Soaking feed

[Foster's Freehold]

I have 13 birds to feed. They don't get to range, as I don't have enough fencing yet. My feed bowls are in the run, under cover. Now that it is warmer, I have a cat litter bucket I ferment in. It is at the feeding station. I don't know how many days feed are in it, as I've never emptied it. I feed, add back feed and water, give it a stir. Right now, I only keep it about half full.

I feed about midday, about 2 cups per bird. It is of a firmer texture, about where the feed scoop will slowly fallover when stuck in. I might have to go to twice a day or a looser mix in the summer when it will dry out more. Right now, it does dry a bit, but not rock hard. Sometimes they clean it right up, other times they nibble through the day. I'm still getting the servings worked out, and I have adult, juvies and bitties so it will keep changing lol. But, they ALWAYS have something in there to eat.

I take greens or fruit/veg to the run in the late afternoon, they usually have leftovers for in the early morning. I also toss a handful of scratch and greens and scuffle it into the deep litter at close up. This gives them something to occupy their time in the am before I get out there. And, they turn that litter really well looking for the golden nuggets lol.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Rosemarythyme (is that from the British detective show? I truly enjoy it myself). I do two grains feedings a day, plus one of veggies/fruits. Call me crazy! I'm just a "slave to the beaks"

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme

Now I just put that song in everyone's heads.

Yeah I don't have the patience to do FF twice a day. Mine eat the most in the morning since I take away the feeder at night, so I know they'll polish it off the FF pretty quickly before there's any issues with it drying out, but after that it's just simpler to provide pellets for them to nibble at their leisure.

 

[lazy gardener]

I put out a days worth of FF in the morning. It usually lasts them all day long. It is the consistency of thick mashed potato, or cookie dough. When I mix up a new bucket full, I start with about a cup full from previous batch. Add warm water, add dry feed. Mix it. Walk away. I don't touch it again until I am feeding it to the flock the next morning.

 

[Foster's Freehold]

I have 13 birds to feed. They don't get to range, as I don't have enough fencing yet. My feed bowls are in the run, under cover. Now that it is warmer, I have a cat litter bucket I ferment in. It is at the feeding station. I don't know how many days feed are in it, as I've never emptied it. I feed, add back feed and water, give it a stir. Right now, I only keep it about half full.

I feed about midday, about 2 cups per bird. It is of a firmer texture, about where the feed scoop will slowly fallover when stuck in. I might have to go to twice a day or a looser mix in the summer when it will dry out more. Right now, it does dry a bit, but not rock hard. Sometimes they clean it right up, other times they nibble through the day. I'm still getting the servings worked out, and I have adult, juvies and bitties so it will keep changing lol. But, they ALWAYS have something in there to eat.

I take greens or fruit/veg to the run in the late afternoon, they usually have leftovers for in the early morning. I also toss a handful of scratch and greens and scuffle it into the deep litter at close up. This gives them something to occupy their time in the am before I get out there. And, they turn that litter really well looking for the golden nuggets lol.

I have to edit this because I am no longer going to feed them as much greens. Apparently I give them enough that it throws off the protein percentage because I am getting fragile yolks. So now a couple of times a week, I'll mix in a can of cheap mackerel when I feed.

 

[Couchie]

I only heard about soaking and fermenting yesterday. I did a soak of general feed and they seemed to enjoy it and the water that was with it. I was told that soaking expands the food, fills them up more and is good for them. So a few questions if anyone knows the answers I'd appreciated it.

1. Is what I was told about soaking correct?
2. If so, how long should I just soak, not ferment, the food?
3. The chickens seem to enjoy drinking the water from the soaking. Is it okay for them to drink? What if it was soaking for several hours would that make the water bad for them?

All opinions appreciated.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

I only heard about soaking and fermenting yesterday. I did a soak of general feed and they seemed to enjoy it and the water that was with it. I was told that soaking expands the food, fills them up more and is good for them. So a few questions if anyone knows the answers I'd appreciated it.

1. Is what I was told about soaking correct? Soaking introduces more moisture, helps reduce antinutrients like phytic acid (in seeds and legumes), and arguably makes the feed more digestible
2. If so, how long should I just soak, not ferment, the food? I don't soak feed - I do fermented, but here's a thread that may help: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/soaking-starter-feed-opposed-to-actually-fermenting.869258/.
3. The chickens seem to enjoy drinking the water from the soaking. Is it okay for them to drink? What if it was soaking for several hours would that make the water bad for them? I think the soaking water should be ok for them to drink...mine sure enjoy the fermented feed liquid!

All opinions appreciated.

Edited to add that my answers follow your questions above. Why not try FF? If it's of interest, there are many threads on BYC that discuss it, like this one:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-to-make-fermented-feed.1151552/.

 

[Couchie]

Thanks heaps. I will have a good look at those links.

 

[Acre4Me]

I only heard about soaking and fermenting yesterday. I did a soak of general feed and they seemed to enjoy it and the water that was with it. I was told that soaking expands the food, fills them up more and is good for them. So a few questions if anyone knows the answers I'd appreciated it.

1. Is what I was told about soaking correct?
2. If so, how long should I just soak, not ferment, the food?
3. The chickens seem to enjoy drinking the water from the soaking. Is it okay for them to drink? What if it was soaking for several hours would that make the water bad for them?

All opinions appreciated.

We provide dry and wet feed. Dry feed always. Wet feed sometimes. We do not ferment our feed as it would take up space and it is likely to be forgotten at times, and would not like to clean up the mess that might results from forgotten FF.

We put feed into a plastic container (low and wide), add water and let soak for 10 min. Add more till consistency that the birds enjoy - our like it like pancake batter consistency, and do enjoy it to have a layer of water on top. My birds love wet feed - its like a treat to them, and yet they are still getting their proper feed. Plus, I can add scrambled egg or other items to it, and it gets distributed better because the piggy ones can't eat all of whatever mixed in item is there. During hot weather, I usually have to go out and add more water to it because they have slurped up the sitting water, and the rest has gotten to a thicker consistency than they like. I have found that some feeds hydrate quicker than others.

 

[Couchie]

Thanks acre4me. I have also found in the last few days of trying it that the piggy ones are slowed up a bit. I am glad to read that u only soak for ten minutes it does give me something to go by. I didn't think I should feed them egg because it may cause them to eat their own eggs but I am glad to read that someone does.

 

[Acre4Me]

Thanks acre4me. I have also found in the last few days of trying it that the piggy ones are slowed up a bit. I am glad to read that u only soak for ten minutes it does give me something to go by. I didn't think I should feed them egg because it may cause them to eat their own eggs but I am glad to read that someone does.

Raw egg - don't feed that to them, of course! However, I just scramble and cook in the microwave. If cooking for them, I will just crush up the shell into the scrambled egg and cook. Then it gets mixed into the feed. The other day, I crumbled up a lone cooked hamburger patty that no-one else wanted, and added that to the wet feed. I've added sardines or tuna on occasion. Once when we butchered 3 unwanted cockerels, once cooked they were a bit tough and stringy so the humans didn't eat them all...well, the leftovers got chopped up and fed back to the chickens (which they ate in about 3 seconds flat). Chickens are omnivores, after all. Basically, I try to keep in mind the salt content of anything I feed to them - too much salt isn't good for them. And if I'm going to feed them any human food, I try to keep in mind to not take the protein content of their daily intake under 16%. In the summer we will freeze watermelon or other melon rinds and give it to them mid-day as they love to pick at the frozen flesh, no protein, but it does provide water and they aren't getting the highly sugary parts. Through the winter for greens, I've been hydrating alfalfa cubes (type sold for horses) and adding into the wet feed. Interestingly, alfalfa is 16% min protein, so their protein content isn't suffering.

Our feed is 20% grower feed. We always have Oyster shell and grit (crushed granite) available to them in separate containers. If they are let out into our yard, they always pick through the compost pile ...which is primarily egg shells, coffee grounds, tea bags, and random veg bits. They love to pick the egg shells, which drives my tween mad - tries to shoo them away from the pile and we can't turn the pile right now...still frozen.

btw, if you tag someone, you need to use the "@" sign in front of their name. Such as @Couchie , then they will get notified in "Alerts" that they have been tagged.