We’ve written about how I ferment the feed for our birds a few times before. The last time, I think I was using 5-gallon buckets, feeding one bucket a day.
Well, the flock continues to expand, so now I am using galvanized metal trash cans. One will hold one 50 pound bag of grain, then I fill it with water and let it sit three to four days before feeding it.
I’m a big believer in free-feeding. I do not like it when I have hungry critters. So I try to have food available to them all the time, and they free range, so no one should ever be hungry.
The greener it is, the less feed I go through. There were many weeks this first summer here in Missouri where they didn’t finish one bag of grain, and that’s with our goats eating a bunch of it.
And to note, we have five fainting goats who eat as much of the fermented feed as they want, and have never had a problem with acidosis. They don’t eat much, but they eat as much as they want, and I leave it out all the time without a problem, for two years now. Such a difference to the grain overload I’d get that could kill sheep if they got into the unfermented bird grain.
Love your blog! I recently moved to MO this last year, from northern IL. I am still getting use to the environment as well. I will be watching for more updates 🙂 (found this site when you posted to the Icelandic chicken site on facebook)