Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Beekissed]

I agree. This whole obsession with protein percentages makes me chuckle....my granny used to feed field corn rubbed right off the cob all year round and whatever the chickens could range for. The chicks got cornmeal. All survived, thrived, grew big and produced just fine without all the input of nutritional charts and feed analysts. My own birds get layer mash as a mere supplement to foraged feed and in the winter I even cut that with 50% whole grains like barley or oats with a smattering of BOSS, never once caring what the protein percentage of that actually is.

If I can get good egg production and a big ol' meaty carcass on that level of feed and someone else spends scads on high pro mixes of this or that, who's the most savvy when it comes to feeding chickens?

Most of that high pro feed is going straight through the bird and winding up on the coop floor, especially if it's not fermented. Might as well flush that money down the commode.

 

[chicken thief]

Thanks,this is the info & help l was looking for. I started with scratch & milk to fatten a few roos. When l saw mix boiling like pudding,l got enthused & wanted to feed all my penned chicks. I know scratch isn't good feed (mines 8-9% mainly corn-milo). When l added store mix, it messed up the brew (harder to drain & feed). I'm trying to find ration With no store mix. I don't even know what 90% of ingredients are or what they are for (essential or preservatives). I passed on bloodmeal or fishmeal due to what l heard here (unless l mix after). Goats milk is higher in protein, calcium, & fat than most cow milk. Plus it's free for the milking. Sunflower meal is lower in fat high in protein (wasn't going to use boss).Checking other high protein meals for best price.My laying hens are completely on their own. 40acre olive Grove in back & dry land cow pasture(grasshoppers) in front plus all the dog food they can steal. I want to grow juveniles store mix free. Just started babies on ff. Oatmeal like consistency. Sorry for being so long winded, but there's 4 years backlog for me to read.

 

[Molpet]

Thanks,this is the info & help l was looking for. I started with scratch & milk to fatten a few roos. When l saw mix boiling like pudding,l got enthused & wanted to feed all my penned chicks. I know scratch isn't good feed (mines 8-9% mainly corn-milo). When l added store mix, it messed up the brew (harder to drain & feed). I'm trying to find ration With no store mix. I don't even know what 90% of ingredients are or what they are for (essential or preservatives). I passed on bloodmeal or fishmeal due to what l heard here (unless l mix after). Goats milk is higher in protein, calcium, & fat than most cow milk. Plus it's free for the milking. Sunflower meal is lower in fat high in protein (wasn't going to use boss).Checking other high protein meals for best price.My laying hens are completely on their own. 40acre olive Grove in back & dry land cow pasture(grasshoppers) in front plus all the dog food they can steal. I want to grow juveniles store mix free. Just started babies on ff. Oatmeal like consistency. Sorry for being so long winded, but there's 4 years backlog for me to read.

welcome to the thread... here is a short cut to FF questions... although not your ration question... most of us don't drain anymore https://tikktok.wordpress.com/2014/04/13/fermented-feed-faq/

 

[lcertuche]

A very good article on fermented feed. I like to use whole grains and soak but this should work for them. The lower cost alone would have me on board with this method. Too many times people think that the more complicated, expensive, etc. the better it must be. I had someone recently insinuate I was stupid for not using formulated feeds when I said that I used mixed grains, kitchen scraps and free range. My chickens seem healthy and look meaty. In the summer I give them less grains but bump it up in the winter when there are less bugs, frogs, snakes, and seedy grasses. Now all I have is pullets but I never had any trouble in the past with my layers. I had eggs all winter although I had game hens then and come spring they started being broody ALL summer long. I've been lurking watching this thread because I want a cheaper, healthy option. From what I see there are a lot of benefits to fermenting feed. I'm willing to try new things so I'm not quiet the cave woman I been accused of, lol. If I had a goat or cow and extra milk I might give them milk to drink but probably wouldn't try using it for fermenting feed in or at least not in the hot summer. I have been know to give my chickens a little molasses in the winter. I wonder if that would affect fermentation? Maybe turn it to rum/feed though the chickens probably wouldn't care one way or the other.

 

[Robert M]

I won't say too much more on this subject because it's getting bazaar now. Most folks in Third World countries feed chickens better than that. I can't understand the high percentage of 'scratch' for chicks. Heck, I fee guilty feeding my 7-five week old Cornish chicks a small hand full of BOSS every day, only because they love it. Otherwise, they have 24% grower ration around the clock and some shaved raw horse meat once a day. When this bag of feed is gone, I will start them on 20% and everything else will remain the same.

I hope someone will get on here and give you some information that will help you and your chickens. Good luck.

Bazaar? Isn't that a flea market?

 

[Turk Raphael]

Bazaar? Isn't that a flea market?

Yes indeed. I used the wrong spelling.

 

[Robert M]

Yes indeed. I used the wrong spelling.

LOL. And you're right, it IS bizarre, for sure.
And HERE? It's hot.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Thanks,this is the info & help l was looking for. I started with scratch & milk to fatten a few roos. When l saw mix boiling like pudding,l got enthused & wanted to feed all my penned chicks. I know scratch isn't good feed (mines 8-9% mainly corn-milo). When l added store mix, it messed up the brew (harder to drain & feed). I'm trying to find ration With no store mix. I don't even know what 90% of ingredients are or what they are for (essential or preservatives). I passed on bloodmeal or fishmeal due to what l heard here (unless l mix after). Goats milk is higher in protein, calcium, & fat than most cow milk. Plus it's free for the milking. Sunflower meal is lower in fat high in protein (wasn't going to use boss).Checking other high protein meals for best price.My laying hens are completely on their own. 40acre olive Grove in back & dry land cow pasture(grasshoppers) in front plus all the dog food they can steal. I want to grow juveniles store mix free. Just started babies on ff. Oatmeal like consistency. Sorry for being so long winded, but there's 4 years backlog for me to read.

We don't bother draining and if I were you I would not drain either. The liquid aids in digestion and keeps your birds hydrated and helps them to not over-eat. I know when I first got chickens I fed Purina. I looked up every single ingredient on the list and most of them were vitamin supplements. A scant handful were preservatives, or things to make digestion/absorption easier. A google search does wonders. You might be surprised to find that a lot of things with strange names are just isolated B vitamins.

 

[Robert M]

We don't bother draining and if I were you I would not drain either. The liquid aids in digestion and keeps your birds hydrated and helps them to not over-eat. I know when I first got chickens I fed Purina. I looked up every single ingredient on the list and most of them were vitamin supplements. A scant handful were preservatives, or things to make digestion/absorption easier. A google search does wonders. You might be surprised to find that a lot of things with strange names are just isolated B vitamins.

You are absolutely right, they will drink that liquid just like water and will get the nutrition that comes with it.
Their bodies know what they need. They may not even go to the water trough, unless it's really hot. Try to keep their water cool, as if you were going to drink it.

 

[MargaretYakoda]

I have photos of my fermenting set up in my signature and i wanted to just update them with these photos. I drilled holes all along the top of the coleman cooler. And we keep a spray bottle of Brags ACV, which I spray on all surfaces inside the cooler every day after we feed the birds
This keeps the mold issue down to zero.