Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[LadyIsadora]

Im feeding my 1 1/2 week ducklings 1/2 &1/2 in their trough feeder and have done since day 1. The dry food side always goes first. The 5 1/2 week old Pekins have been getting 1/2 & 1/2 too, for about 1 1/2 weeks, with the same results I They Just got their rations cut and have only had FF for the last 24 hours. I want them to be hungry enough to forage.

Im sure I could be getting the wrong impression from the earlier posts in the thread, Im much distracted while im trying to read. My brain has a mind of its own and interprets what it wants to when it wants to.

I also put ACV in their water, sprinkle a bit of nutritional yeast on the dry stuff & supplement with peas everyday (Sweetie calls them duck-crack berries, sounds like buttcrack berries but I love him anyway.) and various greens & kitchen/ garden scraps. Grit is given on the side, free choice.

I believe in the value of ACV, always have. and it makes sense that its amazing virtues would be as good for animals as it is for humans. But garlic and onions seem to be really good for humans and not so much for animals, so what in this world really makes sense constantly.

Congratulations on getting eggs earlier lazy gardener! I really hope I get eggs early! The hopes and dream of that first $500. omlet keeps me going. I do believe the FF helps with this. If I can get that omlet a bit early.....ohhh happy dance. It is really the only reason Miss Pekin will not be going to freezer camp when her Mr. does. It will also likely make her more accepting of the ducklings that will be joining her soon if she doesn't have her only friend with her.

I cant thank all of you enough for keeping attention on this thread, continuing to offer advice & putting up with so many repetitive questions and ppl like me that just dont always "get it" Once I start something I have a hard time not finishing it. I can never put a book down till its done, no matter the content. This thread might just do me in. Its GINORMOUS. I think it contains information on the most important things we can do for the health of our animals.

 

[LadyIsadora]

PS: im at post #1468 the thread referred to there : https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/672135/meatie-experiment-ff-vs-crumbles/50 in that post is partially why I understood the growth rate of the birds to be slowed on FF.
Though I discarded all info about drunk birds during this period of time in the thread.

So Im not just nuts, other ppl got that idea.

 

[Chad Cool]

Hello, I would like to know around about guess on what meat chickens eat on the average day. I plan on raising 100 at one time in a chicken tractor. if anyone could help please make recommendations. I also plan on feeding fermented feed to them.

 

[Herdsman01]

So I've been reading on this thread for a little while now and I've decided to give fermented feed a try. New chicks came in today so I'd really like to at least try growing them out on FF. With all the benefits I think this whole FF thing is definitely worth a shot. Well Monday morning I started my first batch. I used ACV to get it going, added water, mixed to thick oat meal consistency and let it set. Ive stirred it a coupe times a day since then. There also is a good quarter inch of water above the feed and its being kept at room temperature. So today, day three, I'm not sure if its started fermenting yet or not. I do see just a few bubbles every now and then but other than that I don't see much else. It does have a slight yeasty, sour bread (best I can describe it) smell too it. Other than the smell and a few bubbles I don't really see much else to say that it is fermenting. Does it just need some more time or is something wrong and I need to start over?

 

[azpigs]

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[azpigs]

Is it already milled? or do they mill it upon ordering?
Ask how old the feed is when you buy it. When ever buying grains or pre-mix's it's always good to ask a lot of questions.

It can be something as simple as old feed to ruin your whole meat bird season.

How many birds are you raising? if you don't mind me asking.

Sorry for the delay in my reply - I thought I would get an email notification or something and didn't check back in until today. We have 25 birds. I honestly don't know how old the feed is... I will definitely ask next time. At this point the birds are just under 10 weeks old and they are not even 6 pounds.

 

[Latestarter]

Hello, I would like to know around about guess on what meat chickens eat on the average day. I plan on raising 100 at one time in a chicken tractor. if anyone could help please make recommendations. I also plan on feeding fermented feed to them.

100 meaties in a chicken tractor?

Are you serious?

That would have to be one horrendously large and HEAVY tractor!

You'll need a tractor to move it! You're lookin' at 400 square feet of inside tractor space at a bare minimum when they are just chicks! As they mature,the amount of space they'll need will be double that and more! Even then, you can expect some health issues and major stress on the birds. Within 20 minutes of parking it on a spot, the birds will be standing on bare dirt! Am I missing something here?

So I've been reading on this thread for a little while now and I've decided to give fermented feed a try. New chicks came in today so I'd really like to at least try growing them out on FF. With all the benefits I think this whole FF thing is definitely worth a shot. Well Monday morning I started my first batch. I used ACV to get it going, added water, mixed to thick oat meal consistency and let it set. Ive stirred it a coupe times a day since then. There also is a good quarter inch of water above the feed and its being kept at room temperature. So today, day three, I'm not sure if its started fermenting yet or not. I do see just a few bubbles every now and then but other than that I don't see much else. It does have a slight yeasty, sour bread (best I can describe it) smell too it. Other than the smell and a few bubbles I don't really see much else to say that it is fermenting. Does it just need some more time or is something wrong and I need to start over?

The fact that you are smelling that sourdough smell indicates fermentation

There's nothing wrong, and no need to start over. The time for full fermentation to happen depends on many factors... what are you fermenting? feed? grains? a mix? Different feeds and different grains ferment differently. Some take longer (whole grains take longer than ground grain for example). I never have water over the top in my FF; for me, that's too much water. If it was the consistency of thick oatmeal when you made it, it should not have become more soupy over time. Even with the feed/grains settling, they should absorb the water and some should evaporate making it thicker, not thinner.

It won't change color or anything to indicate it's "done." It's done when you decide it's time to feed it out. The longer you let it set, the stronger the cultures will become and the stronger it will smell. Eventually, the good bacteria will have eaten all the sugars and the ferment will stall until you add more grains/feed. But that should take several weeks or more at room temp.

 

[Herdsman01]

The fact that you are smelling that sourdough smell indicates fermentation

There's nothing wrong, and no need to start over. The time for full fermentation to happen depends on many factors... what are you fermenting? feed? grains? a mix? Different feeds and different grains ferment differently. Some take longer (whole grains take longer than ground grain for example). I never have water over the top in my FF; for me, that's too much water. If it was the consistency of thick oatmeal when you made it, it should not have become more soupy over time. Even with the feed/grains settling, they should absorb the water and some should evaporate making it thicker, not thinner.

It won't change color or anything to indicate it's "done." It's done when you decide it's time to feed it out. The longer you let it set, the stronger the cultures will become and the stronger it will smell. Eventually, the good bacteria will have eaten all the sugars and the ferment will stall until you add more grains/feed. But that should take several weeks or more at room temp.

Thanks for the reply! Sorry I should have mentioned I am fermenting chick starter. So it sounds like everything is working as it should, which is good to hear. As far as the thickness goes, would it hurt to add a bit more dry feed to thicken it up? I may let it sit one more day before I feed it to the chicks.

 

[Chad Cool]

100 meaties in a chicken tractor?

Are you serious?

That would have to be one horrendously large and HEAVY tractor!

You'll need a tractor to move it! You're lookin' at 400 square feet of inside tractor space at a bare minimum when they are just chicks! As they mature,the amount of space they'll need will be double that and more! Even then, you can expect some health issues and major stress on the birds. Within 20 minutes of parking it on a spot, the birds will be standing on bare dirt! Am I missing something here?

The fact that you are smelling that sourdough smell indicates fermentation

There's nothing wrong, and no need to start over. The time for full fermentation to happen depends on many factors... what are you fermenting? feed? grains? a mix? Different feeds and different grains ferment differently. Some take longer (whole grains take longer than ground grain for example). I never have water over the top in my FF; for me, that's too much water. If it was the consistency of thick oatmeal when you made it, it should not have become more soupy over time. Even with the feed/grains settling, they should absorb the water and some should evaporate making it thicker, not thinner.

It won't change color or anything to indicate it's "done." It's done when you decide it's time to feed it out. The longer you let it set, the stronger the cultures will become and the stronger it will smell. Eventually, the good bacteria will have eaten all the sugars and the ferment will stall until you add more grains/feed. But that should take several weeks or more at room temp.

Well I have 4 tractor that are 12x12. I guess I missed the 's.

 

[Aprildeesunshin]

Ok, so I started my FF feed to be able to feed it to the 30 meaties that should arrive tomorrow. I am sorry if this is a repeat question. I read that the chickens "bathe" in. So how should I feed it to them. I have the little canning jar feeders, the next size up feeders without handles (3lbs?), the next size up with Carrying handles (6lbs?) and the massive metal feeder (30lbs?). I have my feed bubbling and "growing". It is expanding like yeast does to dough. I stir it every day and even 3-4 times a day because it is right with me in my living area. It overflowed several times until I got a system where it won't "bubble over" or grow and spill over the sides of containers anymore. Live and learn... Don't use as much feed next time and fill bucket to the top. I am not starting with chick starter. I had cocci late last fall. Marek's is not on our property and we nave no older birds coming in and out. I have the antibiotics for cocci. Should I put some in their water to keep them safe...is this safe? Should I do something else?