Fermenting cat food anyone?

[Math]

Has anyone ever tried fermenting cat food for helping chickens recover? Just wondering?

 

[pdirt]

Cat food is high in (animal) protein, generally. Fermenting animal proteins can be tricky and I wouldn't recommend it. People have been doing it for eons in the form of sausages, lutefisk, fermented shrimp paste (Asian) and more. But you have to know what you're doing and what to look for to know if the ferment is doing well or going rotten. Fermenting meats is much more difficult than fermenting grains. Also to consider is the cat food is likely full of preservatives, which would really put a damper on the microbes required to ferment things.

If you did want to ferment something like cat food, I would mix small portion (5% or so) in with an already active fermented feed. The acidic nature of the fermented (grain-based) feed will help reduce the chance of "bad" bacteria gaining ground and reversing the pH. If the pH rises, then the "bad" bacteria can win...they can't thrive or sometimes even exist in an acidic environment.

Another thing to consider is some say that fermentation will start to break down animal proteins into less useful components. I don't know much about it. What (little) I know about fermentation, this makes some sense and I wouldn't ferment the animal proteins for too long, if you are wanting to keep it as protein. Asian fermented shrimp paste is typically fermented for about 2 years and I don't know how much protein is left, but the end product is meant as a flavoring condiment for sauces, not as a source of protein.

 

[Math]

Thanks. I was wondering because some people say they give their hens cat food to give them a boost. I guess they don't ferment the food. Has anyone used dry cat food?

 

[lazy gardener]

I tossed some off the end of the deck today... don't know if they ate it. In the past, i've offered it, and they check it out and walk away. But, almost every time my cat walks by the FF bucket in the living room, he takes a lick!

 

[aart]

Thanks. I was wondering because some people say they give their hens cat food to give them a boost. I guess they don't ferment the food. Has anyone used dry cat food?

Just soak it in a bit of water until it softens.

 

[Math]

Thanks. I'll try that.

 

[GoodwinFarm]

I fed the super cheap cat food from farm n fleet to my birds at the end of molt, they ate it right up.

 

[Math]

Did the cat food have high protein? Also, did it help to speed their feather recovery, weight gain and/or egg laying?

 

[GoodwinFarm]

Can't say if they grew feathers any faster than if I didn't feed them the cat food, but I picked it cause it was hard higher protein than my regular feed and my ch cheaper than Purina Feather Fixer.

 

[RonP]

I have a friend who is an avid fisherman.

He gives me "fish cleaning waste."

I freeze it in portions.

Birds love it...as a high protein treat.