Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Island Roo]

What is the pigeon method?

It's described in the link. I just named it the "pigeon method" a couple minutes ago

Uh oh, there an image of a bucket in the sky - the chickens must be hungry and are using the bucket signal. To the bucket cave boy wonder!!!

 

[unkadan]

I noticed that my layers seem a lot less interested in my FF since I started adding rabbit pellets to the mix (bought them thinking they were alfalfa pellets). They will eventually eat the FF but not nearly as happily has they had been before.

I had added the rabbit pellets once before and also noticed the lack of interest so I stopped adding the pellets and the layers were much more interested in the FF. Day before yesterday I added some more of the rabbit pellets back into the mix and their interest and desire for the FF went way down. I guess it really does matter what you put into the FF mix. I think I will stick to the layer pellets/scratch/3-way feed.

Interestingly I put some of the rabbit pellets into a bowl (I want to use them up!) and added just plain old water and the chickens greedily drank the water and this morning the bowl was clean! Don't know if they cleaned it or if they had some help during the night. Filled the bowl up again this morning with the pellets and water and they all crowded around the bowl drinking. The pellets were still solid on the bottom so they were not eating them yet. Will see what happens during the day.

I wonder why they don't like the rabbit pellets in the FF though.

salt content maybe? I raise rabbits and my chickens won't eat a rabbit pellet unless it's been run through the rabbit,,,

 

[Lacy Blues]

Have you guys been sneaking a little ff on the side?

 

[Lacy Blues]

This has been a great thread and I've loved all the info and stories, especially interested in the ones where you give statistics on raising meat birds. Most of you seem to be doing cornishX or freedom rangers. Have any of you done a batch of dual purpose birds with the idea of eating the roos and keeping the girls for laying?

I have Delawares for my meat project. I am very pleased with the results from feeding the ff. We ate one Delaware a few weeks back and boy did it have some flavor! Nothing like the mushy stuff from the local grocer! I don't generally like breast meat because it just gets too dry. Well, we had breast meat in this one meal... my daughter sauteed the meat then added marinara sauce and cheese to it. I specifically wanted to taste the meat, so after eating all the goodies off, I tasted the meat. WOW is all I can say. I don't know if it was from the ff or just because they are Delawares but it was fabulous! Loads of flavor and not at all dry! Absolutely scrumptious!

 

[binders]

Quote: That may be it. I was asking for alfalfa pellets at the feed sotre and they said that they had a 25lb bag of these rabbit pellets if I want them. I didn't want to buy a whole 50 lb bag before I knew if the chickens would eat it. Didn't know that the rabbit pellets had all that other stuff added to it. Live and learn! Isn't that what life is all about.

 

[Ashdoes]

When I went to the feed store and decided I just didn't want to buy 50# of alfalfa, i figured I would just buy rabbit pellets at walmart. Well when I got there and looked at the back of the bag, there was at least 25 ingredients in the rabbit pellets. That just didn't seem like something I wanted to feed my chickens.
What's the opinion on the grass pellets? The feed store had alfalfa or grass, in cube and pellet form. Since most of your chickens don't care for alfalfa, do you think the grass pellets are a better way to go for greens? I could make my ferment a little wetter, and mix the pellets in in the morning when I'm filling the trough.

 

[Zanna]

I have Delawares for my meat project. I am very pleased with the results from feeding the ff. We ate one Delaware a few weeks back and boy did it have some flavor! Nothing like the mushy stuff from the local grocer! I don't generally like breast meat because it just gets too dry. Well, we had breast meat in this one meal... my daughter sauteed the meat then added marinara sauce and cheese to it. I specifically wanted to taste the meat, so after eating all the goodies off, I tasted the meat. WOW is all I can say. I don't know if it was from the ff or just because they are Delawares but it was fabulous! Loads of flavor and not at all dry! Absolutely scrumptious!

I raise Delawares as well. In trying to breed SOP birds, lots of culls! Lovely table birds at 16 weeks.

 

[Celie]

You don't actually have to add anything except water the grains will ferment on thier own. I have been fermenting for over 1.5 years grains and have never added any yeast or vinegar or anything.

Well guys, I went out day before yesterday to see this white growth on the top, fearing mold, I tossed it out. I replaced it with corn, mixed grain, oats and Gamebird/Turkey grower crumbles, in the same proportions and a hand full of BOSS thrown in. I added a can of beer and fulled the bucket with water to cover. An hour later, the feed was bubbling and had absorbed all if the water and still thickening. Yesterday, I used out of the bucket and the Turkeys almost knocked me down, trying to get more. It was still bubbling. I replaced what I thought I had used, but when I went back out an hour later, I found the brew had overfilled the bucket. It is outside on a picnic table and the turkeys had eaten all that had spilled plus down to about 8 inches from the top rim. I covered it again. Last night DH found some of the Heinz unfiltered ACV. I added it this morning after taking out some feed. I also added some to the flocks water, which they do not like. I put some in the meaties water, too. So far it has not started to bubbly again, but I stirred it well and replaced the top, which is loose and has a small hole for air. The turkeys have removed it twice and started eating, instead of doing any foraging. So I had to put a weight on top to keep them out. The high here today is in the mid 80's so it should resume fermenting. I will report back when it does!

 

[pigeonguy]

All chickens are different and like different things to eat I found out by accident mine like rabbit pellets. I was feeding the rabbit and dropped some pellets and the chickens came up and ate them. You know with that famous mine mine mine mine so I threw some more down and they ate them so I put them in the ferment. I only put about 1 cup in one day then 1 cup the next and then none on the third and forth then started over again. They eat it like crazy. There are two reasons I don't put them in all the time. 1 greens should only make up 30% of their diet or so I read. 2 I am concerned about my ferment bucket so far no problems.OK 3 reasons 3 I put sweet 16 in bucket 2 which is not in bucket 1 every day to soak up extra juice but not the same amounts all the time. On days that I put rabbit pellets in I don't use as much sweet 16 I just use more dry mash to soak up extra juice.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Well guys, I went out day before yesterday to see this white growth on the top, fearing mold, I tossed it out. I replaced it with corn, mixed grain, oats and Gamebird/Turkey grower crumbles, in the same proportions and a hand full of BOSS thrown in. I added a can of beer and fulled the bucket with water to cover. An hour later, the feed was bubbling and had absorbed all if the water and still thickening. Yesterday, I used out of the bucket and the Turkeys almost knocked me down, trying to get more. It was still bubbling. I replaced what I thought I had used, but when I went back out an hour later, I found the brew had overfilled the bucket. It is outside on a picnic table and the turkeys had eaten all that had spilled plus down to about 8 inches from the top rim. I covered it again. Last night DH found some of the Heinz unfiltered ACV. I added it this morning after taking out some feed. I also added some to the flocks water, which they do not like. I put some in the meaties water, too. So far it has not started to bubbly again, but I stirred it well and replaced the top, which is loose and has a small hole for air. The turkeys have removed it twice and started eating, instead of doing any foraging. So I had to put a weight on top to keep them out. The high here today is in the mid 80's so it should resume fermenting. I will report back when it does!

Sounds like you had a ff brawl on your hands. Good and fermented sounds like to me.