Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[n3kms]

But very complicated to move. My CX's are in a tractor that is moved daily. I hang the troughs on the wire sides.

This is mine I just made the other day from a vinyl rain gutter. Very light weight without the wood.


Should be able to figure a way to attach it to the wire sides of a tractor. If metal is for sure stainless steel should do okay for FF but if it is galvanized aluminum like most older feeders it may not do as well. But if they are only fed in meals where they eat it all quickly then it probably won't matter. Do you have a pic of your metal troughs?

 

[Kinmera]

I don't have one, but I can get one. I never even thought about them being galvanized aluminum. I just love using them because it keeps the feed off the floor.

I'm a huge fan of repurposing - primarily for financial reasons.

I take old buckets, cut out the sides and hang them from the rafters of my coops. The chickens love it. I keep the covers on the buckets.

I can do this in the tractors too by hanging the bucket where the cross beam for the covered part runs.

 

[Sabz]

Got a feed store nearby? I buy Boss and whole corn as well as scratch. I haven't checked on wheat but they do have crimped oats. Don't get whole. They never soften up. I can buy gamebird 26% protein for $18 and mix it with a lot of other stuff. Don't need much. Protein 18-20%

I have what is called a "coop" here. I find it hard to buy feed over there, I need to know what I need and ask the clerk, there is no way to see all the bags of feed.. The first time I bought chick food I was all confused! lol. Do I need started or growth? After I bought them, I read the instructions on the bag and saw that Starter is 0-4 weeks and growth is 4 to 10 I think. Hard to know when you never saw those

When you talk about gamebird, feed it is the.. crumble kind? Like pellets but very small? Not the grains..

 

[mommacassey]

ok I'm feeling massively overwhelmed after reading pages here...

My daughter has about 30 cobb (CX crosses) for a 4H market chicken project. They are hungry little buggers so anything that extends my feed money is huge.

I am very interested in doing the FF, but I have some questions that if they were answered before I missed =(

1. I do not have access to a source of UP/ACV at this time. Is there a reason why I cannot use Pasturized ACV?

2. Could I simply use a sourdough starter as the basis of my FF? I make my own bread and have LOTS of yeast around the house.

3. The chicks (born 5.31.14) are eating starter mash. Will this complicate matters?

I had my chicks on regular from-the-store starter crumbles (Dumor, I think) for the first five weeks (wow, I can't believe they're already that old! I bought them about 3 days old on 5/6!) before I learned anything about FF. When I put fermented feed in their bowl for the first time, they flocked to it like they'd been hoping for some their whole lives... and I didn't do anything but spoon the feed into the bowl--didn't let it drain or anything.

 

[TexasLisa]

I had my chicks on regular from-the-store starter crumbles (Dumor, I think) for the first five weeks (wow, I can't believe they're already that old! I bought them about 3 days old on 5/6!) before I learned anything about FF. When I put fermented feed in their bowl for the first time, they flocked to it like they'd been hoping for some their whole lives... and I didn't do anything but spoon the feed into the bowl--didn't let it drain or anything.

Wait a minute, I recognize that brand. I looked to see where you were located and you are from Texas. I am SW of Houston. Where are you located?

Lisa

 

[mommacassey]

Wait a minute, I recognize that brand. I looked to see where you were located and you are from Texas. I am SW of Houston. Where are you located?

Lisa

Northeast of Beaumont, now. My husband grew up in Rosenberg, and I grew up a little right off the coast in Bay City.

Nice to meet you!

 

[wyoDreamer]

My understanding is that gamebird feed is a mix of grains and such that is formulated to be fed to pheasants/quail/etc. It is a higher protein level than what you feed a chicken, but otherwise pretty much the same nutrition. By mixing in the BOSS, corn and scratch it dilutes the protein to a lower level better suited for chickens. It also makes the bag of feed go further - depending on the cost of ingredients - and it may cost less to feed the chickens that way. Crumble/pellets is just the form of the feed - is it crumbly or is it pressed into a pellet, that terminology doesn't identify what is actually in the feed.

About the Co-Op, unless you are knowledgeable about feed, you should probably stick with the premixed feeds. The pre-mixed feeds have all the nutrients included that your bird needs to thrive. You should be able to talk to the clerk and tell them what you own that you want to feed, and they will tell you what they have available. For instance, do you have chicks that are 2 weeks old, are you raising meat birds for butchering or do you have chickens that are laying eggs. Different nutritional needs for each of them.

 

[hillfloweranch]

Very cute chicks!  Love the idea of putting a clump of grass in with them!

Lisa

I am sad because where I live there is no grass just dirt and weeds...

 

[Latestarter]

And just to simplify everything that's been recently posted... you don't NEED to add anything... simply take your grains/crumbles/pellets/whatever, place them in a bowl/bucket, add warm water, stir liberally then cover with a towel in a warm place. Once per day you can stir the mix then set it back aside (<---even THAT isn't REALLY necessary). In 3-4 days, you'll have nicely fermented chicken food. After 2 days, you should be able to smell the ferment when you take off the towel to stir it. Just shovel out what you think your birds can finish in 10-20 minutes, and go watch them turn into velociraptors! If there's food left after they are full, then you know you gave too much and you can cut back next serving. If they clean the bowl/platter/gutter/1/2 PVC pipe, then you could probably give them a little more next time around, and just keep upping the amount till you have just a little left after they're done eating.

I feed my chicks out of glass pie plates in the brooder. They walk in it, and fight for position, essentially getting it all over themselves and tracking it out into the pine chips. I don't mind, because they spend all day scratching in the pine chips and finding little treats to hold them over till I get home from work and give them their afternoon feeding Then the process starts all over again. It's funny how after they've been fed, if I lower my arm into the brooder they all run for a corner... Before they've been fed, they hover around my hand and arm and make it difficult to lift out the pie plate! or put the filled pie plate back down. They are some silly birds for sure

Hope this helps.

 

[Triple Willow]

And just to simplify everything that's been recently posted... you don't NEED to add anything... simply take your grains/crumbles/pellets/whatever, place them in a bowl/bucket, add warm water, stir liberally then cover with a towel in a warm place. Once per day you can stir the mix then set it back aside (<---even THAT isn't REALLY necessary).  In 3-4 days, you'll have nicely fermented chicken food.  After 2 days, you should be able to smell the ferment when you take off the towel to stir it.  Just shovel out what you think your birds can finish in 10-20 minutes, and go watch them turn into velociraptors! If there's food left after they are full, then you know you gave too much and you can cut back next serving. If they clean the bowl/platter/gutter/1/2 PVC pipe, then you could probably give them a little more next time around, and just keep upping the amount till you have just a little left after they're done eating.

I feed my chicks out of glass pie plates in the brooder. They walk in it, and fight for position, essentially getting it all over themselves and tracking it out into the pine chips.  I don't mind, because they spend all day scratching in the pine chips and finding little treats to hold them over till I get home from work and give them their afternoon feeding Then  the process starts all over again.  It's funny how after they've been fed, if I lower my arm into the brooder they all run for a corner...  Before they've been fed, they hover around my hand and arm and make it difficult to lift out the pie plate! or put the filled pie plate back down. They are some silly birds for sure   Hope this helps.

Great info. That's how it's done.