The Poultry nook

24/06/2024

Little Muscovys

18/06/2024

Ducklings 🐥

17/06/2024

Ducklings 🐥 🐥 🐥 cuteness!

13/06/2024

They are all getting so big now

03/06/2024

These are the piglets we still have left if anyone is interested, litter A from Bruiser and Boudicca born may 21st litter B from Bruiser and Bibi born may 27th ready beginning of July pure kune kune, amazing colours all piglets have 2 wattles, I’m spending a lot of time with them so they are super friendly and used to human contact. 50% deposit required to hold until collection, must have CPH number please check individual photos

28/05/2024

Have you seen our newest additions yet?
Boudicca had 10 piglets 5 boys and 5 girls on 21st may
Bibi had 9 piglets 7 girls and 2 boys yesterday 27th May

Both mums and all 19 piglets are doing great

22/05/2024

If any of you are on tik tok please follow us .poultry.nook for lots of cute videos and farm stuff

12/05/2024

Today we have had our first turkey chick hatch welcome to the world little one

10/05/2024

Little chamois Poland babies 6 so far

09/05/2024

Piggies enjoying their wallows in this lovely weather

09/04/2024

We have little peepers ❤️❤️❤️

07/04/2024

Looks like Charlotte has taken up residence in our pig arc with Bibi and Boudicca, must be waiting for the impending pitter patter of tiny feet like we are

28/03/2024

We have decided to sell our breeding group of lovebirds, if you’re interested they will
Come with their full set up please message us for more information

27/03/2024

Just found these two beauty’s in Camilla’s bed!! Looks like we will be having lots of turkey babies before long

25/03/2024

Next we would like to show you our group of miniature appleyards. A breed that originated close to us in Bury st Edmunds, we have just had our first eggs from these guys too

23/03/2024

Meet our pigs, Bruiser, Bibi and Boudicca

22/03/2024

Brenda laid her first egg today ❤️ 🦃

16/03/2024

We thought we would start showing you what breeds we have here at The Poultry nook, starting with our beautiful hand reared Welsh harlequins

14/03/2024

Received some goose eggs to hatch, hoping to hatch these naturally under our broody Muscovy ducks, just to give you an idea of the size we have used the can for comparison, fingers crossed we we will goslings in a few weeks 🤞🏼❤️

13/03/2024

Muscovy ducklings pending…..

06/03/2024

04/03/2024

A quick introduction to our latest acquisition,
Charles and Camilla. A gorgeous pair of crollwitzer turkeys, we were super to lucky to find this lovely pair being rehomed in Norfolk, Aaron and I are considering moving there as we seem to spend most of our time driving there to collect birds ( just kidding mum)

Bernard wasn’t terribly impressed but they have been gobbling away to each other this morning so I’m sure they will get over it

04/03/2024

When we say you’re buying “farm fresh” eggs this is the difference!!!

Both eggs laid this morning the one on the left from the ex battery hens we have just rescued and the one on the right one of our other hens that has been organically fed, look at the colour of the yolks!! You can’t tell me that happy hens don’t make great eggs!!

03/03/2024

Just a few pics of our new rescue ladies that we collected yesterday, of course we came back with more than we intended, they are super friendly and inquisitive girls, very pale and scraggy but a few weeks of good food and daylight and they will be right as rain

27/02/2024

Farm fresh eggs will be on sale from this weekend, £2 for half dozen if you’re interested in buying please send us a message

26/02/2024

The warmer weather is on the way, found a little clutch of eggs in the muscoveys house this morning, soon be the patter of tiny feet, can’t beat little ducklings running around

19/02/2024

Here at the poultry nook we are all about giving our chickens, ducks and turkeys the best possible life we can, I know this is something we all agree on with our fluffy feathered friends, but have you considered their diet??? Do you find that you get a lot of “wasted” food ?? If your answer is yes then maybe you might be interested in how we feed our poultry!

Fermenting chicken feed

What are the benefits of fermenting?

Fermenting chicken feed makes nutrients more readily available, feed requirements lessen, and less waste since the chickens love it. The nutritional benefits of fermenting chicken feed are great: It increases beneficial bacteria in their guts. It also decreases pathogens in your hens' digestive systems. Fermented feed for chickens can help hens stay healthy and produce heavier eggs with thicker shells. The fermentation process also makes feed more nutritionally dense by introducing B vitamins

Studies show that animals who receive a steady intake of probiotics through fermented feed have a more robust immune system than those on a standard dry feed diet. Even more, this study found that the levels of lactic acid bacteria in fermented chicken feeds lowers the pH of chickens intestines enough to ward off acid-sensitive bacteria like E.Coli and Salmonella. Meaning, chickens consuming fermented feed are less likely to develop infections and other diseases, and live longer, less complicated lives. For you, that means less stress, vet bills, and also healthier eggs!

What is Lacto-fermentation?�
Lacto-fermentation occurs when beneficial bacteria (lactobacillus) that is naturally found in the environment (like in soil, on vegetables, or your chicken feed grains) interacts with food in the right controlled environment. To ferment chicken feed, that controlled environment is as simple as a mason jar, bucket, or large glass bowl with water. The lactobacillus converts starch and sugar in the food into lactic acid bacteria (LAB). This encourages the formation of natural probiotics, lowers pH, and prevents growth of harmful bacteria in the feed. Healthy yeasts are also present in “wet mash” grain mixtures such as a fermented chicken feed

Is it expensive to do?

Put simply, No.
This is the method we use to save 40% or more to feed our egg-laying hens, and all our poultry. We use a two bucket system because, in our climate, it takes about three to four days to fully ferment our feed. If it's warmer you may be able to do this process in about 24 hours.�this isn’t exactly a ‘health benefit’ per se… but valuable nonetheless! As chicken feed grain soaks in water to ferment, it also expands in volume – so your birds will get full faster. They aren’t being cheated out of anything in the process though, like filling up on junk food. On the other hand, they’re getting more nutrients than ever! That said, fermenting chicken feed is an inexpensive way to improve the nutritional value of basic dry feed while also consuming less of it.

Does fermenting increase protein?

A comparison of available crude protein and energy in a laying feed showed an increase in crude protein (~3%; Note- this is 3% NOT 3 percentage points), but no change in energy for a properly fermented feed compared to a dry feed

What bacteria does fermenting create?

The lactic acid bacteria produced during fermentation promote the growth of beneficial microbes called probiotics. These improve the digestive system health and boost the immune system. The protein contained in the feed ingredients becomes more readily available for digestion.
If you find mold or anything fuzzy on your feed after fermenting, throw it out and start over! If you see a white film on top of your fermented feed, its not mold. It is a type of kahm yeast. Simply scoop it off or stir it back in

Here’s how we do it

Step one. Purchase 2 bins/buckets with lids
Step two. In one bin tip in a bag of your usual chicken feed, ideally a mixed corn type
Step three. Fill your bin with water enough to cover the feed and about 4/5 inches above
Step four. Add about six teaspoons of salt
Step five. Put your lid on and leave it for 48 hours
Step six. Remove lid and stir it up, add 5 scoops of bruised or rolled oats and mix it up well
Step seven. Put your lid back on and leave again for 48 hours
Step eight. Start to use this bin of feed for your chickens and repeat the process again with your next bin, so you always have a fermenting bin and a working bin
Step nine . Sit back and watch your chickens reap the benefits

17/02/2024

A little update on how our ex battery hens are doing with some before and after pics , as you can see they are loving life now and looking really well, we are looking forward to welcome some more ex battery hens at the beginning of march, give us a follow to watch their arrival and their progress

17/02/2024