Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Triple Willow]

[COLOR=000000]You said it, Bee !  My girls act like they haven't ate anything in a week when I even hint that  heading for the coop. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=000000]Funny story... I've been keeping my FF bucket inside for the past few days because the weather has turned chilly and I want to keep good ferment going.  The bucket is sitting in front of my patio doors and the girls have a bad habit of coming up on the patio these days and stalking me... They stand in front of the doors, peering into the windows and watching me like little creepers; one of my RIR girls noticed the feed bucket and when I walked towards the patio door she charged at it and ran smack right into the window thinking I was gonna bring the feed bucket out to feed them LOL [/COLOR]     I wish you could have seen the look on her face when she relaized she couldn't go through that glass window !

That's funny! LOL

 

[Windy Bay Farm]

That's funny! LOL

Lol they love the FF so much that they're acting like a bunch of crazed, starving wild animals... Creeping me through the windows and everything now lol

 

[Beekissed]

Sorry about the hurting, I know what that is... Velociraptors... yes I like that lol. I've started putting the ACV in the water, even put it in the salad dressing I made for wifey this AM. Goats got it in their water too. I saw on a site that you can take 2-3 tbs of ACV and 1 tsp of baking soda every day to help your insides as well (maybe this site not sure) so I figure if it's good enough for me it sure won't hurt anything else, mmmm wonder if the cockatoo and maccaw could stand it too. The too's poo can get a bit smelly sometimes, if I miss a cleaning day.

Walt

You might also consider fermenting your exotic bird feed as well and not just for that purpose, but the lysine is so very good for them. In the wild they would be eating fermented fruits as a part of their diet, so it can only benefit them in the best of ways.

Your goat is going to see some major benefit from the ACV...it prevents mastitis, it can help them resist parasites, it will help their fur quality for winter months, it can help clarify and sweeten the taste of the meat and milk.

We've found a sip of the mother ACV, even just once a week, can really help with bowel function and your health is only as good as your bowel health, they say.

You said it, Bee ! My girls act like they haven't ate anything in a week when I even hint that heading for the coop.

Funny story... I've been keeping my FF bucket inside for the past few days because the weather has turned chilly and I want to keep good ferment going. The bucket is sitting in front of my patio doors and the girls have a bad habit of coming up on the patio these days and stalking me... They stand in front of the doors, peering into the windows and watching me like little creepers; one of my RIR girls noticed the feed bucket and when I walked towards the patio door she charged at it and ran smack right into the window thinking I was gonna bring the feed bucket out to feed them LOL

I wish you could have seen the look on her face when she relaized she couldn't go through that glass window !

That is hilarious!!! I'll tell you how I fixed that bunch of buzzards waiting by my back door all day long, just waiting for me to feed....I cut their rations in half until they were so hungry they had to go forage instead of camp out for rations. It worked! And they look better than ever because they are out getting more exercise. Molt recovery has been very quick this year as opposed to last year and everyone is looking sleek as we go into the colder months.

 

[foreverlearning]

I almost had a FF FATALITY the other day! I was feeding the youngsters, had the bucket down raking out the ff into the feeder. As you all know it was a feeding frenzy, like great white sharks! I let the handle of the bucket (bail) down and was holding the bucket then I noticed a pullet acting even crazier than they always do. Well I didn't know it but I had her poor neck caught in the bucket like a guillotine choking her! I nearly killed the poor girl! I got her out of it and she just sat there on the ground looking at me all hurt like, "I can't believe you did that to me." I felt awful but she recovered and is fine now, thank goodness. I wanted to give them all a good mom speech - "Now see what happens when you all act like little idiots...somebody gets hurt!!!"

Poor baby! That is a real problem with FF. I am afraid of mine trying to drown in the stuff every time I take the lid off. It's like they are telling us "You don't need to bother filling up that feeder, we'll just eat it from here."

 

[Beekissed]

Yep there are times I see them run over each other for the FF. Put out plain old scratch grains and they just look at it. Bee you have to get nipple waterers, end the dirty water stuff. You can use 5 gallon buckets, soda bottles or go all out and use a 50 gallon drum and pvc pipe. Mine feeds three coops and I have a gutter off the turkey coop to fill it , less work.

I have nipple waterers! But my old layer flock just couldn't learn a new trick when they are accustomed to drinking out of the dog's water...they just all drink out of the same place now. They aren't the ones that dirty the water...it's these new roosters in the pen being held for soup processing. I can't see them learning a nipple bucket when they can't even learn to stop stepping in the water pan and feed pan...they act like they are simply brain damaged.

I could try it and see but I'm doubting they could learn it in the time it took before they are processed.

My layer flock have never fouled their water..they just aren't that stupid, I guess. They politely dip their beaks in, one at a time and they don't approach that water pan at any other time unless they just need a sip of water. These big, ugly oafs in this rooster pen just pace and stomp all over everything, willy nilly. They didn't even know what to do with the grass in the pen, as they have never seen grass...they just stomped all over it and trampled it into a muddy mess. I've only seen one of them trying to scratch and peck the ground...it's weird but they are like something from another planet.

 

[Beekissed]

I almost had a FF FATALITY the other day! I was feeding the youngsters, had the bucket down raking out the ff into the feeder. As you all know it was a feeding frenzy, like great white sharks! I let the handle of the bucket (bail) down and was holding the bucket then I noticed a pullet acting even crazier than they always do. Well I didn't know it but I had her poor neck caught in the bucket like a guillotine choking her! I nearly killed the poor girl! I got her out of it and she just sat there on the ground looking at me all hurt like, "I can't believe you did that to me." I felt awful but she recovered and is fine now, thank goodness. I wanted to give them all a good mom speech - "Now see what happens when you all act like little idiots...somebody gets hurt!!!"

I know that look!!! My cat has that down to a T. He acts like a CX each day when I go out to dump scraps...runs around like crazy, trips me, tries to leap up and grab the bucket and just generally acts like he hasn't had a meal in a month. I've never seen a cat in my life that acts uglier about food...he tries to take it right out of the dog's mouth! Well, he usually gets stepped on in the process of my walking or the swinging bucket cracks him in the head~the fool!~and then he looks at me like "WHY????" and puts his ears back like he just doesn't understand why I won't let him claw the whole bucket out of my hand or trip me as he zig zags in front of my feet. I literally have dumped a whole bucket of garbage on his head because he would not move from the dump site..and it didn't even phase him, he still grabbed the choice bits and ran, growling, to protect his "kill".

Mom and I joke about if one of us ever just up and died in the yard, how quickly we would be consumed.

 

[Demosthine]

I have nipple waterers! But my old layer flock just couldn't learn a new trick when they are accustomed to drinking out of the dog's water...they just all drink out of the same place now. They aren't the ones that dirty the water...it's these new roosters in the pen being held for soup processing. I can't see them learning a nipple bucket when they can't even learn to stop stepping in the water pan and feed pan...they act like they are simply brain damaged.

I could try it and see but I'm doubting they could learn it in the time it took before they are processed.

My layer flock have never fouled their water..they just aren't that stupid, I guess. They politely dip their beaks in, one at a time and they don't approach that water pan at any other time unless they just need a sip of water. These big, ugly oafs in this rooster pen just pace and stomp all over everything, willy nilly. They didn't even know what to do with the grass in the pen, as they have never seen grass...they just stomped all over it and trampled it into a muddy mess. I've only seen one of them trying to scratch and peck the ground...it's weird but they are like something from another planet.

That's the way my turkeys are! They just walk all over everything, including the other chickens. Mine are the broad breasted breed, so I think that old mantra comes in to play... "All breast, no brains..."

 

[Windy Bay Farm]

You might also consider fermenting your exotic bird feed as well and not just for that purpose, but the lysine is so very good for them.  In the wild they would be eating fermented fruits as a part of their diet, so it can only benefit them in the best of ways. 

Your goat is going to see some major benefit from the ACV...it prevents mastitis, it can help them resist parasites, it will help their fur quality for winter months, it can help clarify and sweeten the taste of the meat and milk. 

We've found a sip of the mother ACV, even just once a week, can really help with bowel function and your health is only as good as your bowel health, they say. 


That is hilarious!!!  I'll tell you how I fixed that bunch of buzzards waiting by my back door all day long, just waiting for me to feed....I cut their rations in half until they were so hungry they had to go forage instead of camp out for rations.  It worked!  And they look better than ever because they are out getting more exercise.  Molt recovery has been very quick this year as opposed to last year and everyone is looking sleek as we go into the colder months. 

That's exactly what I started doing ... Rationing their FF so they're forced to go looking for food instead if stalking me for it lol

 

[waltandlori]

I know that look!!! My cat has that down to a T. He acts like a CX each day when I go out to dump scraps...runs around like crazy, trips me, tries to leap up and grab the bucket and just generally acts like he hasn't had a meal in a month. I've never seen a cat in my life that acts uglier about food...he tries to take it right out of the dog's mouth! Well, he usually gets stepped on in the process of my walking or the swinging bucket cracks him in the head~the fool!~and then he looks at me like "WHY????" and puts his ears back like he just doesn't understand why I won't let him claw the whole bucket out of my hand or trip me as he zig zags in front of my feet. I literally have dumped a whole bucket of garbage on his head because he would not move from the dump site..and it didn't even phase him, he still grabbed the choice bits and ran, growling, to protect his "kill".

Mom and I joke about if one of us ever just up and died in the yard, how quickly we would be consumed.

How sadly true lol, all the squad would find are my old tired bleached out bones Oh man that's hilarious!!!!

 

[Triple Willow]

        I know that look!!!  My cat has that down to a T.  He acts like a CX each day when I go out to dump scraps...runs around like crazy, trips me, tries to leap up and grab the bucket and just generally acts like he hasn't had a meal in a month.  I've never seen a cat in my life that acts uglier about food...he tries to take it right out of the dog's mouth!  Well, he usually gets stepped on in the process of my walking or the swinging bucket cracks him in the head~the fool!~and then he looks at me like "WHY????" and puts his ears back like he just doesn't understand why I won't let him claw the whole bucket out of my hand or trip me as he zig zags in front of my feet.  I literally have dumped a whole bucket of garbage on his head because he would not move from the dump site..and it didn't even phase him, he still grabbed the choice bits and ran, growling, to protect his "kill". 

Mom and I joke about if one of us ever just up and died in the yard, how quickly we would be consumed. 

Some days these birds tick me off all crowding around and not letting me even walk, can't even open the dang door for them all crowded up to it!!! lol But... if I let the dog in they scatter. lol Some days I call him over and send him through the door first and they get out of the way for a second. lol We are working on the killing chickens thing. I don't know if he will ever get it or not. He is usually okay in front of me but I know if I wasn't watching the chasing and killing would be on! The other day they were eating and he was standing in the middle of them looking down at them and he ever so quietly and gently reaches down and puts his mouth on one! Ahhhh, dang it dog! I growled something at him and he acted like, "What??? I didn't do nuthin..."