Texas

[magpiesing]

Hope you catch those coons.

Cat food and marshmellows, they say it's the best best bait to catch coons. Hope you get the varmits and you don't loose any more hens.

 

[magpiesing]

Has anyone used the little cups with floats that are hooked to a pipe? I got 6 of them. Thought they would work well for our big birds. We have a 10 gallon igloo jug for the reservoir and will run PVC into the coop with the jug outside for easy access.

 

[hensfortherapy]

here are my new heritage reds hatched last sunday. i selected for long wide flat backs this year. these chicks really show it . the camera doesnt do thier color justice they are really dark .

Oh my, too cute. I do not need chicks....I do not need chicks.... okay I may need just a few chicks.

 

[Ms Jellybean]

You guys are not helping me with my resolve for no chicks!!

You saw how well my resolve to wait went away once people started posting the chick pics.

How do you make fermented feed? Is it is just a diet for chicks? I just fed chick starter to the ones I had last fall. I want to feed them the best I can, so will take recommendations. Thanks Magpie

see below

Has anyone used the little cups with floats that are hooked to a pipe? I got 6 of them. Thought they would work well for our big birds. We have a 10 gallon igloo jug for the reservoir and will run PVC into the coop with the jug outside for easy access.

I've read they usually clog up.

Quote:
Originally Posted by 8isenuff


I had been fermenting for a couple weeks and the chickens loved it. Then they stopped one day....I looked at the jar and it had white mold growing....i thoroughly cleaned the jars and started over....the next batch, no mold, but the first time I opened it smelled pretty "off"....it normally would smell like tart wet cat food....this smelled like rotting fruit or something.... Any idea what might be going on? I've been using masin jars and lids....could they be harboring germs even after washing?

I've just bee using layer pellets....

*******************
I've done a bit of research on FF and I asked Beekissed (on here) about it as well. There is a really long thread you can read, but this sums it up pretty well. This is his reply to my questions on it.


Fermenting starter food for chicks is as simple as placing starter in a bucket and pouring water into it until you've mixed all the feed well enough that it's moistened fully. Add more water~about 6 in. more~to account for further absorption. You can add some mother vinegar~doesn't really matter how much..just a splash~or not, your preference. Leave it somewhere warm and you can place a lid over it but don't snap it down tight on all sides..leave a crack for air exchange. The next day, give it a stir. Is it about the consistency of peanut butter or very thick oatmeal? Perfect. If too dry, add just a little more water until it's a smooth, thick mixture that can be stirred. You should see some bubbles rising when you stir. If not, no worries. Sniff it...does it still smell sweet or does it have a slight sour smell like sourdough bread? If still sweet, it will need more time, if smelling sour, the fermentation has started and you can start feeding it then. You don't really need to strain it if you keep your mixture nice and thick. Just stir it every day before you feed to moisten the top of the feed and then feed it out to the chicks.

A feeder that doesn't allow them to get into the feed can save you a lot of trouble...I used an old muffin pan with a piece of fencing over it to keep them from wading in the feed. No longer than the feed stays in the metal of the pan, it won't start leaching into the feed, so no worries there. Just dish out what they can clean up in a couple of hours, twice a day. Good deep litter will help clean off the feed residue from their faces, chests or feet. Don't place the feed directly under the light or the top will bake hard, but keep it near the circle of light to keep it warm. Check back on it later and if it has gotten a crust, just stir that up and they will eat the rest of the feed quite easily. If you are finding they can't clean it up in a couple of hours, feed a little less next time until they have cleaned the entire feeder before they get fed once again.

Don't worry about mixing this or that in your chicken feed...folks get a little too wrapped up in that and it makes them feel like they are doing something special, but it's not necessary unless you are mixing in a cheaper grain to cut the protein percentage and to save money. If it isn't saving you money, it's not worth the bother. That's one of the reasons to do fermented feed, so adding expensive grains or supplements to the mix is kind of defeating the purpose and is entirely unnecessary~not to mention is giving the chickens too much protein. USDA sources on information about the protein percentage of brewer's grains(a less potent end product than the FF)shows them at 24% and no chicken needs more than 16% to produce an egg, so no further adjustments to FF need to happen unless it's downward....like adding a cheaper grain like barley to the layer feed to make the layer feed go further.

But, you don't have to worry about that at all....just ferment the layer ration, doesn't matter what brand or type, and feed it to the chickens and gauge their reaction, how the feed ferments, tweak your water amounts to get the easiest texture or thickness and enjoy the process. That's all...just enjoy the simplicity of taking a cheap, substandard feed source like grains and amping them up to provide a better nutrition for your birds. No need to complicate it any further....just a bucket and a scoop, feed and some water.

Any questions about it after that can be answered pretty quickly and usually quite accurately at the two FF threads on BYC,one is in the meat bird section and the other in the feed and water section of the forum. Both are dedicated to giving the correct information on the method and have many people who have been doing it for some time...one lady has been doing it for years in large quantities and can give you the low down on it for the long term or for large quantities.

Good luck, Laurie! And give all those Texans a big ol' hug from Bee!

 

[hensfortherapy]

Which auction did you go to?

Read back a few pages and saw that you went to the Iduma auction. I loved the experience when I went.

 

[ATMac1962]

I use both the water nipples and a fresh bowl of water daily. They were raised on the nipples, but it seems they prefer drinking from the bowl.

 

[Drache]

How's your little chick doing?? I know nothing about chicks but I hope you get someone to give some advice!!

Not very well at all. I have tried different things all day. I tried putting him in a brooder by himself thinking that having to compete with the other chicks would waste his energy. But he just sat there screaming for the other chicks for well over an hour until I couldn't stand it and gave him a buddy. I also put in a bowl of moistened food, but his buddy kept pushing him in it until he was so encrusted with food that I had to give him a bath, and now I'm worried that he is too cold since he isnt fluffy anymore.

I'm at a loss. I was so hoping for a lavender chick and he was the only one out of the whole hatch, and now it seems as if he is going to die out of sheer stubborn-ness.

 

[texasmomma]

The Azure Standard does a co-op?

They do. Call them to get the places where they have a drop in your area.

this smelled like rotting fruit or something.... Any idea what might be going on? I've been using masin jars and lids....could they be harboring germs even after washing?

I've just bee using layer pellets....

How long do you ferment before you feed? Do you tighten the mason jar lid? Does your feed have fish meal in it?

My feed always smells bad, but it's the fish meal. I use a jar with an airlock so that it can't mold. Mold is always bad. You should sanitize your jar in the dishwasher before using again, since it had mold in it.

My method is quite simple, especially since I only have four chickens right now. I put about a tablespoon of fermented feed in the bottom of the jar. This is my starter. I fill the jar with dry feed to about the half way mark. Then I fill with water to the shoulder of the jar. I stir, clip the lid (since it is a Fido jar) and attach the airlock. Usually it sits for 24 hours before I feed. I have two jars going almost all the time so that I never run out while more is fermenting.

For the chicks, I will use a splash of apple cider vinegar with the mother to get it the ferment started. I should probably do that tomorrow, since I have chicks due to hatch in a week. Unfortunately, out of the 9 eggs, I think I will only get two chicks. I had 3 clears, ain't egg that never started. The rest are quitters. I'm pretty bummed.

 

[hensfortherapy]

How do you make fermented feed? Is it is just a diet for chicks? I just fed chick starter to the ones I had last fall.  I want to feed them the best I can, so will take recommendations. Thanks Magpie

I did fermented feed for a few weeks. It worked well, but my hens just did not seem interested in it. I think because they free range. They would eat a small amount of the ff and then stroll around the yard to their favorite scratch and eat places in the yard. I found it just was not worth the hassle for the amount they ate.

 

[henless]

During a freeze I just put fresh water in a bowl for the chickens. Here in San Antonio, the freeze is usually in the morning, by the afternoon the temp is up enough for the nipples to be working.

i still use mine if it is going to be a hard freeze like this winter we have had 3 times the temps didnt get about freezing for over 48 hours i will shut them off and drain and put them a pan of hot water out. otherwise like it gets in the high 20's i've not had any problems with them. i am close to you come up and get some ..

Well hopefully I'll have 9 or so months to figure it out!! LOL.

I may try to retro-fit a Water Trough de-icer into my 65 gallon rain barrel. Like this:
http://www.statelinetack.com/item/farm-innovators-drain-plug-deicer/BEW11/

I use both the water nipples and a fresh bowl of water daily. They were raised on the nipples, but it seems they prefer drinking from the bowl.

Thanks for all the input. I'm still debating on the nipples. I already have water in the barn, I would just have to run a line to the pen unless I use the nipple buckets.

Not very well at all. I have tried different things all day. I tried putting him in a brooder by himself thinking that having to compete with the other chicks would waste his energy. But he just sat there screaming for the other chicks for well over an hour until I couldn't stand it and gave him a buddy. I also put in a bowl of moistened food, but his buddy kept pushing him in it until he was so encrusted with food that I had to give him a bath, and now I'm worried that he is too cold since he isnt fluffy anymore.

I'm at a loss. I was so hoping for a lavender chick and he was the only one out of the whole hatch, and now it seems as if he is going to die out of sheer stubborn-ness.

I hope your lavender chick makes it!


Fermenting feed sounds interesting. Is it a big hassle? How sour does it smell? Sour dough bread sour or nasty sour? I used to have to soak alfalfa cubes for my senior horse, he didn't have many teeth. I would keep it in the house during the summer or it would sour. The alfalfa smelled wonderful.

I like this time change. Getting used to it is the problem. Looks like today should be a nice day. Kids are out for spring break, so will have my granddaughter all day. I'm sure she'll want to help paint!