Fermented Feed Dangers

[Rachela]

I've been fermenting feed for 3 years. I do a simple method of fermenting, it's called back slopping. I only ferment regular feed not whole grain. After getting your initial batch fermented, feed out the days portion, leaving about 1/2 to a cup of the fermented mixture. To that add more feed and water to the consistency that your chickens like. My flock likes a thicker consistency. Leave that sit until the next days feeding, it will swell up, so leave some room in your container for this. If the consistency is not what you want before feeding, just add whats needed before feeding, I have to do this sometimes. If I don't feed them any the next day, I stir it to mix it up. I've never had any mold grow on mine. You might see a white coating on the top, this is not mold, it's yeast, mold will be fuzzy. I've had my current batch going for at least 6 months, with the back slopping method. When I go away for vacation, I put the crock in the refrigerator. This basically stops the fermenting process, because it is to cold. When I get home I take it out and continue as before. I keep the crock on my kitchen counter. A good temperature for fermenting is 70 degrees. Hotter(90) it ferments faster and colder it ferments slower. You do not need to have the feed covered in water, as you will see in the pictures below. This would create a soupy mess that my flock wouldn't touch.

This is before feeding out for the day. You might be able to see a slight white coating, yeast.
View attachment 2136944

This is what is left after feeding out. I add more feed and water to back slop.
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This is the consistency that I feed to my flock.
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Great info. When you go on vacation do they just get regular feed then?

 

[blackdog043]

Great info. When you go on vacation do they just get regular feed then?

Yes, when I go on vacation all they get is regular dry feed. I have dry available all the time. I don't want to rely on anyone to fill the feed or water, when I'm away. I have 28 gallons of water and about 50 lbs of dry feed for them. I do have a neighbor that likes to come get the eggs while I'm away, which is fine.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Yes, when I go on vacation all they get is regular dry feed. I have dry available all the time. I don't want to rely on anyone to fill the feed or water, when I'm away. I have 28 gallons of water and about 50 lbs of dry feed for them. I do have a neighbor that likes to come get the eggs while I'm away, which is fine.

I do the same. Last time I was away I left some scratch for the neighbor to toss to the chickens in the morning, otherwise all I had them do was collect eggs and open/lock up (as I did not have an auto door at the time). Now with the auto door I'd just need someone to pick up eggs and peek in on them to make sure nothing's obviously amiss.

 

[Lone Star Leghorn]

I ferment their feed for 3 days. I have a really simple system - 4 plastic tubs (the ones that organic greens come in from the grocery store) with lids that I rotate on an previously unused microwave cart with shelves. Day 1's container when I first started = their measured out food, a splash of apple cider vinegar then water to cover, plus about an inch. That container got moved into Day 2's slot, started another Day 1 and did that until there was a container in Day 3/had been fermenting for 3 days. On that day, I took the food out to feed them and poured the water into the 4th plastic tub to start a Day 1. Waaah la. It takes about 3 mins in the morning to rotate the bins into their new spots, empty that days feed into trays to take outside and start a new bin.

I like doing it this way in smaller batches for a few reasons
1) I can control how much food they are given daily without taking a ton of time to measure or scoop
2) if a batch goes sour/grows mold, I haven't lost a ton of feed or a big interruption in the process
3) the rotation/moving of the bins gives it the jostle/stirring it needs to keep fermenting
4) anyone else can feed them the appropriate amount of food and start a new one easily with the handle measuring cup I keep next to the feed bin.

This is how we plan on feeding when our chickens come. Thanks for the breakdown.

 

[Jutta63]

Hi, I started to ferment their scratch and the love it. I have a question about feeding the fermented scratch and the crumbles. Do you guys set the scratch and the crumbles out there or do you do one and then the other day the other? Do I have to put the feed in the fridge or can I leave it on my counter in the kitchen?

 

[Jutta63]

Can I put molasses in my scratch? What other foods do you guys put in the scratch and feed(crumbles)?