Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[LindaB220]

Wait a minute.....she took it to the vet for all that money and still killed the thing?

I think that maybe I overreacted . She works for some medical facility and said she couldn't do an ultrasound so she tried to wrap it. No followup. My elderly neighbor, before she went into the nursing home paid $4000 for kidney surgery on her 12 hr old dog. Her lazy gson moved into her house to "take care of Sweetie" and has just about neglected her to death. We can't do anything. Won't answer the door or phone to us or his Grandmother. Sigh.

 

[KuroKitsune]

It's still good...that's the scoby...the good stuff. Just stir it back into the feed and carry on. It means you have successfully fermented your feed and have a good colony of beneficial microorganisms to digest your feeds.

phew thanks! was worried i had effed it up but am glad to know that it fine and good and i can just keep it going

 

[Loc20chick]

Hi I started giving my chicks cracked corn mixed with chick starter and they didn't like it that much so I soaked it in water for a day to soften and they seem to eat even less, I saw this and today I mixed the remaining soaked cracked corn with some chick starter, warm water and a bit of ACV, I hope fermenting will help them eat better?

 

[Beekissed]

Hi I started giving my chicks cracked corn mixed with chick starter and they didn't like it that much so I soaked it in water for a day to soften and they seem to eat even less, I saw this and today I mixed the remaining soaked cracked corn with some chick starter, warm water and a bit of ACV, I hope fermenting will help them eat better?

If you don't already have this going on, you'll need some grit available when moving to whole grains and even cracked corn as the hulls are pretty tough. Fermenting will definitely help to soften them and provide a better feed, but they won't eat much if they cannot digest it, so that gizzard needs a little help from grit.

I place a big clump of soil with grass still attached into the brooder for this purpose and they will pick out tiny grit we can't even see there and also will help them form antibodies to the micro life in the soils where you live.

 

[Loc20chick]

If you don't already have this going on, you'll need some grit available when moving to whole grains and even cracked corn as the hulls are pretty tough. Fermenting will definitely help to soften them and provide a better feed, but they won't eat much if they cannot digest it, so that gizzard needs a little help from grit.

I place a big clump of soil with grass still attached into the brooder for this purpose and they will pick out tiny grit we can't even see there and also will help them form antibodies to the micro life in the soils where you live.

Thanks, I was giving a handful of store bought grit with the feed might not have been enough. (wish I had thought of the soil I could have saved a few $) lesson learnt. I will use your idea n give them a clump of grass in the morning, might even have some worms since the ground is wet.

 

[Beekissed]

I know folks say to feed grit in with the feed but I never do as they could ingest more than they intend to and get an impacted gizzard in this way. If you offer it, do so free choice so they can sample it when they need to and not when they don't. Never too late to give them some good ol' soil! Farmers do this with piglets too, instead of giving iron injections, and the pigs eat the soil for all the various health benefits.

 

[RoseMarie1]

And the follow up on this situation is yes she did and had x rays done also. Hahahaa about it. And seriously not one person said anything about it. Like it never was posted.

oh noooo

 

[RoseMarie1]

Rosemarie try some meat protein for a few days a week for a couple weeks and see if that helps with the feather picking. Raw or cooked red meat, chicken, turkey my girls love it all

I've seen others say it helps them. I've always fed the meat protein so I haven't seen any picking problems. Ok well except Stella's head but she gets pecked because her head is always first in the food bowl & the big girls peck her to try and teach her some manners

ok thanx maybe I can get some trimmings from the butcher and boil it for them to eat. Gave them some chicken fat several days ago and hubby gave them some yesterday to.
hope it will help! Poor naked chickens.

 

[RoseMarie1]

So you think calcium will stop the picking? Keep us posted if that will do it....

Sure is a mystery why they are going that as good as you feed them and as much space as they have. Someone once suggested putting a little salt in the water to stop feather picking...said it worked like a charm.

and here I have been thinking salt was bad for them for some reason and have really watched that. I read something some where about maybe they might need calcium if they were eating the feathers. Said calcium was in the feathers????? don't know but thought oh well let me try that. ???? I was like they have GOT to be missing some sort of vitamin or something. ughhhh That poor roo has only a few tail feathers again now.

They have laid sooooo much and non stop since Oct. Last week I gave them some vitamins and electrolytes for a couple days and their combs are nice and red looking now. They had gotten really pale looking to me. I'm giving them their weekly fresh garlic and the ACV and putting the sulfur on their roost and nests. So I was clueless what else to try.

 

[Beekissed]

ok thanx maybe I can get some trimmings from the butcher and boil it for them to eat. Gave them some chicken fat several days ago and hubby gave them some yesterday to.
hope it will help! Poor naked chickens.

Maybe even getting those trimmings and grinding them up fine and feeding it raw? Do you have a meat grinder? If not, can you afford some hamburger now and again? Or would just feeding suet cakes be sufficient, I wonder?