Now, my Peafowl and Guineas don't like the fodder as much as the waterfowl and poultry..but they will nibble on it. I'm also feeding the Fermented Feed to everyone, and everybody LOVES it...so I may switch over to fermenting just whole grains (whole oats, whole barely, etc). I am so sick and tired of the nasty, dry, dusty, expensive commercial feed that is full of corn syrup and all kind of junk, that my birds (and myself) don't even like.
Anyone else thinking about switching over to just fodder, or doing all organic feed? I
~ Aspen
I feed fermented whole grains to my kids, as well as fodder. The fermenting whole grains is SO easy. as far as mixing your own, Harvey Ussery has severy EXCELLENT articles about it. Although he says that oats and barley should not in combineation exceed 15% of the diet, because they cause loose stools, I have not found this to be so. It is my guess that the fermentation predigests the grains, as well as populating the digestive tract with good bacterias, and alleviates this problem. also, I have found this site to be very helpful
https://homesteadapps.com/app/free/feedcalc/pearsonsquare.php they list the protien percentage of most of the available grains/supplements, and give you a calculator to help calculate portions of addatives. remember, that fermenting makes 12% more protien available, so it will actually increase the protien of your feed. My feed (corn and soy free) works out to 18% protein, but because it's fermented it's a little more than that. I give this to all the birds, and then in winter supplement with a morning feeding of fodder. I'm giving the fodder to my meat birds year round, since they don't have as much acess to free choice of greens in the tractor, we'll see how that goes. I don't think I'll go to all fodder for the chickens. More because I think it's good for them to have a variety of kinds of foods in their diets than because I think it would be nutritionally bankrupt. In the wild they eat seeds, grasses, and sources of animal protien. I would like to replicate that for them the best I can. I'm hoping to raise black soldier fly larva this summer, and I want to start a dubia roach colony as well.... I think both will be cost efficient ways to supplement feed protien. the BSF really mostlly for the meat chickens in the summer since they have limited forage, and the roaches for the layers in the winter when good animal protien is scarce (and/or expensive).
I actually am trying to plan enough veg crops to feed more to the birds. Looking at how to turn wood lands into more growing are. For alfalfa and the like. I would like to try sprouting the oats one more time now that warmer weather is here; and I am still tring to get hte hang of FF.
Looking at heritage corns and squash. Beets-- for leaves and root.
I'm growing heritage corn 3 sisters style this year for the chickens! We'll eat the dried beans, but the majority of the corn and squash will go to the birds. We'll see how it works!! I'm super excited about it. Harvey ussery grows mangel (sp?) or feed beets for his chickens, stores them in a cold storage (basically a pit in the ground from what I understand) and throws them in whole during the winter, he says his chickens go nuts over them. I may try this next year..... too many options and not enough time or land! I was also thinking I could grate some beets or whiz them in my blender and add them to the my fermented feed. the chickens like broccoli stems and other hard veggie leftovers that way. I've even chopped up dandilion roots and added them to the ferment when I weed my graden. They're a mineral and vitamin powerhouse, and the chickens eat them right up fermented.
So does this really save money? I've been meaning to do this anyway for juicing purposes.
And does the grain type matter much?
well, for every one pound of feed you get six pounds of fodder! seems like a good return on money to me! and you can't beat the nutritional benefits of a good green superfood in the winter or any other time greens are not available. also I think it gives the chickens something to do in the winter. Mine seem to really enjoy scratching the fodder apart and running around with bits of it!
