Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Miss Lydia]

Mine are still licking their feed trough on the FF, cold or not. They first pick out all the visible grains, leave the rest for awhile, then come back to get the rest. I'm amazed at just how clean they get the trough because this batch of layer mash is like flour, it is ground so fine. Never seen such fine ground mash in all my years.

I'm not giving up, I'll keep putting it out , i am so hoping they will continue to eat it through the winter. I think since tomorrow and thru wed. is suppose to be so windy and snowy I'll put it inside the goose house where their nest boxes are so they can get to it if the go to lay or to just get out of the weather. Hopefully they will eat it.

It's been so nice and warm this is a shock to all of us.

 

[aoxa]

On a farm I lived on a few years ago Bob the Silkie Roo disappeared for three days after a bratty little child had visited and done a little tour on her own.  .  We finally finally finally found him.....Bob,dear Bob.  On the third day we kept hearing a distant crowing when we were inside the barn...like he was stuck inside the walls or something.  We searched every square inch of that barn. Stumped, we were.

Then there was a staring at something.  And then a slow-motion dawning of realization as one of us walked over to the overturned galvanized metal bucket sitting there.....and kicked it over.  Out came Bob.   He looked a bit like one of BK's birds after 'the chicken holocaust'.    3 days.

Bob just walked past the water to the grain and started eating..and eating eating.....ignoring the water for some time.  The only silkie I ever knew up close.  His girlfriend, one of the 25 sex-links we had, was overjoyed to see him again.  (A dog finally got Bob.  We all missed him, especially his girlfriend.  But he didn't die of dehydration.)

Disclaimer: Do not attempt to simulate this at home. 

Thought I'd add to this: I had the same happening with a silkie cockerel. He was roosting on the wood pile and fell in the cracks. Couldn't get out - and I didn't realize he was missing. Finally went searching for George and found him. He also survived. No one was happy to see him but me though

Also - I never give water in the coop. They go without water from sun down to sun up. Generally 6pm - 7am. That's 13 hours without water. They don't drink in the dark anyway. Everyone is thirsty when they come off the roost.

 

[delisha]

Quote: I do not feed or water in my coop. It helps to keep moisture out

 

[Beekissed]

How do you all keep your feed dry outside and how do you keep other animals out of it? Is there just no room in your coops for these items?

 

[delisha]

55 today I don't mind 55. When I turned 40 it was horrible.

 

[armorfirelady]

Their layer pellets (which they never touch since they like the FF so much better) & oyster shells are in the enclosed coop. Their PVC chicken nipple waterer & FF is in the their enclosed run. I do have a bucket nipple waterer in their big run as well. That way they had access to it at all times.

My hens were just picking at their FF as well the last couple days. I started a new batch today with warm water & took a bowl full out to them and they ate it up. I took another bowl later & they finished that also. Its been cold & rainy since Friday so they have been staying in the enclosed run & coop a lot. They did go out yesterday for a little while after I got their new metal fence & run area up. But the way to the new area is under water & muddy so I think thats part of the reason why. And thats why I moved their run cuz its starting to flood (poor planning in my part but when its in the 90s all summer you forget the wet areas) So tonight after I closed them up i put down a hay trail to the new area so they have a dry trail. I put the old tarp from ez up tent over that area to try & keep snow free/dryer/predator free area. And out in the rain again today to get the bird netting over the tops of new run.

I am for one sick of the rain. But ready for the storm if it does show up. Hens are secured & plenty of veggies/fruit if they don't go out to range. I think I will nuke their FF before I put it out in the a.m. before I leave for work & see if that helps tho when I open the pop door its still dark out so they wont get to it till later.

Well wishes to everyone who may see the storm. Bee I would rather have snow instead of rain. At least the snow is pretty & doesnt make muddy dogs

 

[chicken curious]

I think I will nuke their FF before I put it out in the a.m. before I leave for work & see if that helps

FYI, I would assume the food will still be more digestible than non-fermented, but 'nuking' it will kill the good bacteria in the food.

 

[bobbieschicks]

I used to have a hard time keeping the chick feed dry because that was kept outside in the secure run in bowls near the coop and it wasn't covered. We added the green vinyl panel roofing overhead and now the bowls stay dry. I used to hang the layer feeder inside the coop, but when I switch to just FF all the time I will also switch them to eating outside under the green roofing. I do have a heated waterer that I put outside when its super cold. Otherwise I usually just leave the 5gal and 3gal ones outside in the secure run and refill as needed. Since this storm is supposed to cool things off a bit I may have to get out the heated waterer sooner.

Today and tomorrow they are cooped inside with layer feed, FF of layer feed, a bowl of flock raiser and a great big thing of water.

 

[mammaducky1]

54 Here in Texas. Have enjoyed hearing everyone's age and about your flocks. Working on my second batch of meaties. Have had them 10 days now and have been doing FF from the start with this batch. Had to start a second bucket of feed today, as they are beginning to go through the first bucket awfully fast. Beekissed the thick peanut butter consistency definitely worked. It took them a couple of days to really figure it out, but now they gobble it down and go crazy looking for more if they run out. Did not feed them until after church this morning, (10 a.m. instead of 7-8) and you would have thought that they had not been fed in days! They had wood shavings all over the place! )

All of you in the storm's path are in our prayers.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I just wanted to let anyone who needs it know, I got my huge bottle of Brags ACV on amazon. Great price and had free shipping offer at the time.

Just saw that Vitacost has it cheap too, buy one get one 50% off. got 2 gallons!