Regards fermenting feed, I'm no expert on this as I've only been doing it a couple of months but this is what I do....
I half fill a 2 litre ice cream tub with layers pellets or mixed corn, add a dash (0.5 teaspoon ish) of ACV with "The Mother", cover it to about an inch above the pellets with cold tap water, give it a stir and lie the lid loosely on the top, put it on a tray and leave it at room temperature for a couple of days, giving it a stir in between. Being a beekeeper, I sometimes put a bit of raw honey into the mix just to give the fermentation a bit of a kick. Occasionally I need to add a little more water to get the right consistency with the pellets or to keep the mixed corn covered. After a couple of days the surface of the water on the mixed corn will be scummy and bubbled. Strain it and feed as scratch, retaining the liquid to soak the next lot in.... it gets quite syrupy after the second or 3rd ferment so I tend to then use it to ferment the layer pellets and start the mixed corn off with fresh again. You don't need to strain the fermented pellets as they soak up the liquid. If it is too wet, just add a handful of dry pellets to it. Too dry, just add some water. It really is simple. I scatter the mixed corn on the ground for them and feed the fermented layer feed in an old frying pan. I give it a scrub with a handful of straw to clean it once they are finished and it's ready for next time
The benefits are that the chickens really seem to prefer it. The fermentation starts the carbohydrate breakdown process, so that it is easier for the hens to digest. I believe it increases the nutrients available to the hens and improves gut bacteria. People have reported less waste and overall less consumption of feed for the same production and less smelly, well formed poop. I've only been doing it for a couple of months, and I'm not organised enough to monitor amounts closely enough. I have a mixed flock that free range, so consumption varies quite a lot and I'm only feeding them about half fermented at the moment because I'm still trying to get my system/quantities set up. I also ferment poultry fattener for the cockerels so I have 6 lots on the go at any one time.... 2 tubs of mixed corn, 2 of layers pellets and 2 poultry fattener pellets. My feeling is that it is worth doing though.
Apart from the work involved, the only down side so far is that my cockerel, who used to be very chivalrous and give the ladies all the best food, has decided that with the fermented feed, it's every man for himself and he's not sharing!!
What I can say is that the fermented feed smells lovely.
