Rinsing Fermented Feed

[Stephoney]

I feel like I’ve read a couple thousand threads and blogposts about fermenting feed lately looking for an answer to something that seems pretty simple.

Background
I started soaking grains this summer to help keep my ladies hydrated during the warm weather. I feed them Natural Farm Feed and Scratch & Peck Layer- one scoop each twice per day. I filled the bins up with water, dumped the feed in and let them soak all day (or night). In the morning, I drained them in a strainer and rinsed them with the hose before adding protein and greens if I had any left from the dinner the night before. This worked really well. Even my reluctant older hens enjoyed the soaked grains. I tried not rinsing them several times (just draining them) to see if they might like them better. No dice. Turns out they didn’t like the residue left on the grains. I’m not sure how to describe it, but it was just a little viscous and slightly gluey. I didn’t worry about it too much and kept rinsing them all summer. My girls free range and have access to dry grains as well, all day long.

Now, I’m back to work (teacher librarian) and figured out that keeping a rotation of fermented grains on my counter would help me continue to feed wet grains to my girls. I have to be at work by 6:40 and it’s just not enough time to mess around in the yard, rinsing them like I have been before heading off to work. I have 3 glass jars on my counter working in a rotation. I’ve followed the same system (drain, rinse, plate) with the fermented feed, except in my kitchen sink instead. They ferment for essentially three days before they are fed to the girls. Same as before, the hens really like them. My question is (sorry for the long explanation!)…

When I rinse the grains, am I rinsing all the probiotic goodness down the drain?

I know that soaking them helps to remove the phytic acid and make them more digestible, however, I want them to get the full benefits of fermenting, if possible. Does the probiotic just sit on top of the grains or does it penetrate into the feed? What do you all think? Anyone ferment their grains that might know an answer?

 

[saysfaa]

I think you are rinsing away the most nutritious part. The vitamin and trace mineral mix the feed company added as a powder at least.

They won't starve themselves long enough to harm themselves if you change cold turkey to not rinsing. If you try a little then give in, especially if it is an unpredictable time period before giving in, it will take a lot longer to change over.

 

[Stephoney]

I add a few tablespoons of Poultry Nutri-Balancer to their breakfast so I know they’re getting the minerals that rinse out. Mostly I was wondering about the probiotics from fermentation. I may take out a scoop before I rinse and mix it into the rest of the rinsed food. Maybe I can increase it slowly so they don’t know.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Not sure about the probiotics but I don't think that's the main concern. If you're rinsing out all the fines (vitamins, minerals and protein), you're serving something more akin to scratch than complete feed.

Also there's an additional benefit to the "gluey" quality you described - it clumps the grains together so it makes it harder for the chickens to pick out select grains.

 

[Stephoney]

They get a bit of protein several times a day, definitely several tablespoons at the least. Also, the grains in the feed are high in protein. A lot of people throw their grains on the ground when they feed fermented I notice. Don’t the fine bits end up on the ground instead of in the feed? I can see your point about the liquid keeping the grains stuck together. Since mine free range, they will ignore the plates of grains entirely if I serve them un-rinsed completely (there’s plenty of other good things to eat), but I think if I gradually introduce the unrinsed grains by mixing them into the rinsed ones, I might be able to get them swapped over.

 

[rosemarythyme]

A lot of people throw their grains on the ground when they feed fermented I notice. Don’t the fine bits end up on the ground instead of in the feed?

Dunno about how others serve it but I serve mine in small bowls and dishes. Occasionally if there's some left at the end of the day, I scrape it onto a brick so I can take the bowls in to wash. Any FF that falls on the ground, they just eat it with the dirt on it, doesn't seem to bother them any.

 

[raingarden]

Turns out they didn’t like the residue left on the grains. I’m not sure how to describe it, but it was just a little viscous and slightly gluey.

That is bacteria, yeast and stuff growing on the solubles in the feed. The microbes stick to themselves and sort of glue it all together. All that microbial action can actually increase the nutritional quality of the solubles for many animals. Microbes can be food too. But, if the chickens don't like it, then they don't like it.

 

[Stephoney]

That is bacteria, yeast and stuff growing on the solubles in the feed. The microbes stick to themselves and sort of glue it all together. All that microbial action can actually increase the nutritional quality of the solubles for many animals. Microbes can be food too. But, if the chickens don't like it, then they don't like it.

Do you think that rinsing the grains rinses off all of the beneficial bacteria? I’ve been thinking about pickles and sauerkraut. You don’t drink the brine for either. The beneficial stuff gets into the food itself. I wondered if it were the same for grains- albeit a much shorter time with the beneficial yeast and bacteria. Do they penetrate the actual grain? Need to find a biology teacher at the high school and see what he/she says about it.

I reserved a cup of the drained (but not rinsed) grains today and mixed them back into the rinsed portion to see if I could fool the flock into eating them. Hopefully that worked. If it did, I may just keep adding a few tablespoons more every few days until they no longer require it to be rinsed at all. It might take a month, but eventually they would get there.

****UPDATE****
They ate up all of the food from this morning so I think I’ve discovered a good way to gradually get them to eat the non-rinsed grains. Hopefully it will just take a week or so to get them transitioned.

 

[3KillerBs]

I think you are rinsing away the most nutritious part. The vitamin and trace mineral mix the feed company added as a powder at least.

Key point.

 

[RawDaddy]

Do you think that rinsing the grains rinses off all of the beneficial bacteria? I’ve been thinking about pickles and sauerkraut. You don’t drink the brine for either. The beneficial stuff gets into the food itself. I wondered if it were the same for grains- albeit a much shorter time with the beneficial yeast and bacteria. Do they penetrate the actual grain? Need to find a biology teacher at the high school and see what he/she says about it.

I reserved a cup of the drained (but not rinsed) grains today and mixed them back into the rinsed portion to see if I could fool the flock into eating them. Hopefully that worked. If it did, I may just keep adding a few tablespoons more every few days until they no longer require it to be rinsed at all. It might take a month, but eventually they would get there.

****UPDATE****
They ate up all of the food from this morning so I think I’ve discovered a good way to gradually get them to eat the non-rinsed grains. Hopefully it will just take a week or so to get them transitioned.

Actually you do or should drink the brine from sauerkraut. Now let me say that if it’s a high quality non pasteurized sauerkraut. Sauerkraut shots are loaded with probiotics. Very popular here in California at the Farmers markets, they also sell them at Whole Foods and other organic grocery stores.