Silkie thread!

[babffel]

The rooster is black and the hen was either black, grey, white, or cuckoo.

 

[LaPetiteFarmer]

People have been fermenting food for themselves and their live stock for centuries. I am new to the process of fermenting feed for my chickens this year. My Silkie chicks love it. They can eat it soupy or oat meal thick. I keep it on the thicker side for my adult growing and breeding Silkies so their crests and beards stay cleaner.

I will post here for you my special recipe that is a marvel at keeping my flock healthy, thriving, worm free, and in good fertility. I feed my day old chicks a non medicated chick starter version and my layer and breeders an all purpose crumble version.

If all you want to ferment is a small amount, say under a gallon at a time, then use a small bucket or a large bowl and keep it on your kitchen counter top covered with a tea towel. If you want to make a three gallon amount, the easiest way is to drill holes in a three gallon bucket on the bottom and around the lower sides. Then you nest the smaller bucket into a larger bucket. I use food grade buckets that my local deli gives away for free.

My basic chick starter recipe is:

Two to Four cups of non medicated chick starter crumble (depends on how many chicks your feeding)
1/2 cup ground pumpkin seed (prevents worms)
Tablespoon to teaspoon of dried organic Cayenne (prevents cocci and worms)
Tablespoon to teaspoon of powdered organic Garlic (many health benefits and prevents worms)
Tablespoon of organic flake Oregano (many health benefits. Mostly a heart benefit.

A splash or glug (Tablespoon or more) of Un-pasturized Apple Cider vinegar from the health food isle. I started with a bottle of Braggs. Now I make my own.

Sometimes I stir in plain yogurt. Fresh crushed garlic cloves. Corn and wheat scratch. Alfalfa cubes. Black Oil Sunflower Seeds and fresh Oregano or Basil from the garden for the adult birds. These additives will put on weight and fat so I'm careful how much and when I add.

Enough water to make it soupy. Cover with a tea towel and let it sit at room temperature for a couple days. It will swell up. Stir it once or twice a day. On the second day it will start to ferment and bubble. It will smell pickle-y or yeast-y. It is fine to dip out, strain, and feed at this point for most health benefits. If it isn't bubbling, it is still ok to feed. Some chicks and chickens will be slow to take to it. Especially if they have only been eating dry crumble. I start mine on it first feed of the morning while they are hungry. Once they get used to the wet mash texture they go crazy for it. My chicks and chickens scamble over the tops of each other to get to the feed dish each morning. I keep the dish full for the chicks. My adult flocks get as much as they will finish in an hour or so and then I feed again before the lights are out for the night. There is a lot of information on FF here on BYC. My favorite thread about it is https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/644300/fermenting-feed-for-meat-birds/4720#post_10583885

Would you mind sharing how you make unpasturized apple cider vinegar with the mother?
Thank you.

 

[silkiemomma42]

I read that you can take frozen apple juice (store brand works as long as no added calcium, added vitamin C is ok though) mix it up and add a shot or two of the braggs acv, cover with a coffee filter and rubber band in a glass or plastic container, then set on a shelf for a month. That's at least one way to do it.

 

[TAMMACLEAN]

Are you talking about your white silkies?

I know it was near impossible to keep my whites clean when allowed outside when it was anything other than sunny and dry. 

This is why I love partridge. They don't look dirty even if they are

I have white, black, buff, & splash and they all are a mess. Like I said everything is melting and muddy too.

 

[moomoodiddy]

Yes. I have a glass bowl on my kitchen counter with fermenting chick starter. I ferment the non-medicated vegetable based bag made by Purina. I feed it when my chicks come out of the incubator until they are two months old. Then I feed them All purpose with lots of additives and goodies to up the protein and nutrition.

so when im frrmenting starter just add water? or can i add a vitamin and acv mix? and then when they get older start adding in them other things like garlic and stuff

 

[PaintedFeathers]

Thanks Tina,
Your words mean a lot to me. I just didn't have the courage to do it... I sat down for quite a while and kept an eye on her... and couldn't do it. It's already difficult to do it whenever they are only chicks, but her she is not a little chick anymore. Anyway, I will wait a bit more and decide to put her down if I see more and more blood. Thank you again

Have any probiotics on hand? Couldn't hurt

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

So, since I've never fermented anything in my life, I thought I'd check to see if this is looking right? Its very actively bubbling- which I read is a good thing. Its also got this white film over the top? You can sort of see it in the picture. I had to ditch the extra container because it wasn't keeping my mix wet enough, but that's ok bc I have another way to strain out the liquid. How often should I add new feed to the mix? Its still bubbling, I think today is the second day it'll have been sitting. Also, it smells really good! I was surprised bc I put a little gamebird feed in it, and everyone who used gamebird crumbs said theirs stunk

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

can u ff starter?

Quote: Yes you can just add water, but it takes longer to start the fermenting. Adding a shot of ACV speeds up the process.

So, since I've never fermented anything in my life, I thought I'd check to see if this is looking right? Its very actively bubbling- which I read is a good thing. Its also got this white film over the top? You can sort of see it in the picture. I had to ditch the extra container because it wasn't keeping my mix wet enough, but that's ok bc I have another way to strain out the liquid. How often should I add new feed to the mix? Its still bubbling, I think today is the second day it'll have been sitting. Also, it smells really good! I was surprised bc I put a little gamebird feed in it, and everyone who used gamebird crumbs said theirs stunk

Looking good. What ever I scoop out is about what I mix new into it and add more water and stir.

 

[Mumsy]

So, since I've never fermented anything in my life, I thought I'd check to see if this is looking right? Its very actively bubbling- which I read is a good thing. Its also got this white film over the top? You can sort of see it in the picture. I had to ditch the extra container because it wasn't keeping my mix wet enough, but that's ok bc I have another way to strain out the liquid. How often should I add new feed to the mix? Its still bubbling, I think today is the second day it'll have been sitting. Also, it smells really good! I was surprised bc I put a little gamebird feed in it, and everyone who used gamebird crumbs said theirs stunk

Bubbling is great. That's fermentation in progress. I add if I'm taking out. Probably add every other day if your just using about a cup or so at a feed.
It was me that used game bird chow. I had three gallons of it going and I didn't like the smell so I went back to all purpose crumble. I add finely ground pumpkin seed, powdered garlic, oregano, and a little bit of cayenne to my chick starter ferment and whole crushed garlic, whole sunflower seeds, or chunks of peppers to the adult ferment. I keep the chick ferment more like baby food consistency. I don't want them getting large pieces stuck in ther proventriculus on the way to the gizzard. Baby chicks will and should get raw meat but really small pieces. Momma hens will feed them bits of worms and creepy crawlies if she is bringing them up outside. Cutting up little bits of raw red meat is yummy to little chicks. Not a treat but considered part of good healthy chick nutrition. Chick starter is a good balanced feed to ferment on it's own. Remember. Non-medicated to ferment. and no metal spoons or containers.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Aha! I thought I'd read about stinky gamebird crumbles on this thread, but couldn't remember Maybe it doesn't stink bc I only added a little. Its mostly layer crumbs, just with a dash of gamebird. I put in a little cayenne and oregano too. My Silkies have never had the FF, but they attacked it when I sat it down for them (their hanging feeder is still full of dry crumbles too). I gave them some yesterday, earlier then I thought I should, since it was bubbling good. It doesn't look like they've even touched the dry food. Once the feeder is empty, I think I'll switch to feeding the FF exclusively since they seem to enjoy it so much!