Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Triple Willow]

you will get more as time goes on. Seems I'm getting 1 every other day the first week of 1 of my RSL laying.

I hope so. I'm tired of egg shopping. We eat a lot of eggs! I'm over due for a good omlet.

 

[Costa Rica Art]

I hope so. I'm tired of egg shopping. We eat a lot of eggs! I'm over due for a good omlet.

When you get those very large eggs with the huge rich reddish orange yokes you will be so happy and proud you gave them FF. Just look at the size of this egg coming from a barnyard hen (well that is what I call a hen from an egg hatched by one of our whoknowswhat hens and our ol' yard rooster). Ain't it great! That pullet egg isn't too shabby either. . . . .

 

[Triple Willow]

[COLOR=0000CD]When you get those very large eggs with the huge rich reddish orange yokes you will be so happy and proud you gave them FF. Just look at the size of this egg coming from a barnyard hen (well that is what I call a hen from an egg hatched by one of our whoknowswhat hens and our ol' yard rooster). Ain't it great! That pullet egg isn't too shabby either. . . . .

[/COLOR] [COLOR=0000CD] [/COLOR] [COLOR=0000CD] [/COLOR]

Nice eggs! You are right, they love the ff! The little hussies have been kind of crabby lately because I haven't been letting them out to free range. (I've got some dog issues to deal with before they can go out again.) They stand at the door and try to come out when I go in then they peck at me if I don't get the ff served fast enough... geez! lol I can't wait to try these ff pullet eggs. I'm saving them up for a meal... instead of a snack! LOL Thanks for the pic - gives me something to look forward to. I wonder if mutt chickens are healthier like mutt dogs seem to be? I don't doubt it. Your "whoknowswhat hen" is doing a great job!

 

[BlueMouse]

thought you guys might enjoy this short video of the daily stampede for the FF. Everyone at my house recognizes that fermented feed bucket! Even the skittish guineas will follow me to the ends of the earth for it. Don't even get me started on the turkeys. You would think they were starving to death the way they act. Actually there was less tripping over the chickens here than normally goes on. And you missed out on them trying to jump into the feed bucket.... always with the trying to jump into the feed bucket. My birds are all on FF and I can't say enough about how great it is. even where the meat bird tractors have been, there is almost no smell or flies.

as an aside, you know that lone zucchini that you miss while you're harvesting and find later? the one that's approximately the size of a small child? found a great use for those. Grate them up and stir into ferment bucket. since it's in the curbacita family the innards are a nice natural worming agent, and the rest of it's plenty healthy fermented too

 

[RoseMarie1]

LOL The oldest I have are 19-20 weeks old. We haven't had chickens for many years, but do now.

OHHHH ok now I see.

 

[RoseMarie1]

The key to any coop in regards to deep litter and ventilation is the convection..the flow of air up and out the top of the coop. With that much ventilation, you have no worries...just provide plenty of roosting options and let them figure it out. That tin won't hold much heat at night and as it lets off heat, it rises up and out of the coop and it will pull fresh air in and upwards towards the birds from down below.

Thank you again Bee. Got another question for you. Going to start them on the layer feed and will probably go get it tomorrow. http://www.waremilling.net/POULTRY_FEED_s/53.htm This is the brand I am using because I do not like Purina brand. I noticed all they have in the layer is pellets and the crumbles so I will just get the crumbles. It's 16% protein so is that enough protein? I guess I will just ferment this and not add anything to it or do you have some suggestions? Would probably be easier just to do the crumbles and let that be it huh?

 

[RoseMarie1]

How many roosts do you have? You could remove the one/s closest to the heat source.

I have 4-5 roost so I could take the top one off. We have it to where it will pivot so when I do the deep litter I could put the one I took off at the bottom. I told hubby we'd have to lift it up and sit it up on something since the bottom roost right now would be really close to the floor with the DLM. We have the roost about 1 1/2 foot apart and some of them are facing forward on each roost and some are backwards. UGH so I'm wondering if the ones below them are getting pooped on since they're turned backwards! I was out there earlier shutting their back gate that goes out to the run and saw one over another one poop and it missed the one below but don't know how. lol NONE of them want to be on that bottom roost! When I get rid of some of these roosters they will have more space since I have 38 chicks. I will only be keeping 2 roos out of 7 on the RIR and there are that many plus on the BA's and only intend on keeping 2 out of those.

 

[Triple Willow]

thought you guys might enjoy this short video of the daily stampede for the FF. Everyone at my house recognizes that fermented feed bucket! Even the skittish guineas will follow me to the ends of the earth for it. Don't even get me started on the turkeys. You would think they were starving to death the way they act. Actually there was less tripping over the chickens here than normally goes on. And you missed out on them trying to jump into the feed bucket.... always with the trying to jump into the feed bucket. My birds are all on FF and I can't say enough about how great it is. even where the meat bird tractors have been, there is almost no smell or flies. as an aside, you know that lone zucchini that you miss while you're harvesting and find later? the one that's approximately the size of a small child? found a great use for those. Grate them up and stir into ferment bucket. since it's in the curbacita family the innards are a nice natural worming agent, and the rest of it's plenty healthy fermented too

Thanks for the video. That cute little baby sure is enjoying the swing! I notice you have a Blue Heeler. I take it that it is okay with your poultry? Somebody told me they were good to protect chickens. That surprises me considering they are a herding dog. Did it seem to come natural to your dog or did it take a lot of training? Thanks

 

[RoseMarie1]

You could spray your tin roof down in the evening with a thumb on the end of your water hose.

Or you could mount a sprinkler on your roof and turn it on early evenings. It will cool things down quite a bit.

That's what I have been doing but it's so high up I have to get on the ladder every time. Good idea on the sprinkler though. The mosquitoes are so bad here that I thought the dampness might draw more of the crazy things.

 

[Triple Willow]

That's what I have been doing but it's so high up I have to get on the ladder every time. Good idea on the sprinkler though. The mosquitoes are so bad here that I thought the dampness might draw more of the crazy things.  

You might want to try some "Dunks".

http://images.lowes.com/product/converted/018506/018506001100lg.jpg