Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Beekissed]

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!

I have NO idea! I've been traveling for days, so sorry if I missed any questions...but I'll post a video link that shows the feeder and FF bucket.

 

[MonsterClucker]

  I have NO idea!  I've been traveling for days, so sorry if I missed any questions...but I'll post a video link that shows the feeder and FF bucket.

Aw shucks! Lol

My 4G isn't working out here in the boonies so I can't watch videos until I go in town. Ive seen all of your videos, I'm trying to remember how you had the top on your feeder and how your buckets were hanging right there by the door???

And I did wanna ask you something....
You leave your FF buckets in the coop right? What about when it gets real hot outside? Is that ok for the FF? I'm sure it gets in the 90's in my coop and didn't want to ruin my feed.

 

[Beekissed]

Fermented feed can only get more fermented...but you need to feed the bugs or they die and new, bad bugs move in~thus the reporting of a rotten smell in the feed. Fresh feed in the mix can feed them well.

If my coop is cool enough for chickens, it's cool enough for their feed....and that bucket gets completely emptied of feed every other day, so it's not hanging around long. (pun intended!

)

I keep the lid cracked on my bucket to allow the built up gases from the fermentation a chance to escape..you don't want to have that explode in your face when you open it.

I just leave the buckets sitting right by the coop door. When it's feeding time, I take fresh water and feed(if it's refill day) to the coop and lift the top bucket out of the bottom bucket a little ways and let the excess water drain while I am tending to the water bucket. It is fully drained by the time I refill my water buckets. Then I feed out of it, replace it to the bottom bucket, refill with fresh feed and water, stir well, place the lid with one side not sealed and go about my merry way.

I left this trough feeder open, without a wire overlay, because the meaties would be gone soon. For layer flocks, I'd definitely place wire over the top of the feeder to keep them out of it. With meaties, they'd get on top of it anyway and bear that wire down and ruin it. They are not quite the normal bird and their feed is gone so fast that it doesn't matter how much they get in it...it's gone. And whatever they scraped out onto the floor is soon gone..with CX, there is no nice, quiet feeding times where the hens politely stick their heads into the feeder and eat a handful of bites and go about their way.

 

[MonsterClucker]

Fermented feed can only get more fermented...but you need to feed the bugs or they die and new, bad bugs move in~thus the reporting of a rotten smell in the feed.  Fresh feed in the mix can feed them well. 

If my coop is cool enough for chickens, it's cool enough for their feed....and that bucket gets completely emptied of feed every other day, so it's not hanging around long.  (pun intended!  ) 

I keep the lid cracked on my bucket to allow the built up gases from the fermentation a chance to escape..you don't want to have that explode in your face when you open it. 

I just leave the buckets sitting right by the coop door.  When it's feeding time, I take fresh water and feed(if it's refill day) to the coop and lift the top bucket out of the bottom bucket a little ways and let the excess water drain while I am tending to the water bucket.  It is fully drained by the time I refill my water buckets.  Then I feed out of it, replace it to the bottom bucket, refill with fresh feed and water, stir well, place the lid with one side not sealed and go about my merry way. 

I left this trough feeder open, without a wire overlay, because the meaties would be gone soon.  For layer flocks, I'd definitely place wire over the top of the feeder to keep them out of it.  With meaties, they'd get on top of it anyway and bear that wire down and ruin it.  They are not quite the normal bird and their feed is gone so fast that it doesn't matter how much they get in it...it's gone.  And whatever they scraped out onto the floor is soon gone..with CX, there is no nice, quiet feeding times where the hens politely stick their heads into the feeder and eat a handful of bites and go about their way. 

Thanks mama.
Love ya! Lol

 

[Lacy Blues]

Has anyone tried adding a little fresh garlic to their fermented feed as an anti-viral/health benefit boost?

 

[thunderbolt&marjorie]

Hi All
All is going well so far with the FF; I did lose three of my 26 Ranger chicks.

One came with a bad foot/leg, and one was very wobbly/weak, and despite them eating and drinking, didn't make it after 3 days. Then on day 5, lost another one I noticed wasn't zooming around like the others.

Remaining Rangers and my 5 SLW all doing great, loving the feed, absolutely mob me when I reach in to grab the feeder!

I have also fed a bit to my adult birds, who love it. Tomorrow a brewing friend is giving me his spent grains; my plan is to mix them in with some of the starter and ferment them for the adults as the chicks are still too little for that (only a week + old) Will report back on that.

Best thing so far: NO PASTY BUTT!!! Two of my SLW had minor issues on one day, but I was sprinkling some dry crumbles to encourage them to eat. One cleaning and all have been great since!

Poo smell: somewhat reduced I would say and has more of a 'sweet' odor to it (less unpleasant!)

 

[Jeanette56]

I'll try it if you will!

Has anyone tried adding a little fresh garlic to their fermented feed as an anti-viral/health benefit boost?

 

[Chicken Chaser]

We have recently befriended a local beer brewer. We collect his spent grains in contractor trash bags. The gruel is already soaked and we are slowly sun drying batches
spread out over sheets & canvas, occasionally changing the wet for dry sheets. After drying we store in used seed bags closed with zip ties. During this process we have been feeding the wet gruel to our chickens and ducks. The young chicks and ducks, as well as the adult chickens, can't get enough, even though the fermenting grains smell like Milwaukee's best. Our two adult ducks prefer the store bought grain and won't be long for the stew pot. These birds were purchased for egg production and the older chickens and ducks should be of age in several weeks. Lookin forward to an eggscellent Autumn.

 

[Zootopia]

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?

Actually I don't cover the buckets any more, they are out in the shed which these days is averaging 100 degrees and I make sure they are plenty wet. I haven't added any ACV or yeast in over a week. I feed out all but about 1/4 and just fill the buckets back up. I have a 2 1/2 gal bucket for the babies, since there aren't that many at a time and they don't stay in the baby brooder long. I throw a little grit and dry crumble down every day or so to get them ready for the grains. The rest are in 5 gal buckets.
I use the red plastic round feeders without putting the jar on for the babies about twice a day. The long feeders with the round holes in for the juv, I just flip the lid open in the afternoon so they finish off the bottom. The big birds I use the black rubber dog bowls just because I have them around.

 

[JoyfulPromise]

Ok Beekissed or anyone else, I have a question... We recently got some 5 gallon buckets (Yay!), so I have been able to keep a whole day's worth of feed (and more) in one bucket. With our laying hens, I give them two feedings of FF each day, once in the morning and one in the late afternoon/evening. I was under the impression that it was best if the FF was allowed to soak/ferment for at least 24 hours. But if I wait until the evening to put more food in for the next day, then it will only be a bit over 12 hrs before the next morning feeding. Likewise, if I were to add food after I take some out for each feeding, then some of the food would not have soaked as long by the next feeding. Is this ok, or should I have two buckets and rotate them, filling one at the end of the day, and using the second one (which has already been soaking for a whole day) for the next day's feedings, while the first bucket is soaking? Even if I were to have enough for two days in one bucket, if I wait until it gets down to the bottom before re-filling with fresh food and water, then the next day's food won't be as fermented. Am I over thinking this? How do you all work this out?