fermented feed for turkeys

[Big Dan]

I have seen a lot of people saying they ferment their feed. I was wondering if it is truly worth it. What are the benefits of fermenting? I am raising meat turkeys and Cornish rocks. I am mainly wanting to do it for the turkeys. I buy specialty feed by the ton for chickens. I want to really plump them up for the holidays so will this help.

 

[retlaw]

I have HEARD that if you sprout the grain first and then feed it green they put more weight on faster with less grain being eaten.
I haven't tried it yet.

 

[Big Dan]

So it can't be done with granule feed?

 

[SillyChicken]

Both. take up a lot of time and both smell really bad.... tried it myself briefly. Turkeys weren't quite as fond of the sprouts as the chickens were. They all gobbled up the fermented food. I may try fermenting again just using grains instead of mixing in layer pellets.

 

[Big Dan]

So then with being such a pain to do. What are the benefits that make a lot of people do it. I feed a complete granule to mine and have never had a problem

 

[retlaw]

Its the same reason why brewers or distillers use malted grains.
A dormant seed stores energy for its germination.
When you germinate seeds it releases its energy to allow the seed to develop a rooting system so it can feed itself.
There is a short window in the seeds life that allows this to happen.
And the highest point of energy release is the few days just after germination.

If you want to see this you can google Kirlian photography images of seed germination.

Or research why brewers and distillers do it.
You should find your answers.

Feed pelts or cracked grains can't do this energy shift.

 

[Big Dan]

Thanks trust answered a lot for me. I might buy some feed and give it a try

 

[Sarah1031]

brewers sprout grains to develop sugar. . this process is called malting. During germination the relitively complex starches in the endosperm breakdown into bioavailable sugars and proteins to fuel plant growth. Hormoneconcentratoins are at thier peak during this process as well. As far as food fermentation goes: fungus and bacteria essentially digest parts of the food that an animal stomach and its fauna cant and release it back into its enviroment (your feed) in a more biologically available form. Thus more nutrients are absorbed by the bird pound for pound so you use less feed. I think the real question would be what is the best species to innoculate with.

 

[retlaw]

brewers sprout grains to develop sugar. . this process is called malting. During germination the relatively complex starches in the endosperm breakdown into bioavailable sugars and proteins to fuel plant growth. Hormoneconcentratoins are at thier peak during this process as well. As far as food fermentation goes: fungus and bacteria essentially digest parts of the food that an animal stomach and its fauna cant and release it back into its enviroment (your feed) in a more biologically available form. Thus more nutrients are absorbed by the bird pound for pound so you use less feed. I think the real question would be what is the best species to innoculate with.

So its like doing an alcohol maceration on your mark to transfer the targeted ingredient strait to the liver to by-pass the digestive system which would take more energy to process and not do as effective of a job due to time restrictions. Interesting.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I don't have the time to do that. I have too many.