Search results for query: *

Ferment the feed (pellets) and add cheaper grains to the mix to "stretch" your feed costs out. Depends on what feed you're fermenting. Feeds are pretty well balanced nutritionally so "cutting" them with added grains is going to change the basic nutritional values. I was buying a high protein...

A 5 gallon bucket will last two weeks or more before the microbes run out of food to eat and it stalls and starts turning bad. Even then it will take a while for it to actually "spoil" and start growing mold. If it's too thick to stir, add more water. If it's too soupy, add more feed/grain. The...

The strong ferment smell doesn't mean it's "bad"... when it goes bad, the ferment has stopped because you've stopped adding fresh grain for the microbes to "eat" and then it will start to develop in the opposite direction with "molds". The smell increases in "strength" over time due to the sheer...

You're not doing anything "wrong"... you are actually doing everything "right". Your ferment is growing in strength over time because you're back-slopping continuously. The whiteish/grayish film on the top is the ferment. Part of the reason it's getting so strong an odor is because of the way...

It's going to take 3-4 days for it to really get a good ferment going. After that though, as long as you leave some at the end of the bucket then refresh feed and water (back slopping), the follow-on batches will ferment basically over night (in warm weather or in your home).

Hey there chicken thief.... welcome to the BYC! You did the forum just fine. Couple of thoughts. Scratch grains are not a balanced diet for chickens and are more a treat. You might want to get a basic 16% protein feed and use that as your starting place, then add grains to it. I don't ferment in...

The ferment will continue to strengthen over time until the sugars run out. At that point all you have to do is add more feed/grains to add more sugars and the whole process backs up and starts over. Based on my experience living on the front range in Colorado, a 5 gallon bucket, 3/4s full will...

I have chickens who occasionally eat their eggs... raw. Not a single one has ever come down with mad chicken disease. Though your cow analogy sounds like a similar situation, it really isn't. First, the cattle feed issue was on an industrial scale and not a back yard herd. There are all sorts of...

The whole of Colorado is awesome, and it's larger than it at first appears when it comes time to wander around the state... There's a LOT of it to see. I've been coming here since the 1980s and moved here in 2001. But now it's time to move on. It's become way too crowded and way too expensive...

The gray is the ferment. Just keep mixing it back in. You can sprinkle a little dry feed on top of the chicken bowl of FF... not much, just a light sprinkle. That should get them started and once they figure out it's good it should no longer be an issue. Do NOT offer any other foods for them...

I mix several types of grain with the feed so I must mix it or I end up with different layers. Would kinda defeat the purpose of the mixture if it wasn't mixed.

Ummm why is there that much liquid in there that you need to strain at all? I mean, it really isn't necessary for the ferment to happen and just makes loads more work for you. BTW, Greetings Ariel and welcome to BYC and the thread! With feeding 79 birds, I'm not sure what size container you're...

yes. click the 2nd link in the first line of my signature. It will give you basically everything you need to know, and answer all your questions. Click the third link and there's a video to show you. Not exactly like I now do it... evolution you know, but will get you started.

No. Fermented feed is not the same thing as fodder. Fermented feed is when you take the feed (mixed with your choice of grains), and mix with water and let set for 3-5 days to ferment. Natural yeast cultures will digest the sugars and you'll smell the ferment. Like a good sourdough bread. The...

The only thing to remember is when fermenting meat protein, it's gonna get a very powerful odor! It will stink!

Chickens WILL eat when they get hungry enough. They will NOT starve to death. You are feeding them FF for their benefit as well as yours. Do NOT give them the option. Remove all other food and feed them the FF. Add a little fresh each morning until such time as they eat it, then ration accordingly.

As for backslopping...how long it will last/be good depends on how long the remainder in the bucket has already been fermenting... A 5 gallon bucket, 3/4 full, at ~70-80 degrees, kept moist, will stay just fine for ~ 2-3 weeks. By the end of that time it needs more grains added as the ones...

The problem with meaties is (from what I've been led to believe) they will eat themselves to death if you let them. There is documented evidence to the contrary in this thread, but if you ladle it out, they will typically eat all of it. My FF is about the thickness of thick oatmeal. It will NOT...

The FF in the bucket will last weeks without going bad. Just slop a bunch in the feed trough and see how much they finish in about 15-20 minutes. Then you'll know how much to put in there. A little more or less will do minimum damage. If you see your meaties growing too fast (potential health...

In my experience it has cut my feed bill by 40-50%. During the really cold (sub freezing) months I switch over to dry and the waste is abysmal... The past 2 months, my feed bill has about doubled. They are now back on FF.