Fermented Feeds

[Pendragonz]

I am new to FF, can someone help me with the basic dry recipe. I read through this thread and some articles and started this. It has some laying crumbles, homemade scratch (cracked corn, little whole corn, wild bird seed, sunflower seed, safflower(sp) seed, crimped oats, and very little roasted peanuts ). I did the 2 bucket deal with one having wholes. I put a few tblsp of ACV with the water. What do you guys think? Any advice? Thank you all!!!!!

Sounds great! Just let it soak and stand for 2 - 4 days and start feeding it. There really is no recipe. I ferment layer feed for mine. They seem to be doing great on it.

 

[Blosing101]

It kind of has a alcohol smell to it, is it still fine to feed it. And it's a little soupy?

 

[Crs1]

Everyday I feed my fermented food then I add 6 cups pellets and 2 cups scratch and cover with water. Next morning the feed has a white layer on top. Now is that fermented, maybe not, but I do know that if it's too watery they don't eat it very well I end up adding some to each bowl to thicken. I am feeding 23 hens and 2 roosters in 3 plastic serving bowls. They like it on the dryer side which I am not good at ending up with most of the time. But I keep trying. I do know I was buying 100 pounds of pellets every 2 weeks and now I am buying a 100 pounds every 3 1/2 weeks.

 

[moomoodiddy]

It kind of has a alcohol smell to it, is it still fine to feed it. And it's a little soupy?

You should keep a couple inches of water covered over the feed so the air does not come in contact. It should also be keep out of drafts, in the shade, and no extreme temperatures. It should smell a little sweet and sour but if it has an overwhelming smell or mold is beginning to grow throw it out.

 

[Beekissed]

You should keep a couple inches of water covered over the feed so the air does not come in contact. It should also be keep out of drafts, in the shade, and no extreme temperatures. It should smell a little sweet and sour but if it has an overwhelming smell or mold is beginning to grow throw it out.

Don't know where you got your information, but it's certainly not needed to keep water over the feed or to try and "keep the air out". Most folks here keep their FF pretty thickly mixed and not soupy at all...in other words, no water over the feed. It doesn't have to be kept out of drafts and it won't hurt it to be in extreme temps. Nor does it need to be thrown out if it has a strong odor...mostly it will have a more strong odor in the summer months as the fermentation is a little faster due to the warmer temps.

 

[Crs1]

I know that it is a few months before cold weather but I was wondering how you feed in the winter without it freezing. When I feed my 25 chickens I put it in 3 serving bowls and it takes all day for them to eat some days they eat it all and some days they don't. I probably put 6 or more cups in each bowl. And I offer no dry food. 2nd question can I go from fermented to pellets during winter and back to ferment in spring
Thanks

 

[Beekissed]

I know that it is a few months before cold weather but I was wondering how you feed in the winter without it freezing. When I feed my 25 chickens I put it in 3 serving bowls and it takes all day for them to eat some days they eat it all and some days they don't. I probably put 6 or more cups in each bowl. And I offer no dry food. 2nd question can I go from fermented to pellets during winter and back to ferment in spring
Thanks

Some folks switch back and forth from FF to dry feed seasonally and have no problems with the transition. I never switch. I just feed what they can reasonably clean up in a few hours and no more...if they aren't cleaning it up, I feed less and less until I'm feeding the amounts they can clean up.

The feed usually doesn't freeze before they can clean it up in regular winter weather but if we are into subzero temps here I've seen some freezing if the feed is fed in the trough, so I usually just put it directly into my deep litter on those days and have seen no freezing since doing that. They have to move it around and search for it when it's on the litter, so it keeps it from sitting there and freezing...they clean it up all the same but it doesn't have a chance to freeze there. The DL also has some measure of warmth on its own, so that keeps it from freezing as well.

 

[moomoodiddy]

Don't know where you got your information, but it's certainly not needed to keep water over the feed or to try and "keep the air out".  Most folks here keep their FF pretty thickly mixed and not soupy at all...in other words, no water over the feed.  It doesn't have to be kept out of drafts and it won't hurt it to be in extreme temps.  Nor does it need to be thrown out if it has a strong odor...mostly it will have a more strong odor in the summer months as the fermentation is a little faster due to the warmer temps.  

Have you ever taken a basic biology class and learned about fermentation?

 

[Beekissed]

Have you ever taken a basic biology class and learned about fermentation?

Yep...back in high school, many, many, many years ago. I've been doing it in my coop now for nigh on four years and learned what I know about it there and my family have been fermenting food for our own consumption for many generations now.

Have you?

 

[lazy gardener]

Sometimes life experience trumps book learning.