Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[hellbender]

Taking the opportunity to clean chicken houses today and put down new bedding. Even with the old Bobcat, it will take most of today and tomorrow, before poopy weather sets back in!

Have decided, absolutely to continue feeding FF to this year's youngsters. I picked up a couple bags of steam-rolled oats to add to the mixture. I noticed how well the 'pets' loved my left over breakfast for snacks.

Shouldn't be any problem ....should there...Bee, or anyone else??????

Re-filling the DE dust bins.

I also use 3 to 5% DE in their dry rations....That's just about the only worming the new birds join the main flock.

No way to hand worm so many adult birds but use Waz. in the water about twice per year.

RON

 

[beverly evans]

Quote:
You're not supposed to eat them with a fork; they are "finger food", one or two bites. I've got to make some! All this talk has made me hungry!

 

[Beekissed]

Shouldn't be a problem! Was wondering if you use a deep litter system in your houses and runs and just keep it going...sure would take a lot of the work out of so many birds. Where do you get your bedding for that many birds? Do you have to purchase it or do you have a free source?

 

[beverly evans]

Quote:
What did you do, Bee? Were you a nurse for the elderly like me? I worked both in nursing homes and did private duty; ruined my back with obese patients.

 

[TexasLisa]

Nice music but I'm a little confused by it all. What's the big deal with using hot water and not stirring it before feeding it? And, sorry to say, that's not an "easy" way to make FF, it's just the way everyone else is doing it but without all the hot water, excess scooping and repeated stirring needed.

Here's a few vids that will show you an even easier way to make "no strain" FF...and you can also do this in just one bucket. No hot water, no adding feed each day, no straining....just feed, water, bucket and scoop. Easy peasy. No bread cracking?, water in the bottom of the feed at the top so you can't stir it nonsense, no need to avoid stirring it before feeding, no worry about the feed bubbling over the top of the bucket. Sorry...no nice music either...probably would be better if everyone had that pretty music each time they replenished the batch.

ummmmmmm Bee......would you make a video singing to my birds???

Lisa

 

[hellbender]

Shouldn't be a problem! Was wondering if you use a deep litter system in your houses and runs and just keep it going...sure would take a lot of the work out of so many birds. Where do you get your bedding for that many birds? Do you have to purchase it or do you have a free source?

Free source? I wish. I get it from Tractor Supply but I do get a pretty deep discount because I buy 1 ton at a time.

I tried deep bedding a couple times but for some reason it just didn't work out for me. Some reason...BS..I know

what the reason is, or I suspect I know. I have concrete floors. These were used as dairy barns originally but that does

make machine cleaning quit simple. I hire a young buck to cut and dump the bags. The birds do their own spreading, far

than we could and they love the job!!

 

[Beekissed]

What did you do, Bee? Were you a nurse for the elderly like me? I worked both in nursing homes and did private duty; ruined my back with obese patients.

Yeah..I ruined my back on patients as well. I've been a pediatric home health, oncology, vent subacute, geriatric, urgent care, temp, Red Cross, travel and hospice nurse. I guess you could say I've done a little bit of all kinds of nursing along the way.

Lots of lifting on dead weight...sometimes literally, dead weight. I don't know if many people realize that some nurses lift as much and as often as warehouse workers but without the OSHA guy coming along making sure it's all done ergonomically.

 

[Beekissed]

ummmmmmm Bee......would you make a video singing to my birds???

Lisa

You want me killing them softly with my song? Cause that's what would happen...but not so softly.

Cruel and unusual punishment, that.

Free source? I wish. I get it from Tractor Supply but I do get a pretty deep discount because I buy 1 ton at a time.

I tried deep bedding a couple times but for some reason it just didn't work out for me. Some reason...BS..I know

what the reason is, or I suspect I know. I have concrete floors. These were used as dairy barns originally but that does

make machine cleaning quit simple. I hire a young buck to cut and dump the bags. The birds do their own spreading, far

than we could and they love the job!!

You need to talk to the Asplundh guys and see if they will dump on your land! Another person to talk to is the lawn service guys that rake up leaves and then have to pay to dump them off at the landfills. Free is good! They do all the work and you get the benefits...and the bags they use are the BEST! I reused them for my own trash needs because I can't afford to buy bags that nice...freecycle!

Maybe it didn't work due to ventilation? That's the usual reason for deep litter to not work out.

 

[Shellz]

I've modified the hot water method for my own needs. I had to use hot water initially to get it going because the basement is so cold. After several days to get it going, I just replenish it daily. I don't want to run out & have to wait a few more days to get another batch going. I only have the one food grade bucket. I add a scoop of feed & some water & stir. I don't need a whole bucket of feed, so its easy to stir with just a long wooden spoon. When its time to feed, its easy to just grab a scoop & pour into their feeder. Does this make sense?

Not a big fan of the music either. To each his/her own.

 

[Beekissed]

I've modified the hot water method for my own needs. I had to use hot water initially to get it going because the basement is so cold. After several days to get it going, I just replenish it daily. I don't want to run out & have to wait a few more days to get another batch going. I only have the one food grade bucket. I add a scoop of feed & some water & stir. I don't need a whole bucket of feed, so its easy to stir with just a long wooden spoon. When its time to feed, its easy to just grab a scoop & pour into their feeder. Does this make sense?

Not a big fan of the music either.

To each his/her own.

I liked that song!

That makes plenty of sense to me!