Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Beekissed]

OS doesn't affect the taste of the eggs and I'm sure bone meal would work just as well.

 

[Demosthine]

Does oyster shell affect the taste of the eggs and are there any calcium supplement alternatives? Would bone meal work?

You can reuse your egg shells. Just leave them in a bucket for a few days and then crush them to your desired consistency. You can also give them crushed limestone, but it can NOT be dolomitic. They use dolomitic limestone in fertilizer and it is poisonous. I find the egg shells to be cheapest and easiest.

 

[Nutcase]

You can reuse your egg shells. Just leave them in a bucket for a few days and then crush them to your desired consistency. You can also give them crushed limestone, but it can NOT be dolomitic. They use dolomitic limestone in fertilizer and it is poisonous. I find the egg shells to be cheapest and easiest.

Egg shells are definitely the easier option. As soon as we eat the eggs the shells are crushed and go straight back to the hens.

 

[mlowen]

I built a frame and put a piece of vinyl gutter into it with end caps on. It works for the FF and dry feed, I don't have any pics though sorry. The only problem with my setup is I have one or two that like to roost on the edge of the frame. So you can guess what needs to be done before feeding time....

My feeder is a wallpaper trough in a scrap 2x4 frame. Same basic idea as yours. I put up little boards on the ends and stapled a chain across the top. It's not tight or stable enough for them to stand on, so no good way to "direct" the poop into the feed trough. It also discourages them walking across it.

 

[3 NH reds]

Many people don't use the vinegar to jump start and they all end up with the exact same mix in the end...pickly smelling. Whether you add vinegar or not, if it is exposed to the air it will draw wild vinegar bacilli from the air anyway. Something that has fermented usually taste pretty much the same...sour...like vinegar.

That is my summer plan. All open with whatever comes in, it sure brews quickly. Bee I decided to go back to the deep liter idea because all the floors ae dirty and hard to clean. Found out how well my solar electric fence works when I hit it bringing a wheelbarrow in to take some old stuff out

 

[Sore Thumb Suburbanite]

I like the wallpaper trough idea....I used to feed my ducks in a Pvc gutter and I didn't like the food getting caught up in the crevices of the caps...chickens might be a little better about that though. So I'll. He getting that trough this week since my feeder is definately not efficient anymore.

I have given my ducks eggshell a lot before. They love it. I rinse the shells and then put them in my oven warmer to dry out in a few days then crush them and serve. So I'll be going this route. I may get lime too if I don't have enough...but I like the idea of recycling. I don't like shellfish for anything other than pearls...

 

[Beekissed]

That is my summer plan. All open with whatever comes in, it sure brews quickly. Bee I decided to go back to the deep liter idea because all the floors ae dirty and hard to clean. Found out how well my solar electric fence works when I hit it bringing a wheelbarrow in to take some old stuff out

Sorry....been there, done that. It's still funny! Not so funny when old Jake accidentally touched it with his muzzle...he screamed like a wild cat and wouldn't come near the fence. Ever again.

Can't beat that deep litter, can ya? I haven't seen a fly for 2 years with the FF and deep litter..even when raising meaties and in the hottest part of the year. Even the poop in the yard is attracting no flies...the ol' Bat and I are seriously loving that aspect of this husbandry regime. No smell, no flies...bliss!

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Just decided to try out some FF. It smells a lot stronger than I was expecting, but maybe that's because of the chicken feed ingredients. I was expecting something closer to a sourdough starter smell, and this is NOT that. Still, it bubbles a fair bit and the chicks chow it down!

I'm feeding this to CX chicks. They're about a week old now, huge, and their poops are solid like normal chicken poops. The first three days I fed normal food and they were runny and almost all liquid, some were just undigested food in liquid. No more! I can't help but feel they're healthier for it!

What is the biggest downside to using metal with the FF? What exactly is the negative chemical reaction? I have a glass bowl for the FF right now since the amount I'm feeding is small yet, but a wire sieve is the best option I have for straining. It seems to be coming out OK thus far, but I'm wondering what the concern is?

 

[BlueMouse]

because the FF is so acidic it will literally EAT metals. Stainless steel is ok. If you're storing it in most any kind of metal container not only does it dissolve the container, but as a byproduct of the acids dissolving the container, the metals leach out into the food. Then can then lead to metal poisoning for the chickens, and possibly for you if you're going to be eating those chickens. so, storing in metal is a bad idea. However I use a stainless steel slotted spoon for serving up mine, and that's not a problem, especially since it's not sitting in the mix. Some other people have used sieves for theirs as well. They found that the cheapo ones started to rust and degrade fairly quickly unless rinsed immediately after usage, if I remember correctly. If you could find a stainless steel one at maybe a resteraunt supply or cooking shop it would last much longer I would think. I might still give it a rinse after using.

 

[B J Hopkins]

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.

That is so funny! My DH & myself say the exact same thing, even when it's NOT feeding time!