Fermented feed for chickens

[BYC Project Manager]

If you’ve never tried fermented feed for chickens, it can feel a little strange at first. After all, soaking feed in water for a day or two until it starts bubbling doesn’t exactly sound like gourmet chicken cuisine. But many backyard chicken keepers swear their birds absolutely love it.

Fermenting feed is said to help chickens digest nutrients more easily and may even reduce feed waste. Some keepers also report healthier-looking feathers, firmer droppings, and slightly lower feed costs because the birds seem to feel full sooner. On the flip side, others find it messy, time-consuming, or simply not worth the extra effort.

So here’s the question for everyone: Have you tried feeding fermented feed to your flock?
Did you notice any real benefits or did you decide it wasn’t for you?

Share your experience, tips, or even your fermentation “failures.” Let’s hear how it’s working in your coop!

 

[Kiki]

I tried it.
It was too messy for me and didn't seem worth the trouble... especially since it's so hot down here. I was afraid it would start rotting/get nasty too quickly.
It didn't save any money and only caused more work.

 

[SkyAJK]

A few years back I did do fermented feed for my chickens.
I found that it is not good for hot summer weather and some of my chickens did not like wet feed.

The advantage is that it bulked up, stopped the powdery in feed and good during the autumn cool dry weather.

It is not good for hot summer weather as it continued to fermented on a hot day and also more flies attached to it. One of my hens got the fermented feed stuck to her nose and beak.

I will do fermented feed again when the weather cooled down and this time mix the fermented feed with dried feed to ease the mushiness.

The idea of fermented feed give chickens good gut bacteria worth the effort.

 

[Perris]

It matters a lot what feed is being fermented. My first foray into this followed advice online and involved fermenting regular commercial homogenised pellet feed. The result looked like this

and stuck to the birds' beaks as per SkyAJK's post. It also smelled foul. The birds ate it, but I was not happy with it, and it was not obviously beneficial.

I did a lot more research in serious sources. I discovered that fermenting suits real whole foods, not ultra-processed feeds. I started fermenting whole grains, legumes, seeds. It smells just a little, and that smell is nice. There is no sticky mess. There is no mould. The birds love it. They have been thriving on it here for several generations now. I explain what I do and why here, so there is no need to repeat it here. It looks like this after rinsing to serve

The differences are obvious.