass bowl. With the little dishes with lids, I still would have to stir up once in a while but I liked that they wouldn't get too messy.