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.
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. 
