Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[RoseMarie1]

Yeah...remove the dry feed and leave the FF until they eat it. Keep the top stirred up if it starts to cake but just leave it there....they WILL eat it and be yelping for more. They are meaties, they will eat YOU if you fall down in the pen and can't get up.

LOL LOL I sure have missed you woman!!!

 

[LindaB220]

LOL LOL I sure have missed you woman!!!

x2 Bee we really missed you.

 

[lisaleedy]

i got a bag of feed has oats and molasses.. no animal buy products in it or medication. can it be fermented? and how

 

[Beekissed]

i got a bag of feed has oats and molasses.. no animal buy products in it or medication. can it be fermented? and how

http://tikktok.wordpress.com/2014/04/13/fermented-feed-faq/

 

[bumpershoot]

You will want to add water to the grain and let it soak for multiple days. Seeds will take up their volume in water, so probably 2x water to 1x seeds. I have not added molasses to the mix as it's fermenting, though I have added it afterwards. I have also added yeast and kelp.

Another thing worth considering is sprouting your seeds, which takes about three days. Basically what I do with with this is soak 24 hours and then rinse and drain 2x per day (though 1x works when you're busy or feeling lazy).

I believe there is another forum where they are talking about this, but I thought I would mention it as I have had such great success mixing sprouted with fermented at feed time. It has helped even the pickiest or most unsure bird move over to the new feed. Both formats increase the birds nutritional uptake and reduce your feed bill. Always a good thing!

 

[wolfpup]

Posting this here 'cause I want Bee's help/advice/opinion - as well as anyone who can offer an opinion please.

I have posted previously about one of my hens, Piggy. She was the preferred victim of a serial feather plucker/eater - who is no more - but I have noticed that her feathers are not growing back (may have to wait until she moults), and also that she is losing feathers from underneath her as well.

I noticed that the hole under her wing was not improving (thought it had healed at one point) - and I managed to find NuStock here in the UK (NOT easy) and applied it 3 days ago - which has considerably improved the soreness looking of it - however underneath her is getting worse feather wise. I did also plaster NuStock underneath her three days ago (just in case).

I have taken lots of photos (zoom lens as she wont let me near her now) - hopefully they will come out. They can be enlarged evidently. Her comb & wattles are bright read, she is bright eyed, active, greedy (hence the name), but still on the thin side. I have ordered pumpkin seeds which are due tomorrow and the castor oil arrived today just in case she has worms - although I have checked and can find no signs of worms in the poo. I can see no sign of mites/fleas ect. However you more experienced guys might see something I am missing. Vent is totally clean - and am coming to the conclusion that underneath may be caused by her sleeping in the nest box - as every day I find poo in at least one of the nest boxes.

They have been on ff for around 5 weeks - fed them this morning - and its only half gone - but they have had access to a different area of the back yard today and have been foraging - not going back to their run for the last 5 hours.







This is/was the hole under her wing - you can see where her back feathers were plucked out by the feather eater just leaving the small 'under feathers' in place.


These are the only photos I could take without them being in deep vegetation. She is a black rock laying hen and she started laying in November - only missed two days since! I have no lights etc in the coop as I do not believe in forcing them to lay if they decide they cannot. The feathers on her back that were plucked out have not yet regrown - but she still has the soft downy feathers so she is not bare. The skin shows no sign of being sore.

I am getting another 6 girls in 2 weeks so I need to be assured there is nothing wrong with her before introducing new girls. My other black rock (Bev) and Piggy are inseparable - and there is nothing on Bev that I can see - she has all of her feathers. These two share a 'doll house' type coop - meant for 6-8 birds - so space is not an issue, they also have approx 150sq ft of run space divided into separate areas . The new girls have their own coop - designed for 8-10 birds - but they will all have the choice of which coop they want to sleep in once they are integrated.

I can't see anything - can you guys?

In every respect she is a happy, very active, healthy hen, loves her food (she is top dog - and makes sure that Bev does not get much of a look-in until she decides to share it) - I have two trough feeders (one for them and one for the new girls).

I use a layers pellet, plus wheat/oats/barley, BOSS, & Scratch, - overall protein content is 16.3% which is then fermented. In addition I sprout alfalfa, mung beans, raddish, lentils, and I also grow organic sprouted wheat and barley grass until the grass grows again in their run sections. Now they have access to rich vegetation again I will stop the sprouting

 

[wolfpup]

Forgot to add. This is their dust bath. Soil, Sand and wood ash - they actually have to walk through this to get to the extended run section (cannot have them free range because I have two would-be killer cats and two would-be killer dogs) - besides not enough garden - all natural ground has been fenced off for the hens. This dust bath is large enough for 4 birds to be in at the same time.

 

[beverly evans]

Forgot to add. This is their dust bath. Soil, Sand and wood ash - they actually have to walk through this to get to the extended run section (cannot have them free range because I have two would-be killer cats and two would-be killer dogs) - besides not enough garden - all natural ground has been fenced off for the hens. This dust bath is large enough for 4 birds to be in at the same time.

My chickens want to come live at your house! Your girls are very nicely spoiled. Good job!! Logically, biologically, hair or feathers pulled out traumatically take longer for the follicle to generate new hair or feathers; much longer than the body takes to replace normally falling out hair or feathers that would have the new one waiting a cell layer behind the leaving one. So, maybe just patience is required, seeing as how there is no way you could improve on your feeding routine to give her anymore nutrition for refeathering. I'm guessing "Feather Fixer" is not as good as what you're doing. IMHO : )

 

[Beekissed]

I think you are doing all the right things for her and I can see some slow growth going on but I think the only ingredient missing is just time....she may not come fully back into feathering until she molts. She is an active layer and is healthy in all other respects so I'm thinking the bulk of her nutrition is going towards egg laying instead of feather regrowth but when she finally takes a break on that during molt you might see a miracle happen for her. The FF and the NS will certainly make a difference for her and I think you'll see some growth of the feathers coming back with time this spring and summer but the molt will be the kicker.

My granny always told me the best layers were the most pitiful looking birds and I believe her...usually our RIRs and leghorns were not the most beautifully feathered birds in the flock. I'd say time is the factor....the rest of what you are doing is par excellent!

She'll be back in fine feather soon!

 

[wolfpup]

I think you are doing all the right things for her and I can see some slow growth going on but I think the only ingredient missing is just time....she may not come fully back into feathering until she molts. She is an active layer and is healthy in all other respects so I'm thinking the bulk of her nutrition is going towards egg laying instead of feather regrowth but when she finally takes a break on that during molt you might see a miracle happen for her. The FF and the NS will certainly make a difference for her and I think you'll see some growth of the feathers coming back with time this spring and summer but the molt will be the kicker.

My granny always told me the best layers were the most pitiful looking birds and I believe her...usually our RIRs and leghorns were not the most beautifully feathered birds in the flock. I'd say time is the factor....the rest of what you are doing is par excellent!

She'll be back in fine feather soon!

Thanks Bee - just wondered if I had missed something - my eyesight is not what it was when I was younger - that's why I took the photographs so I could blow them up (magnify that is). I thought if anyone could find a mite or an egg it would be you. I am still going to give them some pumpkin seeds and castor oil when the seeds arrive tomorrow - as she is thinner than I would like - she should be a butterball with the amount she eats - I bet she could rival one of your meaties