Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Erin~TheChickenLover]

After reading through some of this thread, I decided to try fermenting feed for my layers. It took several days but now the feed smells nice and sweet and well fermented. I used yogurt, apple cider vinegar, and layer feed in an old ice cream bucket. I'm excited to try feeding it to the chickens tomorrow. Great thread guys

 

[Triple Willow]

After reading through some of this thread, I decided to try fermenting feed for my layers. It took several days but now the feed smells nice and sweet and well fermented. I used yogurt, apple cider vinegar, and layer feed in an old ice cream bucket. I'm excited to try feeding it to the chickens tomorrow. Great thread guys

Hi Erin. Your chickens will love the ff. At first they might nibble at it like "what the heck is this mess?" then once they get a good taste it's over! They will start trying to take you down for it. LOL I used buttermilk in mine. Do you put the all natural unpasteurized apple cider vinegar in their water? I try to remember to always do that. It's 1 tablespoon/gallon of water. Good luck to you.

 

[Nutcase]

Hi Erin.

Your chickens will love the ff. At first they might nibble at it like "what the heck is this mess?" then once they get a good taste it's over! They will start trying to take you down for it. LOL I used buttermilk in mine. Do you put the all natural unpasteurized apple cider vinegar in their water? I try to remember to always do that. It's 1 tablespoon/gallon of water. Good luck to you.

LoL, my hens were the same!

 

[wlhtx]

Our birds free range all day and their pen is across the pasture from our house, so we usually ride our four-wheeler over to them at feeding time. They now associate the sound of the motor with food. It always reminds me of Jurassic Park when they start chasing us back to the pen. Seriously, like a herd of velociraptors chasing after dinner.

 

[RedRidge]

Our birds free range all day and their pen is across the pasture from our house, so we usually ride our four-wheeler over to them at feeding time. They now associate the sound of the motor with food. It always reminds me of Jurassic Park when they start chasing us back to the pen. Seriously, like a herd of velociraptors chasing after dinner.

We have a lot of acreage... all of our livestock believe that our UTV is actually a PEZ dispenser.

 

[Triple Willow]

LoL, my hens were the same!

It's crazy how they get hooked on it huh? lol

 

[Triple Willow]

Our birds free range all day and their pen is across the pasture from our house, so we usually ride our four-wheeler over to them at feeding time. They now associate the sound of the motor with food. It always reminds me of Jurassic Park when they start chasing us back to the pen. Seriously, like a herd of velociraptors chasing after dinner.

I know what you mean. I use a lawn mower with a cart pulled behind it to do my feeding most of the time. When they are crawling all over it they remind me of a NASCAR pit crew. LOL I rode my four wheeler down there a day or two ago and they all freaked because they are not as use to it. Silly birds!

Chickens sure are strange. I guess they are smarter than I give them credit for. I was gone for a couple days and got my nephew to take care of everything arould the house. When he went to feed the rooster with the pullets at the time acted like it was going to attack him - I guess because it didn't know him because none of them ever did that with me. He kind of hated to tell me that he gave it a little kick. I said good that was what you were supposed to do! lol But at the same time I was proud of the rooster for being on guard, a little misguided but still on guard. lol

 

[CrunchyMeatEatr]

Hello all, I just started using FF a week or so ago, all my chickens and two ducks love it. I am using a mash from a local mill, I don't know what is in it but was told it was formulated for hogs an chickens an plan to get a little better description when I go back to buy more. I am using bees two bucket method and the main question I have that I have not seen an answer to although I'm sure it's buried in the 600+ pages of posts is how long before I need to replace the fluid entirely or do I even need to? I have been adding new water an feed as needed for the last week and the last two times I have taken the fluid from the bottom bucket and dumped it back over the grain in the top bucket so that all the nutrients that have settled to the bottom will go back into the feed.

 

[Beekissed]

You never replace the fluid..that's the scoby. You can, however, check your bottom reservoir once or twice a year to remove some of the flour residue that builds up in the reservoir and takes up too much space..just dump it out for the chickens as they LOVE it, but keep your fluid and put it back into your reservoir.


You don't have to take the buckets apart to get those nutrients into your mix..as you add fresh water it mixes with the scoby in the reservoir and rises into the fresh feed...no straining or dumping needed. That fluid is fully inoculated with the necessary bacilli.

 

[CrunchyMeatEatr]

Great, thanks. Almost done with the new feed troughs for the FF then I'll have to decide what the next project is, probably deep litter ffor the coup