The American Cemani Breeders Club...open forum

[MisfitMarie]

So, do I scoop out the white stuff and reuse it? Or do I just keep it in the container and keep adding more feed?

I put some on a plate and offered it to my hens... They're giving me crazy eyes. Maybe I'll sprinkle it with mealworms to entice them.

My little Black Copper Maran pullet and my bantam pullet are nibbling on it, though. Hooray! Thanks again! I was about to toss this stuff!

 

[enola]

I just stir the SCOBY in, and serve it up. Sometimes when starting a new feed your chickens will give you the stink eye. Remove the dry feed from the pen, within an hour the hens will be eating it.

 

[Regin]

What do you think about this Cemani? Pullet or cockerel? Quality?





ETA - the flecks on it's head are from the fermented food. I had just fed them.

How old is it? (My chickens do have a tendency to wear the FF too).

 

[cjwaldon]

What do you think about this Cemani? Pullet or cockerel? Quality?





ETA - the flecks on it's head are from the fermented food. I had just fed them.

I've decided not to keep this bird. It is of unknown breeding. The lady I got hatching eggs from couldn't confirm parentage but thought the rooster was a Smithsonian and the hen was TMA. IMO this bird has too much red in the face. It's slow to mature to mature, and has a pink mouth. PM me if interested in taking it/him off my hands.

 

[cjwaldon]

How old is it? (My chickens do have a tendency to wear the FF too).

22 weeks

 

[Regin]

So, do I scoop out the white stuff and reuse it? Or do I just keep it in the container and keep adding more feed?

I put some on a plate and offered it to my hens... They're giving me crazy eyes. Maybe I'll sprinkle it with mealworms to entice them.

My little Black Copper Maran pullet and my bantam pullet are nibbling on it, though. Hooray! Thanks again! I was about to toss this stuff!

I am feeding the FF every day. Chickens don't like new things. They will get used to it, then they will mob you for it!
When changing over to FF sprinkle a little of whatever they are used to on top for a couple of times.

My current batches are mixed in a 5 gallon bucket ...
11 lbs. of start-and-grow and grain mixes that I get from my local Farmers Supply Store.
2 gallons of water
I add some ground eggshell and diamacious for calcium and some vitamin supplements, garlic and cayenne pepper.
Then add a few scoops of an old batch for starter.
Buckets are about 2/3 full. This leaves room for expansion and stirring.
Originally I started with Braggs ACV But have been keeping this ferment going for almost two years.

I make 8 to 12 buckets at a time, and feed 1 1/2 to 2 buckets per day.
I like it to be over 3 days old to feed, but sometimes I get behind and it's fed earlier. 5- 6 days is even better.
I stir it on the first day I make it, then again before feeding.

This ends up being soft enough to stir but thick enough to scoop out.

 

[cjwaldon]

That's similar to what I'm doing. I have six 5-gallon buckets going at a time and feed two buckets daily. I leave some ff in the bucket, add two gallons of water, stir, add fresh food, stir again. I don't stir again after that though. I don't mix the SCOBY back in, I just dish it out. When I converted it was cold turkey. They didn't have a choice. No doctoring or enticing them to try it. Chickens won't starve themselves. Now they act like they're starving even with full swaying crops. Silly chickens. They love their ff.

 

[Regin]

That's similar to what I'm doing. I have six 5-gallon buckets going at a time and feed two buckets daily. I leave some ff in the bucket, add two gallons of water, stir, add fresh food, stir again. I don't stir again after that though. I don't mix the SCOBY back in, I just dish it out. When I converted it was cold turkey. They didn't have a choice. No doctoring or enticing them to try it. Chickens won't starve themselves. Now they act like they're starving even with full swaying crops. Silly chickens. They love their ff.

With the FF most of my chickens will eat as much as you will give them. They walk around with a crop-bulge as big as an orange then act like they're staved! I start them on it from day one.

 

[Hatchery Hive]

what is FF?

 

[Pyxis]

what is FF?

Fermented feed. I'd do it if I had a place for it. I did it during the summer and they loved it, but I just don't have a place I can do it in the winter that it stays warm enough to keep the reaction going.