Is my fermented feed supposed to have a white skim on top of it?
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Yes.
I am curious about fermented feed because my brother has been giving me spilled corn from his harvest. It usually has gravel in it so it can't be ground to make it more digestible. Chickens can sort out the rocks so that is not a problem. Sometimes the corn I get is wet and drying it on a small scale is problematic. I was wondering if fermenting it could be a better solution. I tend to get more than I can quickly use at harvest time. Can you only make what you can use quickly? or will it keep once it is fermented.
Thanks
The simple recipe I follow is: each morning, take 1/2 quart mason jar of feed and cover to the top with water. Set on the counter. That is day one. The natural lactobaccilus bacteria will begin the anaerobic process of fermentation safely as long as all feed is covered by water.
Repeat with a new jar on day two.
On day 5, the first jar will be ready to feed your girls.
They love it. The probiotics are good for their gut and the fermentation makes the food more easily digested.
My concern is I have more than a weeks worth of grain that is damp. I either need to dry it all or ferment it all at once. Fermenting sounds easier and more digestible for the flock. If I ferment it all at once, will it keep until I can get it fed? This process sounds similar to making silage except (if I remember correctly) that takes longer. Is it the same process?
Thanks
Alright...
I tried fermenting some feed and ran into a few problems... guess I put too much in the container and the feed expanded out of the container and got the liquid all over some stuff in the closet!
I was reading specific "rules" on a website - said to stir it every 2-3 hours or as often as possible... but I've read on this thread to stir just once in the morning and once in the evening...
Read not to feed it if it smells like beer... kinda thought mine smelled like beer... ended up throwing it out. I'm afraid I won't do it right and it'll be bad then I'll make my three chickens sick
Can I just get a really basic, simple, step by step process on how to do this... I only have 3 chickens (1 EE, 2 RIR) so I don't need to put much feed in a container I would imagine... and they seem to have some stomach/digestive issues maybe so I'd like to do this fermenting method to see if it helps with their poo situation.
I just want a Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 schedule haha. I like to keep things simple. Any suggestions would be great.