Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[mommacassey]

The process has evolved a good bit since the beginning. Most folks do not use the double buckets and just mix their mix thick enough that it doesn't need straining before serving. You won't want to refresh the feed and water each day, as you will want the feed to have time to get fully fermented and converted, so it's best if you just mix a bucket and when it gets low but not empty, fill it back up with feed and water so the old mix can jump start your new feed and you can start feeding it out the next day.

Say, halfway or 3/4 down?

 

[LindaB220]

If I may suggest...since there are so few chicks at this point, perhaps you could use a 2 or 3 gallon bucket? I have 50 chicks and started with the 3 gal. bucket but the way these things are growing, I suspect I will graduate to a 5 gal soon. I have Dark Cornish and I realize that a lot of folks use the Cornish X to get them to grow bigger ...faster. The speed at which these things are puffing up makes me glad that I didn't go that route because I want the birds to be more mature when butchered...but that's just me.

If anyone is interested, I'm going to finish my birds the way my grandma did...confine the ones to be butchered to a smaller area and feed them a thick gruel of wheat middlings, stone-ground corn meal (very coarse) and buttermilk ...with fresh water, changed a few times a day. I don't know if she had a 'secret' or if it was just the whole combination but her chickens were always tender, heavily flavored. How I would love to sit down to one of those meals again!

Sorry for going off topic.

That's what's in all the old books on poultry. Last 2-3 weeks.

Especially the capons.

 

[Triple Willow]

Turk... How long are you going to feed your birds like that?

 

[LindaB220]

Say, halfway or 3/4 down?

I keep about 2-3 cups and add water first and stir in a 5 gallon bucket. Then the grain or feed. Works overnight.

 

[Mypeeps2013]

What type of feeding system do you all use to feed the chickens the ff? I know a normal feeder will not work and I do not think a bowl of ff is a good idea. So what do you do?

 

[ak rain]

I just cut a piece of PVC pipe and use that. It's all from dump so no $ used. I need a bigger one now fun stuff
Ak rain

 

[katbriar]

What type of feeding system do you all use to feed the chickens the ff? I know a normal feeder will not work and I do not think a bowl of ff is a good idea. So what do you do?

A piece is vinyl gutter screwed onto scrap 2 x 4 for support and legs.

 

[topdycke]

Turk... How long are you going to feed your birds like that?

will have some roos to deal with by summers end and fattening up will be a good thing...

 

[LindaB220]

What type of feeding system do you all use to feed the chickens the ff? I know a normal feeder will not work and I do not think a bowl of ff is a good idea. So what do you do?

Leslie just used a rain gutter cut in half and put an upright cement block on each end. For small chickens she put it in the lower holes and the upper for hens and such. Such a great idea. I had my handyman make me a 2" x 6" board trough nailed together to form a V and capped on the end with 2x4" planks. I had him make it 6' long. Which will feed about 40 chickens. I have 15 so they have plenty of room.

Wish I'd done the rain gutter.

 

[Crystal19]

My meat birds love it. Started feeding it to them at 4 weeks. Many people say they seen a difference in their poo. Maybe less smelly but still runny. Will be butchering the end of week. These birds seem bigger than my last flock of meaties.