- Mar 12, 2014
- 38
- 16
- 33
It is usually used as a batch process, similar to making sourdough bread. You have a slightly larger batch than you will feed your birds, remove what you need to feed for the day, replace the feed that was removed and add water, and then repeat daily.
So, I'd start with 3-1/2 to 4 cups for a flock of 6 adults, and then adjust the quantity after seeing how much the birds actually eat.
You can try dumping a bunch in a trough, and if the birds keep it stirred up enough, mold shouldn't be a problem. In my experience, it dries out pretty quickly, and when there has been some left over, the feed has mostly dried out, and mold shouldn't be a problem. The threads indicate that the birds really like it and will follow you and flock to the feeder and finish it all up (assuming you don't have a large excess), but the birds I take care of are really skittish and not very friendly, and I only see them for a couple of hours in the afternoon, so I haven't experienced that. I can say that soon after I started, I had to go away for a few days, so left a big batch in some plastic food trays, and everything seemed to be fine. However, the trays weren't deep and there wasn't an excess of liquid; that is, I wasn't expecting a batch process with continued fermentation, as if I had left it in a deep trough.
I should qualify that not all mold is bad, and the thread indicates that white is good and is normal and expected, but colored is bad. Your experience might depend on the temperature, humidity, and spores in the air in your area. The daily or more often stirring is meant to mix the good mold into the fermented feed batch.
From what I understand, but could be wrong, you don't have to wait the three days to start the routine. Until the fermentation takes hold, you might just be feeding mush, but the birds will eat it whether it is fermented or not.
While the BYC threads are excellent, here are instructions that are a bit more organized with pictures: http://www.communitychickens.com/2013/02/why-and-how-to-ferment-your-feed.html#.U3-rosbS6ZY
Actually, the author states that her attempts were based on the BYC threads, and there are more details (and more pictures) here: http://scratchcradle.wordpress.com/2012/06/08/fermented-feed/
and here: http://scratchcradle.wordpress.com/2012/06/26/fermented-feed-v2/
Technical details, with more pictures, are provided here: http://scratchcradle.wordpress.com/2012/09/30/microorganisms-at-work/
Last edited:
