Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[HUHG]

wonderful!ok thank you

 

[katbriar]

Thanks to fermented feed- have 22 four-week old chicks in the garage brooder. Smell is moderated and one 50# bag of starter will last me five weeks. Chicks get satisfied at meal times and couldn't be more active. They're sparring, jumping, roosting off the ground.

I've got a couple of things to finish on the hoop house and then they GO OUTSIDE.

I'm a little concerned about night time temps still being around freezing. I've weaned them off the lamp and hope they'll huddle but not crush each other when I get them out there.

They're slow cornish, so 8 more weeks to go! Fermented feed all the way.

 

[Beekissed]

i love what your doing! im excited to try this! but question.... how is it more efficient and cost less? your still buying grains...???

Need to read. There is a list of benefits to this method and they explain why it's more efficient and cost less.

 

[beverly evans]

Quote: You know Bee knows how to train them to stay back til the feed is served. Ask her. I just keep mine locked up til I'm through. : )

 

[MargaretYakoda]

Need to read. There is a list of benefits to this method and they explain why it's more efficient and cost less.

I'll share this one bit: With unfermented feed the chicks just kick it all over the brooder. It gets wet and pooped on and my guess is at least a third of the bag of feed is wasted. That's what it seemed like to us, anyhow.

When feeding FF to our current bunch of little fuzzballs, they can't kick it out of the dish. They do step on it and compact it so it needs to be changed out daily, but the big girls dig in to the babies' leftovers like I was feeding the tastiest treats on the planet. Should I spill some on the ground they all just dig in and gobble up every bit, even if it's covered in dirt.

A few days ago there was a bit of mold on the inside of the big girl's FF container and my partner decided not to feed them the FF that day. Instead he fed them fresh feed with a bit of water to moisten it. "It's the same thing" he reasoned. Ya ... Nope. The girls ignored it and I mixed it in to the FF cooler that evening. (I scraped the mold off, put in a bunch more water and ACV, and we're back in business! LOL)

So, in a nutshell, it isn't just that they love it, it's that they don't waste any FF feed because they love it! My girls will even "lick the bowl" if you will. Pecking at the FF dish even when there's nothing left but a thin film of FF residue.

Try this experiment: Feed FF for a bit, then put FF and dry feed next to each other. See which one disappears first.

 

[beverly evans]

Quote: I love big cats, but to know that I have a family of 5 roaming around my farm waiting to dine on my animals (or me)? I don't know what I'd do precautionwise to protect them. I guess you have them in something akin to a dog run, with cyclone fencing encircling them?? How do you protect them from cougars? Just curious. I won't complain about my hawk problem any more! : (

 

[Triple Willow]

I found something interesting today -CHUFA. I had never heard of it. Are any of you familiar with it? I bought a couple pounds of it, don't know what for ...yet? http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyperus_esculentus

 

[Kildare49]

Long day & to tired to look it up. But I believe that chufa = yellow nutsedge ( invasive )? If so more than a few states that do not allow sale of chufa.
Son of a gun if your a farmer and your fighting this invasive. I know wild turkeys love it.

 

[Beekissed]

I'll share this one bit: With unfermented feed the chicks just kick it all over the brooder. It gets wet and pooped on and my guess is at least a third of the bag of feed is wasted. That's what it seemed like to us, anyhow.

When feeding FF to our current bunch of little fuzzballs, they can't kick it out of the dish. They do step on it and compact it so it needs to be changed out daily, but the big girls dig in to the babies' leftovers like I was feeding the tastiest treats on the planet. Should I spill some on the ground they all just dig in and gobble up every bit, even if it's covered in dirt.

A few days ago there was a bit of mold on the inside of the big girl's FF container and my partner decided not to feed them the FF that day. Instead he fed them fresh feed with a bit of water to moisten it. "It's the same thing" he reasoned. Ya ... Nope. The girls ignored it and I mixed it in to the FF cooler that evening. (I scraped the mold off, put in a bunch more water and ACV, and we're back in business! LOL)

So, in a nutshell, it isn't just that they love it, it's that they don't waste any FF feed because they love it! My girls will even "lick the bowl" if you will. Pecking at the FF dish even when there's nothing left but a thin film of FF residue.

Try this experiment: Feed FF for a bit, then put FF and dry feed next to each other. See which one disappears first.

And that the nutrients are increased to the degree that you don't have to feed as much to get the same or better level of nutrition...that's the real savings. Anyone can wet the feed to capitalize on savings from shelling out of the feeder or even place a wire over the feeders so they cannot shovel or scratch but it still won't net the savings as not having to feed as much feed in the first place.

 

[LindaB220]

I found something interesting today -CHUFA. I had never heard of it. Are any of you familiar with it? I bought a couple pounds of it, don't know what for ...yet? http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyperus_esculentus

Self sustaining. People can eat it too.
https://www.tn.gov/twra/pdfs/chufa.pdf