Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Jeanette56]

Sounds like you have nice system set up!
Are you using 5 gallon buckets to keep your FF in? How do you keep the buckets covered? What kind of feeder do you use for each group?

I've done the FF a couple of months now. Started w/ Chick starter, went to Game bird starter when we added the guineas and turkeys and added scratch grains as they grew. Now my whole flock is getting FF. I have 3 different buckets, one just starter for the babies, one 50/50 for the bigger brooders and a layer/scratch for the hens. The hens still have dry available for the days I get in late from work and go straight to bed. They don't eat much of it tho. I haven't kept track of the actual consumption but I still have the same # of hens and am adding all these chicks but seem to be making less trips to the feed store. One of the girls there even commented that our bill was down and asked if we had been selling. Living in West Texas the fact that they have the extra water is a plus, I always worry that they are getting enough water. The babies brooder is in the spare bedroom and my daughter thought we moved it outside after we started feeding FF, she had always hated the smell. Now no worries.
I had started feeding the FF to the hens because I had an EE pen where the hens had alot of roo damage (Roo went to freezer camp) Wanted the hens to have a little help, I really think they started looking better pretty quick. DH thinks its comical the way he gets mobbed when he has the FF bucket, even tho they have plenty of dry in the feeder. You have to give the Free Rangers their share first in order to be able to walk to the pens or they will get up under foot and trip you tho. Everyone knows that bucket!!

 

[thunderbolt&marjorie]

HI all
Chicks are loving the FF!
Wondering how often to feed them however; right now I am feeding twice a day; they seem to get the feeder cleaned up after about 6 hours. I am feeding in the AM before I go to work (5:45am) and when I get home at 3:30. I check them before I head to bed and there is still a little bit of food left.

Since I am used to feeding free choice, I want to make sure I am feeding them enough.
Does this sound right to folks who have raised chicks? Trying to recall what I read over the last 100 pages however, my memory is not serving me. Sorry to be repeating a question that may have already been asked and answered.

I did lose two chicks; both were weak when they arrived, and I thought they might make it as I saw them both eating and drinking. But found them both this AM dead.

 

[Island Roo]

Quote:
That's exactly how I do - there's food in the feeder for about 12 hours a day total.

I've been giving them the whole cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage plants after the harvest and they chew down to the stalk. They come running when they see me with an armful of greens

 

[thunderbolt&marjorie]

That's exactly how I do - there's food in the feeder for about 12 hours a day total.

I've been giving them the whole cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage plants after the harvest and they chew down to the stalk. They come running when they see me with an armful of greens

I am trying to train them to come when called (they are less than a week old!) by calling 'chick-ens' when I put the full feeder into the brooder, then I 'peck' on it (tap it) with my finger while calling. I want them to come when called when they are older so I can put them up at night instead of trying to 'herd' them!

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Does anyone know how fermented feed compares to sprouted seeds nutrition wise?

 

[mammaducky1]

Is anyone using FF for ducks. I would assume that they too would benefit from it. We are thinking of raising some meat ducks next spring. Would appreciate any info. Thanks.

 

[Jeanette56]

I have not started feeding my ducks FF yet but I suspect it will be better for them because it is a wet feed. In fact, you would not have to be so careful in draining it like you might for chickens since ducks need extra water to process their feed. I am going to start mine on it this week but I had to wait until I had a suitable container for them to eat FF out of.

Is anyone using FF for ducks. I would assume that they too would benefit from it. We are thinking of raising some meat ducks next spring. Would appreciate any info. Thanks.

 

[Jeanette56]

If you could mix the two together it would make an Awesome feed!
Sprouted grains are live food so they are always going to be better than 'dead' pellets or crumbles even if they are FF.
One of the advantages to FF is that it seems to make the nutrients more available.

Does anyone know how fermented feed compares to sprouted seeds nutrition wise?

 

[MonsterClucker]

Hey Bekissed!
Could you please tell me what page the pictures of your FF bucket setup in your coop and your feeder please. I remember seeing them but I wanted to see again. My chicks outgrew the little res feeder so I wanna make a gutter feeder.
Thank ya! Have a Blessed Day!

 

[RAREROO]

What about fermenting plant matter like grass clippings and edible leaf plants and then cut it up into small pieces and miz it with the fermented mash ? Would that the plant matter more nutrient rich and solfter to eat ?