FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[Beekissed]

Nope! The sooner the better so you can evaluate the method and decide if it's what you really want to feed to your chicks. Most do but there are the occasional few that decided they didn't like change.

 

[LowerBamaMama]

Te

Nope!  The sooner the better so you can evaluate the method and decide if it's what you really want to feed to your chicks.  Most do but there are the occasional few that decided they didn't like change. 

My husband probably won't appriciate the smell but if it's better for the chickens, it's better for us since we will be eating their eggs/meat so it'll happen and he'll learn to hold his breath when he goes by =D

 

[Beekissed]

This time of year you can keep it out in the coop and he need never have to smell it unless he's dishing it out. Truly, even when I kept it in for the winter I couldn't smell anything even when passing near it until I opened the lid fully to dip it out...and my FF is some mighty strong stuff that has been carried on for 3 yrs now.

My FF is in the coop now and it's so convenient to just "keep it where you feed it".

 

[LowerBamaMama]

Thanks Bee! I'm so glad I found this wonderful living library!!! So much knowledge to help a first timer out. I'm still anxious to be starting but it's good to know I have this source of help if anything should arise.

 

[hennible]

This time of year you can keep it out in the coop and he need never have to smell it unless he's dishing it out.  Truly, even when I kept it in for the winter I couldn't smell anything even when passing near it until I opened the lid fully to dip it out...and my FF is some mighty strong stuff that has been carried on for 3 yrs now. 

My FF is in the coop now and it's so convenient to just "keep it where you feed it". 

X2

 

[MandalaMaMa]

I was wondering if anyone has ever add some uncooked old fashion Quaker Oatmeal to their fermenting food. I have been feeding my girls fermented food for 2 years and they love it. Any thoughts on throwing some uncooked oatmeal in there. They love cooked oatmeal.

 

[jerrey]

I was wondering if anyone has ever add some uncooked old fashion Quaker Oatmeal to their fermenting food. I have been feeding my girls fermented food for 2 years and they love it. Any thoughts on throwing some uncooked oatmeal in there. They love cooked oatmeal.

if i have 29 chickens how much fermented food do feed my girls by the cup full thank you so much

 

[MandalaMaMa]

if i have 29 chickens how much fermented food do feed my girls by the cup full thank you so much

Sorry jerrey -- I'm not much help on that. I got 4 girls and I feed them 2 heaping mixing spoon fulls in the morning. Then they free ranch in the afternoon. Now that its getting to be longer days I'll start to give them some in the late afternoon too. Plus they get scratch and boss seeds for treats and a few left overs once in awhile.
The go to person on fermenting is BeeKissed. Maybe they can help you.

 

[nevergiveup]

Hey MandalaMama, I've mixed Quaker type rolled oats in the feed too. I was worried that they were missing out on all the lovely friendly bacteria etc in the liquid. I have noticed however that they were drinking the ferment liquid from the feed trough. Now that they seem to prefer the probiotic liquid, I've mixed some ff liquid into their drinking water as well. I give them rolled oats when I have milk that has gone slightly sour... I mix the raw rolled oats in there. Hope this helps!

 

[LindaB220]

Hey everybody, I've been missing out on a lot of good talk!!!!! Just got back from 3 weeks in rehab after getting my knee replacement done. Lovin' being home. It's really hard to put your trust in another to watch after and feed your babies. My SIL is 46 yo and hates chickens. (grandpa made him do it when he was a kid). So I had to discontinue the FF for a month and I can surely tell it. He's used twice the amount of feed and they are bedraggled compared to before. BUT he was willing (grudgingly) to feed them and I appreciate it. I can't go out to the coop by myself so I have to schedule the times I do things. First I want to make a BIG batch of FF. Get them started back to the good stuff.