Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[LindaB220]

@LindaB220 Yeah, after I'd written that I read the one that said where she's moving to; couldn't get much further away! But for a snowy time so different from LA it will be fun I'm sure. Even better is when the heat and humidity have got you done to go for a visit. So glad Bee's back. Me and my hens are doing good except I lost my favorite girl to a hawk a week ago. I let the dog out just in time to scare it off but not before it had ripped her head off. I went ahead and processed her. Couldn't waste that good meat, pet or not. A friend I sometimes buy chhickens from swears that since he put out two scarecrows he hasn't been bothered by hawks again. So I am going to make one like his with one of those beauty college heads that come with a full head of hair and put a rain jacket on it so it doesn't mildew and rot too soon. Hope it works. I just can't bear to lose them that way. : )

@beverly evans Yeah, I remember when I visited her in Portland Or 16 years ago to be with her on the birth of her first child. In August. It stayed 105 for the entire 10 days I was there. Cooler in La.

 

[beverly evans]

@Housiercheetah, Have you got your feeders made yet? Beekissed taught us how to make a trough
that works perfectly for the ff. I took a picture of it. Let's see if I can get it on here for you. Two lengths of 1x4's as long as you want it with same 1x4 for the end pieces. I put little strips on the top edges to form a lip so that they can't bill it out as they go for the preferred bits as they tend to do. I made mine about 4 feet long as I have 20 hens. Probably should have made it longer. I am going to make a "C" shaped cut out on both sides of the end pieces to give me "handles" to make it easier for me to move it around. There is food left in it in the foto so you can't see the "V" shape of it. I have a second coop for my bantams and/or grow-outs. Since there are only 5 in there, I feed them in a cast iron pot, the kind the boy scouts cook cakes in when camping. Inside of that I drop one of those bundt pans that were all the rage so many years ago that no one uses anymore. It is deep enough nothing gets billed out, the part that sticks up in the middle keeps them from getting in it and the weight of the pot keeps it in place. They work perfect for me. As for the ladling out of the ff? I went to a restaurant supply store and bought a huge ladle-spoon for $3-4. I hope my solutions help. : ) Beverly

 

[beverly evans]

@LindaB220, I had no idea it would ever be cooler in Louisiana than Portland. That is crazy, over 100 degrees! Something to do with the ocean I guess. Well get my old bones to bed. They get me up so darn early.. I was reading about having the lights go on with a timer so they will not stop laying. I couldn't stand for them to start crowing at 5AM! Being off the internet so long I lost my window to sell my roosters. I've got 7 roosters right now! Got 'em on craigslist but it is too late in the season and no one's buying! A big Lavendar Ameraucana, a bigger ISA Brown that was sexe and should have been a hen, a gorgeous little curly feathered frizzle, a cuckoo bantam cochin, 2 bantam D'Uccles and a monstrous Silver Laced Wyandotte-Australorp cross that also was supposed to be a girl. The neighbor's must hate me! I know one does for sure and this was when I only had 2. We have all these Californians flooding into Texas. Well one moved behind me and started a petition against my chickens but no one would sign it so she had to give up. They told her, "No one asked you to move to Texas and besides we here in Austin live by the motto, 'keep Austin weird' ".Nite!

 

[hoosiercheetah]

@Housiercheetah, Have you got your feeders made yet?

Thanks for the idea!

I have a pretty small flock, so I'm just using the base from a plastic dry-feed feeder. It's got a cone in the center that comes up, so it makes kind of a trough ring. So far it's working like a champ. I'm going to set it up in a heated dog water bowl to keep it from freezing - my chickens are lazy eaters and I'd like them to be able to finish it at their leisure.

I've been giving them FF once a day, and leaving a dry feeder with layer crumbles out all the time. I'm planning to stick with this, except I'm going to get pellets next time I buy feed.

 

[CluckyChook]

I use water Kefir as a starter and it works a treat. Also milk Kefir but this is more expensive as you need the actual milk to start with, but the whey from making cheese all goes to the animals.

Great Thread.

 

[B J Hopkins]

I'd love to have the Ameraucana but I'm in MO, little too far to drive

 

[DesertChic]

I fed my small flock fermented feed for the first time this morning and received mixed reactions from them. The Barred Rocks barely pecked at it, choosing instead to scratch through the litter, probably in search of dry food. Since they're the dominant birds and usually like to scare others away from the feed trough, my Australorps, which are at the bottom of the pecking order, were able to feed to their gullets' content, which they happily did. My Silkies ate voraciously at first, but seemed to fill up quickly and then just kept walking through the wet feed....messy!

When all of them seemed bored with the feed I removed the feeder from the coop as they were all scratching and kicking up pine bedding, getting it into the food. I'll put the feed back in the coop in a while. I the meantime, I definitely need to come up with a better feeder.

 

[vpatt]

When building a trough for feeding how much space should you allow for each chicken?

 

[armorfirelady]

I fed my small flock fermented feed for the first time this morning and received mixed reactions from them. The Barred Rocks barely pecked at it, choosing instead to scratch through the litter, probably in search of dry food. Since they're the dominant birds and usually like to scare others away from the feed trough, my Australorps, which are at the bottom of the pecking order, were able to feed to their gullets' content, which they happily did. My Silkies ate voraciously at first, but seemed to fill up quickly and then just kept walking through the wet feed....messy!

When all of them seemed bored with the feed I removed the feeder from the coop as they were all scratching and kicking up pine bedding, getting it into the food. I'll put the feed back in the coop in a while. I the meantime, I definitely need to come up with a better feeder.

I made a wooden holder for the trough feeder (drywall pan) so that it sits up higher & keeps the food cleaner. I also dont feed in the coop to also alleviate the problem

When building a trough for feeding how much space should you allow for each chicken?

no specific measurements just long enough so they can all eat without much bickering

 

[Leahs Mom]

I find that if the trough is deep enough, they don't walk in it and they don't dump it out all over the place.

I started using pyrex bread pans and just happened to see this flower box at Lowes that I can fit 2 in that have the handles on them. (Handles overlap in the center). I can just lift the pans out if they need cleaning but most the time I just keep refilling them. I have several of them that I use at the same time depending on how many birds I have.