Winter nutrition?

[Thompsonv]

Okay so the ff has been going well, i still have to mix a little dry pellets in the food before feeding cause they seem to like it not so mushy. I'm having a problem though with mold, sometimes it does but sometimes it wont. I'm using ACV but it doesn't always seem to help with the mold, any suggestions? Also she's been laying pretty consistently since she started on March 1st, she was going about 3-4days and then would take one day off but she hasn't laid and egg for the past two days, and it will be three days if i get nothing from her today. Any thoughts on the topic I would appreciate! Thanks

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Okay so the ff has been going well, i still have to mix a little dry pellets in the food before feeding cause they seem to like it not so mushy. I'm having a problem though with mold, sometimes it does but sometimes it wont. I'm using ACV but it doesn't always seem to help with the mold, any suggestions? Also she's been laying pretty consistently since she started on March 1st, she was going about 3-4days and then would take one day off but she hasn't laid and egg for the past two days, and it will be three days if i get nothing from her today. Any thoughts on the topic I would appreciate! Thanks

Hi - first, are you sure it's mold? I ask because kahm yeast can look a lot like mold, but it's just a harmless yeast that creates a white film on the top of a ferment. I tossed quite a few batches of FF before I realized it was just kahm yeast.

I don't add ACV to mine, I just use the microbes that are already present to do the bubbly work, and I haven't had any actual mold (fuzzy, powdery). Scratch & Peck Feeds has some info. about potential causes of mold that may be helpful: https://www.scratchandpeck.com/feed-and-fines-maximizing-the-value-with-fermented-feed/.

If Crackers isn't acting any differently otherwise, my guess is that she may just taking a break from egg laying and that she'll start back up when she's ready. My Muscovy ducks are clutch layers, so they lay a group of eggs and then stop for a while. Is there any chance she could be hiding them somewhere?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Okay so the ff has been going well, i still have to mix a little dry pellets in the food before feeding cause they seem to like it not so mushy. I'm having a problem though with mold, sometimes it does but sometimes it wont. I'm using ACV but it doesn't always seem to help with the mold, any suggestions? Also she's been laying pretty consistently since she started on March 1st, she was going about 3-4days and then would take one day off but she hasn't laid and egg for the past two days, and it will be three days if i get nothing from her today. Any thoughts on the topic I would appreciate! Thanks

My ff doesn't have standing water. So no chance of mold but I do use ACV and once bucket is 1/4 full start a new batch.

I'd say your girl is taking a short break from laying.

 

[Thompsonv]

Still no eggies from her. I think you might be right about that not being mold and instead yeast, it smelled pretty nasty and was whiteish. Lydia do you start your new batch with your old batch or do you have a different bucket to start the new one? Also how long does one batch last you cause I have been trying not to let it last any longer than like maybe a week max, because of what I thought was mold. Thanks again everyone!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Still no eggies from her. I think you might be right about that not being mold and instead yeast, it smelled pretty nasty and was whiteish. Lydia do you start your new batch with your old batch or do you have a different bucket to start the new one? Also how long does one batch last you cause I have been trying not to let it last any longer than like maybe a week max, because of what I thought was mold. Thanks again everyone!

I have 31 birds and not much room in my house for multiple buckets of FF so I only make one bucket at a time and it lasts 2 days I leave about 1/4 of the ff in the bucket and start the new from it. I still add the ACV to it. Mine probably isn't getting alot of fermentation but I still feel it is better for them than just plain dry feed.

 

[Thompsonv]

Ah okay I was wanting to use like a 4gal bucket with cover to do the ff in and then just add to it as it gets low but I was still worried about the whole mold thing if that'd be an issue.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Ah okay I was wanting to use like a 4gal bucket with cover to do the ff in and then just add to it as it gets low but I was still worried about the whole mold thing if that'd be an issue.

Go hear and look at the info and the pic that is how you want your ff to look. Not watery at all. Place a towel over top[ I use a large rubber band to hold the towel in place] not enclosed with a lid you want to let it breathe and keep out any bugs that maybe attracted to the ff. https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/no-strain-hot-water-easy-fermented-feed-method-w-video

I use a 3 gal bucket fill it 2/3 full of feed because it's going to swell as the feed absorbs the water and acv. That is what I do and haven't had any problems with mold.

 

[Thompsonv]

Thanks this was very helpful, I think you were right I think it was yeast and not mold I have been seeing. Ducks are loving it and I think their poop smells a lot less too not sure if that's supposed to be a side effect or not but it's a good one

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Thanks this was very helpful, I think you were right I think it was yeast and not mold I have been seeing. Ducks are loving it and I think their poop smells a lot less too not sure if that's supposed to be a side effect or not but it's a good one

Kahm yeast is annoying, but not much more than that when you realize what it is. And it's always a bonus that the poop smells less "fragrant", IMO!

Seriously, though, that's purported to be one of the effects of feeding fermented food to chickens and ducks.