Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[LindaB220]

QUESTION: Is there any disadvantage to using rolled oats over whole oats in FF? My birds don't like/won't eat whole oats for some reason...just leave it lay.

Thanks in advance.

Hey Turk, glad to hear from you. I could NOT get my birds to eat whole oats. Chris 09 said to soak them separately adding water for 5 days. They are then fermented (add in a little ACV smells better I promise you). Then add it to the fermented feed. The batch will last several batches full. I will do it 5# at a time because the last time I did it I used 25# and fed it for a month. Keep it outside. Whole oats has more nutrients.

 

[beverly evans]

Quote: Austin has lots of breweries. So I might be able to get some free brewery grains too. Question: Aren't they "used" as in "played out" or exhausted of their nutrients, if not completely at least mostly?? They've been used to make the beer, right? So what is left? Half the nutrients maybe?

 

[beverly evans]

Whole oats are harder to digest. The rolled oats are steamed before rolling to soften them a bit. For reading that I have done, even for cattle and horses, it is recommended to feed cracked so they can digest it easier.

And it ferments much more easily because the tough outer layer (skin, shell?) has been broken in the rolling and/or steaming process. I don't use whole oats for that reason.

 

[beverly evans]

Is there a list of what you can and cant ferment for chickens and ducks? So far I have used spaghetti noodles Egg Shells sweet peppers banana peels and potato peelings and left over pancakes which is something all that I would give to the without fermenting. But I read somewhere chickens like meat and was wondering if that was okay?

Just about anything can be put into the ferment but remember what you put in so if the smell gets really bad you can figure out what did it. Mostly they say "no protein". Things like meat or lots of mealworms will make your ferment smell really nasty and you will want to dump it, even though it isn't really bad. You want to give them some extra protein for their feathers or whatever? Do, just separate from the ferment. Apple seeds have cyanide in them so I remove them before I give them to them, but I understand it would take a truck load to hurt them. Others out there.....what have you read that one should NOT give chickens??

 

[Burns Homestead]

Just about anything can be put into the ferment but remember what you put in so if the smell gets really bad you can figure out what did it. Mostly they say "no protein". Things like meat or lots of mealworms will make your ferment smell really nasty and you will want to dump it, even though it isn't really bad. You want to give them some extra protein for their feathers or whatever? Do, just separate from the ferment. Apple seeds have cyanide in them so I remove them before I give them to them, but I understand it would take a truck load to hurt them. Others out there.....what have you read that one should NOT give chickens??

I don't think I will do the meat kinda makes me nervous they get live mealworms daily so that should be good..
I have learned hanging feeders is not workable with fermented feed so now I am using cat litter boxes its only been about a week and the chickens were in molt when before I started and there feathers are coming in faster then normal... I have transferred from 5 gallon buckets to a 55 gallon water drum and making about a weeks worth right now is that okay? Its in a dark place and it still smells really yeasty the chickens love it I don't think they would even go back to dry feed. Around here I have been talking to people about fermenting there feed most say its not good for chickens it will get them drunk haha a lot say they have tried and say its to messy I don't mind getting my hands dirty so that's all fine with me In a week I already notice a huge difference so I'm sticking with it Thank you all for all your post it really helps for dummies like me haha wish I would have started a long time ago I think its going to cut my feed bill in half $350 a month was a huge bill in the last week I have went through 2 bags instead of 6 so that's Awesome!!! Oh is it okay to put left over feed back in at night to ferment more? I have been putting back in just want to make sure.

 

[LindaB220]

I don't think I will do the meat kinda makes me nervous they get live mealworms daily so that should be good..
I have learned hanging feeders is not workable with fermented feed so now I am using cat litter boxes its only been about a week and the chickens were in molt when before I started and there feathers are coming in faster then normal... I have transferred from 5 gallon buckets to a 55 gallon water drum and making about a weeks worth right now is that okay? Its in a dark place and it still smells really yeasty the chickens love it I don't think they would even go back to dry feed. Around here I have been talking to people about fermenting there feed most say its not good for chickens it will get them drunk haha a lot say they have tried and say its to messy I don't mind getting my hands dirty so that's all fine with me In a week I already notice a huge difference so I'm sticking with it Thank you all for all your post it really helps for dummies like me haha wish I would have started a long time ago I think its going to cut my feed bill in half $350 a month was a huge bill in the last week I have went through 2 bags instead of 6 so that's Awesome!!! Oh is it okay to put left over feed back in at night to ferment more? I have been putting back in just want to make sure.

This is so good. So you went through 100 lbs instead of 300 lbs. Love the idea of a water drum. How many chickens do you have? You can put the feed back in the container if you want or just feed a little less. I backed off feeding my 14 hens from 5 cups 2 x day to 4 cups and it really helps. With 5 cups I always had just a little to knock on the ground. They went back and ate that first. It's not going to spoil. Someone said he uses a 5' long piece of 2" x 2" to make a stirrer. I need that with maybe a little duct tape wrapped in a couple of places as hand holds. Or use a shovel like Kassaundra.

 

[chrissyr]

Is there a list of what you can and cant ferment for chickens and ducks? So far I have used spaghetti noodles Egg Shells sweet peppers banana peels and potato peelings and left over pancakes which is something all that I would give to the without fermenting. But I read somewhere chickens like meat and was wondering if that was okay? 

Not sure about bread, I'd worry about crop impaction. Bread isn't ideal chicken food for that reason.
I'm thinking meat is a no too. It just seemed like it could go bad. Not sure but you can mix it in when your ready to feed

 

[Burns Homestead]

This is so good. So you went through 100 lbs instead of 300 lbs. Love the idea of a water drum. How many chickens do you have? You can put the feed back in the container if you want or just feed a little less. I backed off feeding my 14 hens from 5 cups 2 x day to 4 cups and it really helps. With 5 cups I always had just a little to knock on the ground. They went back and ate that first. It's not going to spoil. Someone said he uses a 5' long piece of 2" x 2" to make a stirrer. I need that with maybe a little duct tape wrapped in a couple of places as hand holds. Or use a shovel like Kassaundra.

I'm using like the bottom half of the barrel so and a old stirring spoon that's like 2 feet long I have about 150 Mature chickens and 130 Chicks So
I do go through a lot of feed mostly they do pay for there own feed in eggs and such but still some does come out of pocket they are all free ranged except the chicks because of the dang chicken hawks that love picking up my baby's

 

[Regin]

Quote: I've been feeding the fermented feed now since my chicks were a few days old. About 16 months now. I thought about changing over to garbage cans, and once I even mixed it up in a heavy duty plastic wheelbarrow. I found that transfering it between containers is an unnecessary step (and MESSY). So, I have continued to use 5 gal buckets and I can carry these out to the coop and scoop food directly into the feeders.

My cuurent mode works pretty good though. My stirrer is a drain shovel which is a narrow shovel.
I put 5 lbs growing mash and 1 lb soy meal in 5 gal buckets, add 18 lbs of water, and a couple of scoops of starter from a previous batch. stir and cover.
After this ferments one day I add another 5 lbs of mash and 1 lb of soy meal. Actually I have the add in batches in re-purposed plastic coffee containers. so I just dump one of these in.
I make two or three buckets at a time, and have about 9 buckets altogether. I think it's best for feeding after 3 or 4 days of fermenting.

I need to add a few more buckets. I'm feeding about 2 buckets a day to 92 growing birds. The growers eat more than the adults.

 

[Latestarter]

If you really have a lot to mix... in a deep container like a trash can or such, you might consider getting one of those long drill driven stirring rods that they use for mastic/grout/paint. Put it in a high torque, low speed drill and then just move it up and down through the contents in the barrel till everything is homogeneous. That's what I'd try to do anyway... I'm all about easier is better.

edited for smelling