Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Beekissed]

Do you think its ok to feed this to them? I have it also and I also thought it would continue to grow. Mine looks like layer that fell through the holes but a little more pastey (double bucket method). Anyway about every 3 days I scoop a little up and mix it in the feed pan. Should I just leave it??

ETA: refering to the stuff in the bottom of the bucket. I meant to quote.

Not sure just what you mean, but the sludge and things in the bottom bucket in the fermented water have pretty much the same yeasts/molds that are in your FF and, thusly, should be safe to feed. If you have grains landing down there, you might have too large holes drilled in the upper bucket.

Question...

Has anyone observed any changes in the shedding of intestinal lining in the feces in FF vs bagged feed?

We have just been discussing that over on the Road Less Traveled thread and I posted a link about why this happens. It happened for many of us upon starting the FF...it is a normal thing and the fact that it is triggered by the FF, in some way, is a good indication that the FF is healing and improving on the digestive tract.

 

[colburg]

Quote: Hadn't thought about sending it to a lab, but that takes too long most of the time. I send soil and leaf samples to labs for analysis of my orchard and it takes several weeks to get results. I was concerned about feeding it and that's why I started small. I also only had one 5-gal bucket's worth of it so accumulation of the toxins shouldn't be relevant unless they're stored in there for a really long time. Even then, shouldn't the ACV in the water and the FF help defeat those toxins?

There were also a couple of other things that eased my concerns.
1) Others on here have fed funky smelling, funky looking FF with no problems. (Probably different bacteria, I know)
2) I've had some small mold spores show up in my FF buckets that I didn't see until after I had fed the FF.
3) The mold was local. It came out of this air so they've already had some light "exposure" to it. Just like mold in your house. You can't see it and if it builds up in large enough quantities, it can possibly make you sick. But even if you can't see it, you're exposed to it.
4) This mold was the green fuzzy kind, not black. More like what everyone of us has eaten out of our own fridges at some points in time.
5) The LAB in the ACV overcame the mold and prevented it from muliplying, probably killing most of it(this is a guess without any scientific digging).
6) Between the ACV in the FF and the ACV in the water, they have some protection.

I appreciate the concern, and if I get a chance again, I'll send a sample to a lab just so I can know what's going on.

 

[colburg]

Do you think its ok to feed this to them? I have it also and I also thought it would continue to grow. Mine looks like layer that fell through the holes but a little more pastey (double bucket method). Anyway about every 3 days I scoop a little up and mix it in the feed pan. Should I just leave it??

ETA: refering to the stuff in the bottom of the bucket. I meant to quote.

I feed it to mine all the time.
I have 2 2-bucket systems going. One ferments while I feed out of the other, then reload when one's empty, backslop and add water. My backslop is the stuff in the bottom of the bucket. Pour the backslop over the new feed, then to replace the lost water, I spray the bottom of the bucket as I fill it so that everything is loose and will pour into the new feed.

 

[Ken Cook]

Beekissed,

My name is Ken Cook and I'm new to this forum. I have been reading the thread on ferminting feed. It has been about 12 years since I raised chickens and had CxRocks and several other breeds, so I know what the smell is like with the dry feed. I want to try this method of ferminting.

I have 55 chicks ( 15 CxR, 15 Buff Orpingtons, and 25 Fredom Rangers) arriving Friday or Saturday and want to get the process started today. My question is. Should I use just Chick Starter for the 1st 2 weeks Then mix with grains or start with grain only. I figure to use scratch mix for the grain or corn chops.

I was just about to go to the feed store and thought I should read back through the thread, but it is very long. I am only up to page 50 now.

Thanks in advadce for any suggestions,
Ken Cook

 

[Beekissed]

I used the chick starter and just fermented it...it will have a peanut butter consistency but it makes it easy to scoop and feed and doesn't require draining before feeding. After the chick starter was gone I started mine on layer mash and whole grains, a 50/50 mix. It then needed draining, but it went quickly and they could be fed within one minute.

You might want to construct trough feeders if you don't already have some and you might need a wire overlay while they are young to keep them out of the wet mash.

 

[aoxa]

I used the chick starter and just fermented it...it will have a peanut butter consistency but it makes it easy to scoop and feed and doesn't require draining before feeding.  After the chick starter was gone I started mine on layer mash and whole grains, a 50/50 mix.  It then needed draining, but it went quickly and they could be fed within one minute. 

You might want to construct trough feeders if you don't already have some and you might need a wire overlay while they are young to keep them out of the wet mash. 

At what age did you find they went to the wet feed Bee? I tried it on my last chicks until they were 3 day olds, and they refused it. Think they'd go for it now at a week old?

Remember these aren't CX, so they won't eat as easily I have only 3 chicks, so any suggestions on a home made feeder? I have 16 more eggs due to hatch this weekend that I'll add in with them, but lets not count our chicks before they hatch. I want them on FF from day 1, but these three had weird going-ons. 2 had splayed leg (awful incubator - already purchased a liner to prevent slipping) and one kept flipping over for 2 days straight. Finally over that.. Anyway...

 

[Beekissed]

Mine were on wet feeds by the second day of their life..and there were a few DP chicks in the bunch. I mixed buttermilk with their starter on the first couple of days while my FF got ready to feed. I used a muffin pan with a wire overlay for the first days and it worked well..a few feet got wet but overall they stayed pretty dry.

You need to also remember that chicks live off their yolks up to 3 days of their life, so they won't be as hungry or thirsty those first days. Could be why they "refused" it until then?

 

[aoxa]

Mine were on wet feeds by the second day of their life..and there were a few DP chicks in the bunch.  I mixed buttermilk with their starter on the first couple of days while my FF got ready to feed.  I used a muffin pan with a wire overlay for the first days and it worked well..a few feet got wet but overall they stayed pretty dry. 

You need to also remember that chicks live off their yolks up to 3 days of their life, so they won't be as hungry or thirsty those first days.  Could be why they "refused" it until then? 

 

Could be I guess. I did watch them peck food off the ground. By the 4th day I just gave in and gave them dry, because the dish would have been there for 3 days straight. The adults ate it

 

[texasmomma]

Could be I guess. I did watch them peck food off the ground. By the 4th day I just gave in and gave them dry, because the dish would have been there for 3 days straight. The adults ate it

It took my chicks a few days to learn to eat the ff. Maybe even a week before they were eating it like I wanted them to. They don't need as much because it is larger, I think. I ended up putting some on a cloth diaper and having them peck at that. They are 12 days old now and I just finally saw them drink. This ff is different from the dry feed. They waste less, eat less, and drink less. It takes a while for them to eat it like I think they should, but mine were pooping, so I knew it was all ok.

I did freak out and post here on day 2 or something. I am pretty sure they didn't start pecking at the food in the feeder for several more days.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I just took a new batch of ff out to my flock after tossing the old ff yesterday, Well I just found out first hand there was diff something going on with the old batch, They have jumped on this new batch like it's ice cream, even the ducks are eating it. Maybe they don't like it 100 proof.

sure smelled 100 proof.
Now I'm blown away, my gander who is about as picky as any kid can be is out there eating the ff with my goose. Must have gotten this batch just right.