Can/will chickens eat wheat bran?

[mockingbird]

I bought a bag of wheat bran at the feed store to experiment with as a treat/winter feed, The chickens don't care for it dry, but they LOVE it mixed with water into an oatmeal like consistency. On cold days I mix with warm water. I also sometimes add fruit, garlic, herbs, or ACV or other grains. It is not a complete food and should not be the sole source of nutrition. However it is an excellent treat and I see no reason it couldn't be offered to chicks. I offer my chicks little bits of everything the adults eat.

 

[mbwjunkmail]

You probably don't want to make fermented feed the way I do, at least not right away. My recipe/method is a bit more complicated than most and requires as special starter. Actually, no starter is required to make basic fermented feed, but I have reason to believe that the starter I use produces a higher quality (aka, improved nutrition) fermented feed.

Here's a basic recipe to get you started:

For a 5 gallon bucket batch:

You'll need:

* Three 5 gallon buckets, one with a lid
* 4-5 cabbage leaves
* Non-chlorinated water
* 1/2 cup blackstrap molasses (optional)
* A 4-5 foot long stick to stir with, or use your hands

1. Take the three buckets and fill one 3/4 full of feed, another 2/3 full of water and leave the third one empty.
2. Scoop some feed from the one bucket into the empty one and add a bunch of water and stir well.
3. Dissolve the molasses in some hot water and add to the mixture.
4. Keep adding feed and water, stirring thoroughly, making sure it's not so thick you can't stir it.
5. Stir in the cabbage leaves, one at a time.
6. It will absorb quite a bit of water, so keep adding water and stirring for a few more minutes. It should stir a bit like slightly runny oatmeal...it will thicken up with time. You may or may not use the whole bucket (or may need more) of water depending upon the absorbancy of your feed.
7. Put the lid on, tight or not (it's a great debate, I usually do a tight lid) and place someplace you don't mind it possibly overflowing sticky fermented mess, such as an unused shower or outside of the weather is above 60F during the day.

You can start using it right away, if you wish. It is unlikely to go "bad". Most failures of fermenting things has to do with poor water, usually chlorinated water. If you have chlorinated water, call your city water supply and ask what they use to chlorinate it with and do a google search for how to remove said chemical from your water.

After you've tried this for a while and want to try my recipe, PM me with your email addy and I'll send you a small pdf book I wrote on it.

Thank you for sharing this recipe. Can you still send me your recipe that’s a bit more complicated? In your pdf book. Thank you so much. My girls love the fermented food. My email address is [email protected].

 

[New Chicken Mamma]

You probably don't want to make fermented feed the way I do, at least not right away. My recipe/method is a bit more complicated than most and requires as special starter. Actually, no starter is required to make basic fermented feed, but I have reason to believe that the starter I use produces a higher quality (aka, improved nutrition) fermented feed.

Here's a basic recipe to get you started:

For a 5 gallon bucket batch:

You'll need:

* Three 5 gallon buckets, one with a lid
* 4-5 cabbage leaves
* Non-chlorinated water
* 1/2 cup blackstrap molasses (optional)
* A 4-5 foot long stick to stir with, or use your hands

1. Take the three buckets and fill one 3/4 full of feed, another 2/3 full of water and leave the third one empty.
2. Scoop some feed from the one bucket into the empty one and add a bunch of water and stir well.
3. Dissolve the molasses in some hot water and add to the mixture.
4. Keep adding feed and water, stirring thoroughly, making sure it's not so thick you can't stir it.
5. Stir in the cabbage leaves, one at a time.
6. It will absorb quite a bit of water, so keep adding water and stirring for a few more minutes. It should stir a bit like slightly runny oatmeal...it will thicken up with time. You may or may not use the whole bucket (or may need more) of water depending upon the absorbancy of your feed.
7. Put the lid on, tight or not (it's a great debate, I usually do a tight lid) and place someplace you don't mind it possibly overflowing sticky fermented mess, such as an unused shower or outside of the weather is above 60F during the day.

You can start using it right away, if you wish. It is unlikely to go "bad". Most failures of fermenting things has to do with poor water, usually chlorinated water. If you have chlorinated water, call your city water supply and ask what they use to chlorinate it with and do a google search for how to remove said chemical from your water.

After you've tried this for a while and want to try my recipe, PM me with your email addy and I'll send you a small pdf book I wrote on it.

I'd like to try you recipe, [email protected]

 

[Al Gerhart]

Shouldn't the question be "should you feed wheat bran"? The diet would be way off and unhealthy for the chickens.

 

[MyGirls2024]

I bought a bag of wheat bran at the feed store to experiment with as a treat/winter feed, The chickens don't care for it dry, but they LOVE it mixed with water into an oatmeal like consistency. On cold days I mix with warm water. I also sometimes add fruit, garlic, herbs, or ACV or other grains. It is not a complete food and should not be the sole source of nutrition. However it is an excellent treat and I see no reason it couldn't be offered to chicks. I offer my chicks little bits of everything the adults eat.

I love offering my girls wheat bran. I mix with a bit of water, then add chopped veggies or black sunflower seeds and chili flakes. Sometimes chopped meat, if available. They love it!