Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Triple Willow]

Problem is... article claims soybean is needed... that is incorrect.
What is needed is some form of animal protein.

True, that part wasn't so "good"! I'm wondering about the alfalfa to get the yolks darker. The part about feeding everything seperate was interesting. Won't work with fermenting though.

We got some eggs from a man a few years ago and those egg yolks were dark orange and so thick they were really sticky. I wonder how he did that.

 

[Triple Willow]

Heavens no! I'm a fan of working smarter and not harder remember.

Just move it, step it in, plug it in, walk away... none of the livestock challenge it. The bottom row is not hot, so grounding out to tall grass is not a problem - and trust me, some of my pastures are waist high right now. Having the correct charger is the key. I use the poultry netting from Kencove... even for the cattle. QED (as my husband likes to say) Quite Easily Done

Sounds good! I have been wondering about the charger they require. I have two here already but I am wondering if they would be too powerful for the net. I plugged one up to some pretty nylon covered wire one time and saw it smoke and sizzle and melt into several pieces before my eyes! LOL I want to go solar too, I need a third charger like I need another hole in my ...clothes! LOL

 

[Robert M]

Sure you weren't getting duck eggs? LOL

 

[Triple Willow]

Sure you weren't getting duck eggs?  LOL 

Anything is possible but I don't think so.

 

[Beekissed]

In my workshop it stays between 75° and 95° in the Summer. In the house, it stays between 60° and 75° in the Winter. Since it doesn't take much room to do this, I can move the process to the house, by the wood stove and/or gas heater, whichever is the closest to the temp I need.

When you say, "cover the grain/feed with water", do you mean to totally immerse the feed and leave it, or soak the feed and drain off the water?

I'm getting back to hatching birds again, after a few years, with a small 4DZ incubator and plan to start with a dozen or so. I used to do about 500 a month when I was on a farm.

The only thing I ever got with "wet feed" was mold. Should I stir in some Montrachet yeast into the water before soaking the feed?

Do I then bottle the water and save it for the next batch?

I make wine, too, so the yeast is no problem. I could also mix a little wine in the gallon of water, if that'll help.

Are there any books, cheap, or at the library, to learn about this method? We are avid readers, although my wife is the one who retains best. If we both read the same thing, we can usually jog each others' memory as necessary.

Bob and Carol

Wet feed is a little different than fermented feed...usually fermenting takes place in a deep receptacle with plenty of water to dampen and moisten the feed. At first the water is over the feed level but it is soon absorbed and doesn't have to remain above the feed level to maintain good fermentation(this is important to note, as it allows you to not have to strain the feed to feed it and can therefore feed it at a convenient consistency...not a soupy one). For your first batch it's probably a good idea to let it remain above the feed line in order to make a good scoby to keep as left overs after you have used your feed....if you use a two bucket system this isn't necessary, as the reservoir will hold your overage on scoby.

No, you don't have to bottle the scoby water...some store extra scoby in a bucket stacked under a bucket that has holes drilled in it like a big sieve, thus always having an abundance of scoby water to mix with fresh water to inoculate the feed with. Some just use one bucket and never fully empty it, but use the tail end of one batch to inoculate the fresh feed and water that is added on top of it and stirred in.

This is the cheapest way to learn about this method...online in forums and blogs. Two years ago when I was trying to learn about it, you couldn't find any info except some studies done in some other countries for commercial poultry businesses but now you can enter one search and find an abundance of articles, blogs, and forum threads with the process.

 

[AletaG]

Problem is... article claims soybean is needed... that is incorrect.
What is needed is some form of animal protein.

Isn't that interesting? I do know there are eggs billed as being from "vegetarian fed" hens. <eye roll> And I'm guessing that's why the soybean. People are so weird. Chickens are NOT vegetarian. And a vegetarian won't eat eggs anyway! (lacto-ovo's and seafood eaters aren't true vegetarian) Oh well. Mine have outside time, but I add a little extra to their food from time to time. Cooked bones with meat on them that I can't feed to my dog, my neighbors crab shells with meaty bits, trout food, picked up some free deep sea tuna carcasses recently - waiting on the freezer to make sure any parasites are dead, then they'll be a protein source come winter. You know, the dregs, the leftovers, they are opportunistic vultures, really. Loveable, but vultures. So when I finally get around to selling my eggs, it will be "farm fed"? "practically fed"? "true to the species fed" hens? What do ya'll do?

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Hi folks! Just weighed my chicks yesterday... They're doing great on the FF! They're 1lb already at two weeks! I thought they'd be a little under, but nope. They're right around 1lb. They love the stuff.

I also wish I had an easier way to feed but building a trough is out of the question right now. No materials to reasonably build it with on hand. Maybe when I finally get out to the hardware store next. I'm using some unused rabbit bowls for feed right now.

 

[AletaG]

Is there freecycle out where you are? We got an entire house worth of old gutters. zip tied them to the hardware cloth. Ta-DA! Love free...

i folks! Just weighed my chicks yesterday... They're doing great on the FF! They're 1lb already at two weeks! I thought they'd be a little under, but nope. They're right around 1lb. They love the stuff.
I also wish I had an easier way to feed but building a trough is out of the question right now. No materials to reasonably build it with on hand. Maybe when I finally get out to the hardware store next. I'm using some unused rabbit bowls for feed right now.

 

[RedRidge]

Quote: Ours is quite strong 9kv... the trick is that depending on the kv you have you need to hook a certain number in sequence to prevent burning them out.

 

[RedRidge]

Quote: Mine are "gmo free, soy free eggs from pastured, free range chickens"