Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[jrsckn]

Alright, I went over my notes 5 times, the numbers are correct, the CX aren't processing the ff as efficiently. BUT, the amount of the difference is negligible and the benefits of cleaner, less smelly birds are more valuable to me at this point. Time will tell if it'll pay off in the end.

 

[crazychickenwom]

Can you give us any info on how much you have fed and the costs? Once or twice aday feedings?

Thanks

Hi tallgrass!

Unfortunately I cannot give exact measurements on how I have fed because the 20 meats and my 13 layers have all been eating the FF I make. I also usually toss a spoon-full or two of the stuff into my buckeyes as a treat. I can tell you that I feed twice a day and for the first 4 weeks was going through a 3 gallon bucket of mixed FF (full when wet and absorbed) and am now up to a 5 gallon bucket. I have found it is easier for me not to strain the grower and grain mix, but to just add water enough to allow it to all (mostly) be absorbed by morning. I have gone through about 150 pounds of the starter / grower, but again this also feeds the 13 other layer babies, as well as half of the buckeye dry feed, I am currently reducing them from turkey starter. I also replenish the ACV if the smell does not seem strong enough, and it is always better by morning. I move the tractor the meats are in every day now and am down to 19 meats in the pen. One was runtish and just not growing right so she is in the coop with the layer babies. Doing well, walking better now that she isn't getting trampled, and still eating like a champ! The meats are free ranging from 9 - 10 am or so... before feeding, 12 - 2pm and sometimes 6 - 7pm before the last feeding. I am going to probably have to stop the free range 9 - 10am because all they do is chase me around wanting their food! What a sight to see, 19 chickes in a row following me around the farm, I am sure the neighbors are getting a kick outta that! I will try to get some pictures of them today. Hope some of my info was helpful!

 

[kelpieschick]

Hey everyone, just updating that my birds are doing super well on the FF as well. They are still on their first bag of 22 % starter and will be switching over to their 19 % grower at the end of this week. They are exactly two weeks old today, they are feathering in really nicely and are eating up a storm. They are nice little foragers and scratchers and will be out of their broody box at the end of this week. Actually some of them ALREADY get out of their broody box when I feed in the morning by flying up onto the edge of it and then leaping over the side ha ha. I put shavings down outside it to soften their landings but one little girl now makes the trek across the linoleum and "helps" me to fill the feed troughs. Then she follows me back to the box and waits impatiently for me to lift her back over the wall. These guys make me laugh every day.

After tinkering with my recipe a bit I am now feeding them just the fermented food (no dry) and just adding enough water each time to cover it so I can just scoop and serve at each feeding. The straining was getting a bit tedious. This is working great and I add ACV every other day or so just to keep it brewing. So far so good! I'm a little scared about the reports of lack of weight gain. My guys seem huge to me so I'm hoping that I'm doing the right thing. I booked the processing date for 9 weeks and am hoping to get 4 - 5 lb carcasses back. Fingers crossed!

 

[galanie]

Thought I'd update on my layers eating Fermented scratch. I have basically just been giving them scratch (milo, corn, and wheat) with extra wheat for a few months now and as I expected, they finally have started laying thinner shelled eggs and fewer of them. The ones that have been laying, that is. More than half have been broody and I've had a time breaking them. So I'm putting 20% layer pellets in the mix now too. They need the extra stuff but don't want to eat it. Fine. They will starve until they do haha.

I am also switching from the ACV ferment to yeast. I'm just sick and tired of the smell from the ACV stuff. It starts out fine then starts smelling like garbage after about a week. The girls still love the food no matter how it smells to me but I just don't want to smell that stuff any more. I just can't keep it going ok, I suppose we must have some wild something that spoils it. I'd rather smell just about anything else at this point, no matter what it is. Even the smell from the pure nothing-but-oats-and-water that I had originally. It actually smelled really good up next to this stuff.

So yes I'm making too many changes at once but the scratch is still in there for them to pick out and they'll just have to adjust. And they will. My few customers know that I'm struggling with so many broodies right now that I don't have many eggs anyway. They're just waiting for the eggs to start really rolling again so now is a good time to hit the reset button lol.

 

[Island Roo]

Quote:
Hey kelpieschick

There seems to be a lot of difference in the growth of chicks from different hatcheries. If you got yours from Rochester (which is likely if you're on VI) then you should be ok in that regard. Mine are from Rochester and at 8 weeks the they averaged 8.7 pound. A little over 9 weeks now and I have a couple over 12 pounds.

I've only been fermenting since week 7 so it's not really a fair comparison. I just wanted to compare hatcheries.

Can wait for Tuesday - BB day (butcher 'n barbeque)

 

[chicks4fun]

I got mine from TSC this year, which was from Mt Healthy. I have go in and out for YEARS from TSC, I've seen their shipping slips and they all get their chicks from Mt Healthy. Its a corp contact. I have read OVER and OVER again that Welp Hatchery has some AMAZING Cornish x. So if I can find someone to split an order with me next year, I may just order from them.

I am happy to say, I did another weigh in last night and my 2 lightest birds finally hit 5 lbs and the bigger of them are now over 6 lb each. So we're getting there. That's enough that I will process them next week one way or another. So I'm not really screwing much up!? lol

Ok, swinging by the feed store today to pick up the flock raiser again... its probably the cheapest option.

In my area I got my CX from Southern States, they also buy from Mt Healthy.
I've never raised them before so I have nothing to compare but they are 6 weeks and too small to process.

 

[vfem]

Well I got another person who goes on and on about Welp having awesome cornish... so I need to find someone to split an order locally with me. I'm going to have another go at this.

 

[doubleatraining]

Well I got another person who goes on and on about Welp having awesome cornish... so I need to find someone to split an order locally with me. I'm going to have another go at this.

I'll split an order with you when I get rid of everyone I have now!

 

[vfem]

Double, you got a deal! They have shipping included in the price so that's awesome.

 

[bj taylor]

i can now officially contribute to this thread. i am glad. i have 9 birds (dp). i've been messing with the fermenting process with no success. i couldn't get my buckets to do what i needed. hubby suggested & i bought two packages (@ $3.47 for two per package) of five gallon mesh strainers from home depot in the paint dept. the feed is now sitting in the mesh bag inside the 5 gallon bucket fermenting finally.
i'm hoping the bags last a long time & are worth the expense. for such a small operation as mine, it was absolute simplicity.