Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Lacy Blues]

Me too, exactly. lol I still haven't figured out what that bush is. I want to know if I can make a pie out of those berries! lol

TW, don't you have any neighbors that have been around FOREVER? They would probably know what it is and if it can be used.

 

[Beekissed]

How do I do this without the doe's destroying me?
Can rabbit feed be fermented like the chicken feed?
I do see a few potential issues with it, just curious.

I wouldn't FF their feed as they have specialized bowels that ferment it for them and they also re-eat some of their pellets to further digest the matter there. I would add mother ACV to the water...it really seems to add to overall health and immune system function.

Unlike Hellbender, I've given veggie scraps and grass clippings to my rabbits without any difficulty at all...no death...nothing detrimental to the health at all. My rabbits all seemed to be particularly healthy and no unexplained deaths of any rabbits that weren't kits that had just been born and had failure to thrive, but not many of those. Any sudden change in diet can cause some temporary diarrhea, so go low and slow on feed changes.

There are people who are successfully raising rabbits on a more natural diet than formulated feeds, so I know it can be done. I'd like to try alternative feed myself if I get back into rabbits, without such a dependence on formulated feeds. Mineral wheels can be provided and even loose mineral mixes can be used to balance nutrition. I think it's worth a shot to explore different avenues than accepted nutritional guidelines on a bag. That's the whole nature of this thread, actually...that thinking out of the box of what is accepted wisdom to try and get a better feed option, a cheaper feed option. Most of my chicken's dietary intake is out on the meadow and I'd like to glean such things for the rabbits, as well as putting them on pasture in a tractor. It's fun to experiment on these things to see how closely you can get the animals to a more natural diet.

Hey, folks....it's snowing cats and dogs here and it's very pretty!

Mounting up very quickly so the power may go out today due to heavy snows on top of soaking wet soils...causes trees to uproot onto power lines here. Everyone out in this deluge of snow, be careful, slow down, gear down, keep your foot off that brake!

 

[Beekissed]

Me too, exactly. lol I still haven't figured out what that bush is. I want to know if I can make a pie out of those berries! lol

Call your county extension agent or take a sample of the branches and berries into their office and they may be able to identify it for you. That's the safe and rational way to do that. Me...I'd just eat a few of them and see what happens.

If the birds aren't eating them, it's a good chance it's because they aren't edible but it's always worth a shot just to see.

 

[hellbender]

I wouldn't FF their feed as they have specialized bowels that ferment it for them and they also re-eat some of their pellets to further digest the matter there. I would add mother ACV to the water...it really seems to add to overall health and immune system function.

Unlike Hellbender, I've given veggie scraps and grass clippings to my rabbits without any difficulty at all...no death...nothing detrimental to the health at all. My rabbits all seemed to be particularly healthy and no unexplained deaths of any rabbits that weren't kits that had just been born and had failure to thrive, but not many of those. Any sudden change in diet can cause some temporary diarrhea, so go low and slow on feed changes.

There are people who are successfully raising rabbits on a more natural diet than formulated feeds, so I know it can be done. I'd like to try alternative feed myself if I get back into rabbits, without such a dependence on formulated feeds. Mineral wheels can be provided and even loose mineral mixes can be used to balance nutrition. I think it's worth a shot to explore different avenues than accepted nutritional guidelines on a bag. That's the whole nature of this thread, actually...that thinking out of the box of what is accepted wisdom to try and get a better feed option, a cheaper feed option. Most of my chicken's dietary intake is out on the meadow and I'd like to glean such things for the rabbits, as well as putting them on pasture in a tractor. It's fun to experiment on these things to see how closely you can get the animals to a more natural diet.

Hey, folks....it's snowing cats and dogs here and it's very pretty!

Mounting up very quickly so the power may go out today due to heavy snows on top of soaking wet soils...causes trees to uproot onto power lines here. Everyone out in this deluge of snow, be careful, slow down, gear down, keep your foot off that brake!

When a trio of FW's (core of my breeding program) can cost $ 400.00....I take no chances. lol Cheaper feed can easily cost so much more in the end. JMHO

 

[Beekissed]

When a trio of FW's (core of my breeding program) can cost $ 400.00....I take no chances. lol Cheaper feed can easily cost so much more in the end. JMHO

I'm sure that is a consideration for folks who can afford that amount of money for breed stock . Then there are those that know that meat rabbits still taste like meat rabbits when you pay $15-$20 per breeding animal...or even obtain them for free. Folks that invest that much money in breed stock are probably less willing to take chances and experiment on feed methods but most of us are not those kind of folks.

I eat cheap and try to live cheap, so pedigrees don't exactly put food in the cupboard.

I'm currently cooking a pot of homemade chicken soup that is more flavorful than any I've ever tasted in my life and it has $1 roosters in it that were fed on fermented layer ration at $10.49 a 50# bag. I guarantee it will taste just as good or better than those birds that were bought for far more money and fed on far more expensive feeds.

I'm not much into paying too much for animals that will turn into food nor am I into paying a lot for expensive feeds when they can easily eat much cheaper rations and develop the same amount of meat. JMHO

 

[Beekissed]

Not surprisingly I found a thread on feeding more natural feeds on our sister site, BYHs and also a great thread on feeding all natural, including fermented feeds, on another forum for rabbits:

http://rabbittalk.com/natural-feeding-for-rabbits-f11.html

http://rabbittalk.com/fermented-foods-okay-for-rabbits-t11124.html

http://www.backyardherds.com/threads/alternative-rabbit-food.21346/page-2

One person pointed out that Mannapro rabbit feed has several ferment sourced probios listed on the ingredients, so you are not too far off in asking about FF for rabbits! Who knew? Now we know!

I love it when folks ask these kinds of questions and we find out something new.

I'll be giving these threads a good read and also researching the dietary habits of wild rabbits in my own state. Wild rabbits are hardy and produce healthy litters without the use of formulated feeds, so if we can provide a natural diet and then augment it some with more minerals they should produce well also and stay just as healthy. Of course, with any kind of program towards improving health and natural hardiness, those animals that cannot produce and thrive well on it should be a natural cull.

 

[Kassaundra]

Not surprisingly I found a thread on feeding more natural feeds on our sister site, BYHs and also a great thread on feeding all natural, including fermented feeds, on another forum for rabbits:

http://rabbittalk.com/natural-feeding-for-rabbits-f11.html

http://rabbittalk.com/fermented-foods-okay-for-rabbits-t11124.html

http://www.backyardherds.com/threads/alternative-rabbit-food.21346/page-2

One person pointed out that Mannapro rabbit feed has several ferment sourced probios listed on the ingredients, so you are not too far off in asking about FF for rabbits! Who knew? Now we know!

I love it when folks ask these kinds of questions and we find out something new.

I'll be giving these threads a good read and also researching the dietary habits of wild rabbits in my own state. Wild rabbits are hardy and produce healthy litters without the use of formulated feeds, so if we can provide a natural diet and then augment it some with more minerals they should produce well also and stay just as healthy. Of course, with any kind of program towards improving health and natural hardiness, those animals that cannot produce and thrive well on it should be a natural cull.

I lurk often on those threads and have joined 2 FB sites about natural fed meat rabbits, in preparation for my next big adventure.

 

[Beekissed]

You are thinking of rabbits too?

What have you gleaned on your lurking?

I've often wondered why more folks who live in the burbs don't do rabbits instead of chickens...more meat to feed ratio, more total meat in less time, good lean meat, quick finish out time to butchering, quiet and no one even needs to know you have them, less susceptible to predation if the caging and housing are done right, etc.

 

[Beekissed]

Here's a few posts from over on BYH:

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Very cool to read these posts and know that others have blazed the trail before you to follow and can provide some feedback on the methods.

 

[Beekissed]

This is one beautiful snow! It's pouring down, alternating between fine flakes and absolutely huge clumps falling straight down from the sky. I just finished making chicken soup from the jar and it's simply heavenly to eat that warming, delicious goodness while looking out at this winter wonderland! I'm hoping you all are doing the same....snugging down, watching the beauty that God has created out that window and keeping warm with hot foods and a warm house. Bliss!!

The soup has canned chicken and broth, herbs, onions, garlic, seasoned with sea salt and natural seasonings, rice, kielbasa, and egg noodles. Wish you were all here to share this with me!