Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[silkiemomma42]

Very exciting!

 

[MsMickeyMom]

Has anyone had trouble with mold? I've been feeding FF to my chicks (now 6wks) for at least 2 weeks and they love it. But now I noticed mold on the sides of the bucket. Should I throw it away and start over? I hate to do that but I don't want my chicks to get sick.

 

[Kilsharion]

Has anyone had trouble with mold? I've been feeding FF to my chicks (now 6wks) for at least 2 weeks and they love it. But now I noticed mold on the sides of the bucket. Should I throw it away and start over? I hate to do that but I don't want my chicks to get sick.

You shouldn't have mold on your fermentation. Personally, I'd clean it out and start over. But, I'd use the feed in the bucket first. You should be fine so long as it's not in the fermentation. I'd just clean it after you do your feeding to help make sure it doesn't contaminate the food.

 

[bbsnooks]

Hello MMM..
I would take a paper towel.. and wipe off mold and then use the rest..
it 's more than likely it Ok for your chicks.. to eat what is in there .. I agree with Kilsharion

Has anyone had trouble with mold? I've been feeding FF to my chicks (now 6wks) for at least 2 weeks and they love it. But now I noticed mold on the sides of the bucket. Should I throw it away and start over? I hate to do that but I don't want my chicks to get sick.

I do want to let every one know that I do still have chlorine in my water..
It may be good to check.. your local water treatment center's information
I googled mine as i'm making Lab's and decided to double check.. and found this.. below


KANSAS MONITORING WAIVERS AND USE WAIVERS ( from 2012 annual report)
State-wide waivers are issued by KDHE for all contaminants that are
either not naturally found in Kansas source water or, due to the
Kansas requirement for all systems to disinfect, are already
determined to be using the best available treatment (BAT) for the
contaminant.
Under K.A.R. 28-15-19, all public water supply systems are required
to maintain a chlorine residual of 0.2 mg/l free chlorine or 1.0 mg/l
combined chlorine in treated water supplied to all consumers.

.I keep reading.. ( especially with growing microbes ) that Chlorine is a concern.

I had also heard from 2 different local folks that they add to the system on Tuesday's.. and that amounts in the water could be higher on those day's.
it may be worth checking to see whether its in your water or not..


Thanks kilsharon.. for letting us know the alternative.. in your area.. Do you think it is "better" environmentally than the chlorine?

 

[hillfloweranch]

So I decided to pour a small batch into my tea jar..so I could see whats going on in there...and the black oil sunflower seeds still won't settle, will wait and see what happens...but for now this is
DAY 1 of FF consisting of:
flat rolled oats
black oil sunflower seeds
scratch
ground flax seed
turkey grow crumbles
lay pellets
Mixed w/water and 1/2 bottle unsweetened kefir from walmart

 

[Kilsharion]

So I decided to pour a small batch into my tea jar..so I could see whats going on in there...and the black oil sunflower seeds still won't settle, will wait and see what happens...but for now this is
DAY 1 of FF consisting of:
flat rolled oats
black oil sunflower seeds
scratch
ground flax seed
turkey grow crumbles
lay pellets
Mixed w/water and 1/2 bottle unsweetened kefir from walmart

The BOSS will always float. Just accept it as the way things are

If you absolutely want them to be under the hooch, you're going to have to put them in a bag with a weight. I just don't worry about it for the most part.

 

[Kilsharion]

Hello MMM..
I would take a paper towel.. and wipe off mold and then use the rest..
it 's more than likely it Ok for your chicks.. to eat what is in there .. I agree with Kilsharion

I do want to let every one know that I do still have chlorine in my water..
It may be good to check.. your local water treatment center's information
I googled mine as i'm making Lab's and decided to double check.. and found this.. below


KANSAS MONITORING WAIVERS AND USE WAIVERS ( from 2012 annual report)
State-wide waivers are issued by KDHE for all contaminants that are
either not naturally found in Kansas source water or, due to the
Kansas requirement for all systems to disinfect, are already
determined to be using the best available treatment (BAT) for the
contaminant.
Under K.A.R. 28-15-19, all public water supply systems are required
to maintain a chlorine residual of 0.2 mg/l free chlorine or 1.0 mg/l
combined chlorine in treated water supplied to all consumers.

.I keep reading.. ( especially with growing microbes ) that Chlorine is a concern.

I had also heard from 2 different local folks that they add to the system on Tuesday's.. and that amounts in the water could be higher on those day's.
it may be worth checking to see whether its in your water or not..


Thanks kilsharon.. for letting us know the alternative.. in your area.. Do you think it is "better" environmentally than the chlorine?

What Chloramine? I don't think it's better at all. The fact that it's slowly replacing chlorine since it is more stable just means that you have to be aware and check out your local treatment facilities so you know how to address your water since the removal process is slightly different between the two.

I have three types of water (well, four types) on my property....city water (house), well water (irrigation and animals), rain water (when we actually have rain), river water (when it's not so low as to be a sludgy mess). When I do my fermentation I use mostly well water, since it tests so pure (though very hard due to our limestone substrata).

In our area, there are two providers for water (we live right on the edge of each provider's area). One of them uses chlorine, the other uses chloramine. Also, the levels vary depending on where you are, which is why it's always a good idea to get a report from your local provider to ensure that you know exactly what it is you have. You can't assume "water's water"...a shame, IMO; but, it's the reality of living in today's environment

Chlorine is really only a concern in fermentation if it's retarding the growth of your bacteria/yeast colonies. Most city waters are not so heavily inoculated with chlorine as to be a problem...and, chlorine is lovely in that it evaporates off after a while and/or charcoal filters will remove most of it. Chloramine on the other hand, sticks around for forever unless it's addressed by boiling, chemical removal, etc.

 

[hillfloweranch]

The BOSS will always float. Just accept it as the way things are

If you absolutely want them to be under the hooch, you're going to have to put them in a bag with a weight. I just don't worry about it for the most part.

oh well...ok..wasn't sure if I was supposed to grind em up to get them to mix in but extra work not on my agenda..

so I can deal with them floaters!
Can I add I vegetables to the mix as it ferments or do you need to add those at the beginning?

 

[Kilsharion]

oh well...ok..wasn't sure if I was supposed to grind em up to get them to mix in but extra work not on my agenda..

so I can deal with them floaters!
Can I add I vegetables to the mix as it ferments or do you need to add those at the beginning?

I add stuff all the time. Others may have a differing opinion, though

 

[tallgrass]

Beekissed. Thank you for this threads information. Could you touch on fermenting pumpkins for chicken feed. Do you have to cut them up etc? Thanks if you can.Thanks anyway if you can't.