Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[wolfpup]

Sure, it's ready to feed. Add a couple of tbls of Azomite and stir. It gets a little smelly but still good. If you have room, take some out and put in a gallon baggie and put in fridge. It will extend the life of it. When you start getting low. Take it out and dump it in. Don't freeze it. Four birds? Yes, one gallon at a time.

OH BOY do I feel dumb - never even occurred to me to put the surplus into the fridge ................................... RESPECT Linda ................... RESPECT !

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Hmm, this thread sure has slowed down since I was last here! My 15 chicks are doing well. Considering that they are all still alive after being shipped and their first day here at my house I will take that as a good sign. The heat lamp appears to be just right for them as they sleep scattered underneath it, none of them touching but also not trying to get away from it. <3 Yeah! I got this down.

I have my ferment started... In a red plastic cup right now. I'll be increasing the size of my ferment later when they're eating more than 1C of feed a day. XP Eventually (before you know it) I will have my big 2-3 gallon tubs again. For now, this will do.

 

[Shellz]

Hi folks! Been a long time since I've posted here, (working on getting relief for son's chronic daily headaches) but I wanted to share my new feeding system. I know this has been done before - a 10' length of eavestrough cut down into 3 pieces & end caps. What I've done is tilted them in such a way that rain doesn't wash away the feed on rainy days. The last pic shows this, not the other 2. Of course having covered feeding stations would rectify this too. I have to yard all 52 of my birds right now due to a fox problem & the feed was getting costly, hence the FF.

 

[sarahsunshine]

Hi all, Old here, but new to this thread. I have fermented food for my laying hens, but not for meat birds.


I just got my first batch of meat birds from day old chicks. Actually I got a whole mixed bag, but I got 25 Mistral Gris.

Right now they are 10 days old (I got them June 24).

I am in the process of setting up our future chicken opp, with the plan to have a bunch of rainbow laying birds for egg sales, and a bunch of meat birds rotating through.

I have our group of chicks (25, Mistral Gris, 10 Ameraucana, 10 Light Sussex, 5 Caramel Queen, and 6 Marans) split into 3 groups. I have 16 of them outside in a chicken tractor with a dog kennel under an adoptive Mamma hen (4 Ameraucana, 1 Caramel Queen, 5 Light Sussex, 1 Mistral Gris, and 5 Marans). I have the rest of the MG (24 of them) in an old bathtub and a light. I have the rest of the future layers (4 Caramel Queen, 6 Ameraucana, 5 light Sussex, 1 Maran) in a large heavy duty Cardboard Box under lights. I hope to put them all in a chicken tractor as soon as the weather permits, and they feather out quite well.


Everything has been going smashingly well! I have a couple observations:
1) The chicks under Mamma hen are way more active, interactive, social, and perkier. They seem like real animals with personalities, unlike the chicks in the brooders that just seem like little gobblers and sleepers.
2) The chicks in the brooders (both layers and meat birds) are growing faster and feathering out faster than the ones with Mamma hen.
3) The chicks with Mammas hen, despite feathering out slower, are tougher, just sitting and napping in the grass instead of seeking out a warmer spot under lights or Mamma. They are just tough. They are noticeably smaller than the brooder chicks, though.


I had my first incident this morning. I had a chick who was just groggy and didn't want to wake up (a Mistral Gris (MG)). I feared Coccidiosis. I called up my supplier, and was tld that Cocci was very unlikely, especilly since I hadn't noticed an runny poops. While I spoke to her the chick pooped profusely a very normal chicken poop (but big). She suggested that the chick may have eaten too much litter they are on wood shavings) and was lethargic because of a lack of good food. She said to give it sugar water, and make sure it got some good food and lights. Then, tonight to try to put it with Mamma hen because birds with a Mamma tend to be healthier. Chick perked up after a little concentrated sugar water, and ate a whole bunch of food, pooped 3 more times, and that is all within the last 2 hours. I hate to keep him (her?) separate, but I think the advice of putting her with Mamma is very sound. I will try that tonight.

 

[sarahsunshine]

Oh, I forgot!

What is the feeding formula that people use for chicks as they get older? I was suggested to sprinkle a lower protein formula (17%), starting at 6 weeks, on the bottom of the tractor so they had to scratch for it 2x a day... but not sure how to do that with fermented food! And how much per bird? Anyone else have a feeding formula? These guys should be ready to process at about 12-14 weeks.

 

[armorfirelady]

Oh, I forgot!

What is the feeding formula that people use for chicks as they get older? I was suggested to sprinkle a lower protein formula (17%), starting at 6 weeks, on the bottom of the tractor so they had to scratch for it 2x a day... but not sure how to do that with fermented food! And how much per bird? Anyone else have a feeding formula? These guys should be ready to process at about 12-14 weeks.

My chicks which are 2 1/2 weeks old just eat the fermented grains I feed the hens. I was giving them chick feed but their co moms called them to the grains instead. I think the protein level is about 17% for the grains. The chicks are growing wonderfully.

 

[LindaB220]

Hi folks! Been a long time since I've posted here, (working on getting relief for son's chronic daily headaches) but I wanted to share my new feeding system. I know this has been done before - a 10' length of eavestrough cut down into 3 pieces & end caps. What I've done is tilted them in such a way that rain doesn't wash away the feed on rainy days. The last pic shows this, not the other 2.

Of course having covered feeding stations would rectify this too.

I have to yard all 52 of my birds right now due to a fox problem & the feed was getting costly, hence the FF.

Really like your set up Shell, and your birds are looking good. What is that thing that the top one is sitting on. Something you made? Or just available.

 

[Shellz]

Thanks Linda.

Available. Plastic workhorse comes as a pair. They're very handy.

 

[3 NH reds]

I would weigh the dry amount you want to feed, add the same amount of water until it is the consistency you keep your ferment at then weigh it, you will know how much the exact amount you want to feed weighs wet then.

Actually I just added it in with no weight or volume measurement, I add around 3 or 4 cups if I had to guess. It is the morning treat that they dive bomb for. Well being cornish rock and rangers they dive bomb any food. So far the weights are right on target. I Will get a weight tomorrow to see what week 6 looks like. They are active and run around and fly up to the hay bails so I think Fermented Scratch is doing them some good.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Well, so far so good! The chicks are doing quite well. Fifteen chicks sure to eat and poop a lot! It's only been a few days and I already needed a new layer of bedding.

They just got their first chunk of sod today. They will peck grit out of it and help acclimate to our soil. Maybe they will also eat the weeds off the top. That'd be nice. They are already outgrowing my solo cup ferment, I'm having to soak daily so I'm really just feeding soaked feed at this point... Tomorrow I will be setting up something bigger. Probably out of a 2-liter bottle or a milk jug. I won't need anything bigger for a while.

They are so cute at this size. It's a shame they get so big, so fast in some ways! Makes me think that maybe I'd like quail....