Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

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[COLOR=4B0082]I've started my ff with just grains.  Now they can pick out the alfalfa and they do.  So, I'm wondering about green stuff.  I've given them alfalfa from a bale before but I see them running around with sticks coming out of their throats.  Doesn't anybody worry about crop impaction with this type of feeding?  My birds all LOVE clover.  I need to get some planted so I can have a source of green feed for them that I can mix into their food or just give it to them loose.  I don't know if I could do it now though with winter coming.  Anybody have any experience in this area?[/COLOR]
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Actually you can plant clover in the winter. If I find the article I'll post it for you. But, you can thrown the seed down before a frost, and when the ground freezes and cracks the seeds fall in. Then when it melts your clover grows. I've been researching clover for a while now, and plan to throw some seed in the run in Febuary. I'll find that link for you.
 
Beekissed said:
Wowza, Peepsca!!!! Thanks for posting that pic of the eggs....what a difference! It would have been cool to have an egg from the same chicken for comparison. How neat is it to be able to enlarge the yolks on your eggs by a simple change in feeding? As for your FF...if it ain't broke, don't fix it! They are still getting some good probiotics and if you want the ones from the ACV, just put those in your water. Keep doing what you are doing because you must be doin' somethin' right!!!
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Thanks Bee, I've been cooking, boiling/pickling lots of these little eggs from my little Quail Hens for the past couple months (I get at least a dozen a day and they add up quick), and I did notice the first few eggs from each Hen as they started laying were a little on the small side but after that I haven't seen/noticed much variance in the yolk (or egg) sizes until now, a week into them being fed the FF. Before that they've all had cute but consistently pitiful little yolks no matter the egg size.

Today I noticed that the FF egg contents seemed to pour out of the shell in one thicker blob, rather than a blob of yolk and albumen and then some residual runny albumen/liquid that dripped from the shell like the older egg. Not sure if that's because the older egg was aged and refrigerated, not fresh, or if that change is also because of the FF. (The egg on the right is was super fresh/still warm when I cracked it into the cup, the smaller one was cold from the fridge). Either way, there's a definite change in the eggs that I'm happy with... and plus there is zero FF wasted compared to how so much of their dry game bird feed ended up on the ground (and feeding the wild birds) before.

I did start adding the Bragg UP/ACV to their water... but I wasn't sure if they'd be getting a higher dose of the goodies in it if I added it to the FF instead. I split my bottle of Bragg into 2 gallon jugs of grocery store brand ACV, so the birds may end up getting both, eventually.
 
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yes, I have and that stuff looks wonderful but... $$$$$

I've been pondering over ways to do it without buying their system. There was a lady, on here I think, that sprouted her oats or something in some little plastic mesh type baskets and built holders for them so she could feed them without getting them under foot and they would stay clean. That sounds like the way to go for me. If I can just sprout something without it spoiling on me, I wouldn't have this dilemma! The sun is pretty bright here, year round. Is there a way to sprout in baskets without having soaked them first? From what understand, its the soaking that causes them to spoil so quickly?
 
Hi All,
I read on a Marens Yahoo post that chickens could not digest barley because chickens did not have enzymes necessary to digest barley, does fomenting barley release the benefits of barley?
Thanks,
JAC
 
holy cow I got to the end of this forum! (for about 90 nanoseconds I suspect
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)
Just throwing in my 2 cents - have been on FF for about 4 weeks now. My raggedy skanky lethargic BCM hens and 1 roo that I 'rescued' 5 weeks ago have filled out, their feathers are getting glossier by the day (had a rare day of sunshine today and noticed how shiny
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they were getting) and have started laying their lovely dark chocolate eggs (3 of the 6 hens so far). They all were having a hard moult, and looked terrible. 2 of them have such fluffy butts I am wondering if they are trying to mutate into Buff Orpingtons!
They all share the FF with 4 turkeys who need snorkels the way they dive into the bucket on the way to all the little trays I use. I spread them around so the turkeys don't hog it all.
The turkeys are also glossy and healthy looking (from my newbie experience
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). The poos do seem to alternate from firm to yellow and very liquid and I think that is because I give them about 10 % dry turkey/ gamebird feed.
LOVE these forums, also looking into sprouting for the winter to save the little beasties eating my cabbages and other winter veg I have planted next to their enclosure.
Oh and I finally got 1 BCM hen to eat a slug today - keep reading that chickens eat slugs but not my little bantams. YAY! Hate slugs......
 

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