Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Pozees]

As for increasing protein, I don't see much discussion about field peas - they are about 25% protein. It ferments nicely and my chickens love it.

Here we get what the feed mill calls Trapper Peas, anytime I ask for field peas - do you have any idea whether they are the same?

 

[Lacy Blues]

At 7 pm before I feed I ring a loud buzzer. Took 2 weeks for the full effect but now if I am going to town and won't be home at 7 to feed I can ring that buzzer and every chicken no matter where they are comes running in the coop to eat and I just shut the door and go away not having to worry when it gets dark.
Now this is not going to work for every body but like I said it works for me.

Love Love LOVE this idea! Thanks pigeonguy!

 

[Island Roo]

I have a question about using peas---do they fall under the category of beans in that they need to be cooked before giving to chickens? There are several non-GMO feeds available in this area that use field peas as a protein source, but I know they are not cooked (because one of the formulas is mash).

What is the difference between field peas and split peas?

Field peas are the same as split peas except the outer coating is removed so the two sides of the pea fall apart. I get field peas from the feed store and split peas from the grocery store but they come from the same plant. Yellow and green are just different varieties.

Never heard of a trapper pea.

They do not need to be cooked for chickens.

 

[Beekissed]

I feed once in the evening...if I know they need to be confined for some reason in the evening, I just go to the coop and feed. Everyone follows me and I close the doors. No need for a buzzer but the same concept. Conditioned responses are a handy tool for livestock keeping.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I feed once in the evening...if I know they need to be confined for some reason in the evening, I just go to the coop and feed. Everyone follows me and I close the doors. No need for a buzzer but the same concept. Conditioned responses are a handy tool for livestock keeping.

I whistle and it doesn't matter where they are they come running.

 

[flappinhappy]

most GNC's carry it

 

[BeccaSmith]

I really need to sit down and read this entire thread, I have been wanting to try my girls on fermented feed for a while, hoping it will clear up their messy poo's some of them have. Anyways, I have a quick question. I know I have seen on here that pumpkins stored through the winter in an unheated shed for a while are fine to feed to chickens, well I have a butternut squash that I harvested several weeks ago, went to the squash stash for dinner and found it soft with a moldy spot on it, would feeding it to the chickens be the same as feeding fermented pumpkins? I really don't see what the difference would be, other then the amount of time the butternut squash hasn't been very long. I'm hesitant to feed this to my girls and I am just thinking of putting it in the compost bin, what should I do? Feed it or compost it?

 

[flappinhappy]

You can do it even quicker with one jug of mother vinegar that you split off into jugs of regular, pasteurized ACV. That way you don't have to wait for the apple juice to ferment...just instant vinegar with the mother. This can go on exponentially....just keep buying the cheaper, pasteurized ACV and place a little mother vinegar in it and you have a jug sitting there forming more cultures. That jug can be split off, and those jugs can be split off...and it doesn't have to end.

Pardon the newbie but how much faster? I am new to chickens (first full year) and am eager to learn the best husbandry from the outset through the OT's here.

 

[chickachee]

Okay someones showing their age.

Yup. I'm no Spring chicken, but not quite ready for the compost heap yet!!

 

[Kassaundra]

Yup. I'm no Spring chicken, but not quite ready for the compost heap yet!!

I would have denied it, and said "I got all my info from reruns on satellite!