Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Tammylr]

I started my two week olds on ff and they love it but after they eat walk around scraping their beaks on the bedding to get their faces clean. They are so fun to watch. They really like to be hand fed though. Little brats!

 

[EnnisLakeFarm]

I started feeding FF last spring and my girls' egg production jumped. I had to go back to dry food (the girls weren't happy) when I was going to be gone for several days. I really should start up again now that the girls are laying again.

 

[DesertChic]

I started feeding FF last spring and my girls' egg production jumped. I had to go back to dry food (the girls weren't happy) when I was going to be gone for several days. I really should start up again now that the girls are laying again.

LOVE your avatar!

 

[azpigs]

Has anyone experienced problems feeding fermented feed to Cornish rock crosses? I'm not fermenting feed out of a 50lb bag, it's a 22% protein mix (beans, corn, etc.) from a local feed mill. They are Cornish rock crosses, and supposed to be mature at 8-10 weeks. My birds are 6 weeks old and less than half the weight they should be. The only thing I can figure is that it is the feed. I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced super slow growth with fermented feeds. Thanks!

 

[Beekissed]

I've heard some people say the same but I intentionally slowed down my CX's feed consumption and increased their activity levels, so I can't really say much about it first hand. A good way to find out is to stop feeding FF and go back to dry and see if you see a significant weight gain on the dry.

 

[azpigs]

Thanks for the response! How long does it take you to raise them up then?

I would love to hear from someone else who had slow growers due to fermented feed... we unfortunately tried to raise ours on a schedule (planned to slaughter before leaving for a trip exactly 9 weeks after we got them), which I realize now was a mistake. Of COURSE things never go exactly as planned, and I should have known better

 

[Beekissed]

Mine are usually reaching their full potential around the 10th week but will continue to put on weight after that....some folks keep them to 12 wks and beyond and they get HUGE.

 

[JJSS89]

Mine are usually reaching their full potential around the 10th week but will continue to put on weight after that....some folks keep them to 12 wks and beyond and they get HUGE.

I used to keep a cockerel or two from each batch of 100. I would choose the biggest that had no mobility problems and keep him for several more months. They get turkey size real quick. They won't even fit in the crockpot. Lower protein, more vegetables and ACV - they never had heart-attacks or organ failure. Of course they were the chosen specimen.

 

[WildfireSmitty]

Has anyone experienced problems feeding fermented feed to Cornish rock crosses? I'm not fermenting feed out of a 50lb bag, it's a 22% protein mix (beans, corn, etc.) from a local feed mill. They are Cornish rock crosses, and supposed to be mature at 8-10 weeks. My birds are 6 weeks old and less than half the weight they should be. The only thing I can figure is that it is the feed. I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced super slow growth with fermented feeds. Thanks!

Are they getting the option of dry feed also?

I know that minerals and vitamins added to feed have a shelf life and it is possible that fermenting could be de-activating them.

 

[Beekissed]

Are they getting the option of dry feed also?

I know that minerals and vitamins added to feed have a shelf life and it is possible that fermenting could be de-activating them.

Since much commercial feeds are not fresh by the time they reach your place, then it's likely that shelf life has already been exceeded.

One possibility is that the line of CX obtained may be a slow growing strain....I had that last time and didn't even know it, but found it out later. Other people who had CX that year from another source fed their CX for the same time frame on FF and free range, just like I did, and they had birds that were the biggest chickens I've ever handled in my life. And I've handled a LOT of chickens.

My slow growing strain of CX didn't start to put on big weight until around 10 wks.