Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[ChestnutRidge]

I spent the better part of last night and this morning devouring this thread.

I've washed out an old kitchen garbage can and will be mixing up my first batch in a few hours. I don't have meat birds, but I'd like to see what this will do for my DP and layers. Firstly, I have a few ages of chicks growing out right now. They are just burning through their feed and mostly wasting it, although I've minimized that to the extent that I can. Secondly, my layers are a year old and looking really rough. They eat organic layer feed, have had ACV in their water since they were chicks, and range 1/2 of every day, but they still look ragged. I'm hoping that this will help them get more from what they are eating, and I'd love to see those new feathers coming in that someone (sorry, I can't remember who) mentioned earlier.

I'm slightly concerned about the increase in aggressiveness and decrease in plumage quality mentioned in the study's abstract (http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00071660902736722#preview). Has anyone seen this?

I am also looking forward to improvement in my layers' poops. I'm using deep litter in their house, and although I was fine all of last year and through the winter, they are starting to build up like concrete despite there being no change in my methods. As soon as my broody hatches out her chicks and I move her out of there, I'm going to dig it all out and start over. I'm interested in the Korean Natural Farming method as well, and while I don't have a dirt floor, I'm thinking about creating some drainage by layering tarps and some dirt and gravel under their shavings. I plan to introduce indigenous microorganisms to the litter, but I think that having a higher concentration of beneficial microorganisms already in their poops can only help - even now, before I can get to that.

 

[Kassaundra]

I spent the better part of last night and this morning devouring this thread.

I've washed out an old kitchen garbage can and will be mixing up my first batch in a few hours. I don't have meat birds, but I'd like to see what this will do for my DP and layers. Firstly, I have a few ages of chicks growing out right now. They are just burning through their feed and mostly wasting it, although I've minimized that to the extent that I can. Secondly, my layers are a year old and looking really rough. They eat organic layer feed, have had ACV in their water since they were chicks, and range 1/2 of every day, but they still look ragged. I'm hoping that this will help them get more from what they are eating, and I'd love to see those new feathers coming in that someone (sorry, I can't remember who) mentioned earlier.

I'm slightly concerned about the increase in aggressiveness and decrease in plumage quality mentioned in the study's abstract (http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00071660902736722#preview). Has anyone seen this?

I am also looking forward to improvement in my layers' poops. I'm using deep litter in their house, and although I was fine all of last year and through the winter, they are starting to build up like concrete despite there being no change in my methods. As soon as my broody hatches out her chicks and I move her out of there, I'm going to dig it all out and start over. I'm interested in the Korean Natural Farming method as well, and while I don't have a dirt floor, I'm thinking about creating some drainage by layering tarps and some dirt and gravel under their shavings. I plan to introduce indigenous microorganisms to the litter, but I think that having a higher concentration of beneficial microorganisms already in their poops can only help - even now, before I can get to that.

I was having a harder time growing the imo so I started spaying the coop poop and (I have sand leaves, grass clippings, pulled weeds really whatever I can get for free in my not so deep liter) with lab which I found extremely easy to make, I was suprised at the diff it made in the smell, it wasn't bad before, but it really works. I've been doing ff grains for some time so they really had good formed poops even before I started fermenting the layer pellets too. My girls feathers are a little rough looking right now (especially the lighter colored ones) but they are in their spring molt, maybe yours are too.

 

[ChestnutRidge]

I bet you are right! I just took a closer look at one girl, and it does look like a molt. I feel so silly - I thought that only happened in fall! I'll up the protein. That's great news about the lab - I have some of that cooking right now, and it is much easier to make. There are so many steps for the imo. I will try spraying that around the coop. How much did you dilute it for that? Thanks for your help, Kassaundra!

 

[ChestnutRidge]

I started my FF mix with 3 parts starter and 3 parts scratch (the chicks are about 4 and 7 weeks old) along with 1 part UltraKibble (looked at it and thought, why not? very little calcium in the mix overall). I dumped in some Braggs ACV and shook out the bottom of a bag of yeast (for breadmaking). At the last minute, I put in about 1/2 a teaspoon of unprocessed honey to feed the yeast a bit. I like "a little of this, a little of that."

Then I stirred it all with a big wooden spoon and set it to sit. We'll see what it looks like tomorrow!

 

[chicks4fun]

I have been making FF & my chickens love it. I buy smaller amounts of a quite a few grains from the market. I use this with their regular feed since I still have a few bags.
My question is if I wanted to pick 3 grains and buy in bulk what would be best? I thought about barley, an oat & a wheat? But then what kinds are best? There is spring wheat, winter wheat etc etc etc.
Will this work?
Please any advice will be helpful.

 

[myhubbycallsmechickeemama]

I have been making FF & my chickens love it.  I buy smaller amounts of a quite a few grains from the market.   I use this with their regular feed since I still have a few bags.
My question is if I wanted to pick 3 grains and buy in bulk what would be best?   I thought about barley, an oat & a wheat?    But then what kinds are best?  There is spring wheat, winter wheat etc etc etc.
Will this work?
Please any advice will be helpful.  

When I do it again, I will buy cracked corn, oats and barley!! I currently use cracked corn, oats, barley and wheat and have found that the little girls don't care for the wheat too much!! The meaties on the other hand...love it all!!!

 

[Kassaundra]

I bet you are right! I just took a closer look at one girl, and it does look like a molt. I feel so silly - I thought that only happened in fall! I'll up the protein. That's great news about the lab - I have some of that cooking right now, and it is much easier to make. There are so many steps for the imo. I will try spraying that around the coop. How much did you dilute it for that? Thanks for your help, Kassaundra!

I am not good w/ measured recipes

I don't measure the dilute, and I never diluted it the 20:1 before diluting the stuff again. I made the straight stuff and store it as straight and use it from that I usually put about somewhere between table and teaspoon in my sprayer of water, it is way over concentrated,(according to how dilute they use it as) but it is cheap and easy to make so I don't sweat the concentration.


I didn't know about the second molt either until recently.

 

[Kassaundra]

I have been making FF & my chickens love it. I buy smaller amounts of a quite a few grains from the market. I use this with their regular feed since I still have a few bags.
My question is if I wanted to pick 3 grains and buy in bulk what would be best? I thought about barley, an oat & a wheat? But then what kinds are best? There is spring wheat, winter wheat etc etc etc.
Will this work?
Please any advice will be helpful.

I get whichever grains are on sale and in stock when I go get the grains. lol

 

[AbbyDog]

Anybody have any thoughts on whether sprouting the grains first would be beneficial? Just thinking about that sprouted grain bread I buy...supposed to be higher protein and more digestible. Good idea for chickens? Soak and sprout grains, then ferment? Or just soak the grain right away with the ACV? I have been doing small batches of chick starter in a bowl in my kitchen, but my CX chicks are nearly 3 weeks old and I'm thinking about that rapid growth they will hit soon....want to be prepared!

 

[AbbyDog]

Oh, wanted to post pics of the nice(r) poos my CX chicks now have after being on ACV fermented organic starter for nearly 2 weeks, and also a pic of the feeder I built last night- a temporary solution until they are out of the cardboard box.