Fermented Feed-Is it really a superfood?

[Ursula09]

I went to southern states farm supply store and talked to a chicken lover/Farmer there, and he suggested to keep my growers on the starter feed ( since they go crazy over it) and mix it half and half with layer crumble since they are old enough for egg laying. He said I can also feed that mix to my starter chicks so they all eat the same food. He also suggested to me that the internet in regards to chickens were more in the line of fear mongering, and more concerene about getting . I truly believe that part about the money, having to order my chicken feed online and paying way more than at my farm store. He also said that would only be good for them as a treat every now and then, as corn is only a filler. So, I still want to learn the "art of fermentation", and to get my own seeds like millet, wheat, lentils to sprout. My big girls love sprouts, I found out the other day. Yeah!

 

[chickengeorgeto]

… I have been seeing many posts about Fermented feed. I have heard that it cuts your feed bill by a whole lot. I am very open to this idea and I have been wondering how to do. For a long time, I fed 6 chickens 16% crumbles which would get eaten in a week and keep in mind that this is a 50 pound bag of food. Then I fed them 18% pellets which have drastically cut my feed bill and now I use up a 40 pound bag with 12 chickens in a 1 and a half to two weeks.
Here are some of my questions that I would like to get answered:
If you have anything to add then I would greatly appreciate this.

The only thing that I can add is that 6 chickens should only eat 17 pounds of feed per week, not 50lbs. This is assuming that they consume 5ozs per day per bird. Me thinks that you are feeding a large number of free loaders along with your 6 hens.

At 17 pounds per week and 5ozs per bird a 50 pound sack of chicken feed should last for almost 3 weeks.

 

[Ursula09]

The only thing that I can add is that 6 chickens should only eat 17 pounds of feed per week, not 50lbs. This is assuming that they consume 5ozs per day per bird. Me thinks that you are feeding a large number of free loaders along with your 6 hens.

At 17 pounds per week and 5ozs per bird a 50 pound sack of chicken feed should last for almost 3 weeks.

I am feeding all together 21 chickens. I have 3 roos, and 17 chickens. I have my 4 week old chickens and my 7 growers. My 4 week brood eats a 25lb. Bag in 2-1/2 to three weeks. They are kept during the frost in my shed until their feathers are fully developed. The growers are eating at the moment the scratch and peck which they don't seem to like. It is being wasted in the yard and in the coop. My growers will eat mice and frogs instead of their feed. When I go outside to check on their food situation they never need to be fed, as they won't touch the food I put out in the morning. I even tried to firment the food, but they don't want it either. So now I am trying to mix two feeds for two sizes of chickens. The little ones are eating much more than the 1st 15 chickens I had this year. I gave 6 of them away, because I wanted 1 male for the three different breed of chickens. My males in the 1st bunch died do to stress. So I had to order a minimum of 15 chickens again. So the mix I have is 25 lbs of layer feed, and 25 lbs. Of starter feed. I will try to start the firmentation process to see if I can get my growers to at least eat that. Tomorrow I will see if they eat this crumble feed. They seem to crave the starter feed instead of the scratch and peck. And like a dutyful slave to my birds...I will obey...lol

 

[Melky]

I would like to know that answer as well.
My chickens don't seem to like the "scratch and peck" feed they waste alot of it. And I am trying to find one without corn or soy, but have no luck finding any. The young chicks seem to like it well, but they are too young to eat grower feed, only 3-1/2 weeks old.

Nature’s Best has an organic no soy, Big Sky through Azure Standard has no corn or soy, and of course Sratch n Peck. Sratch n Peck most expensive. I ferment feed mixing 50/50 feed with warm water and ferment for three days. I use two bins so one is fermenting next batch when feeding out of the other. For every 2 lbs made, I get an extra 1 lb. of feed with fermenting. My chicks love it. Don’t ferment too long as it will mold. The other savings is my chicks do not waste it on the ground like crumble.

 

[Melky]

I find savings too in just putting a daily amount out and be done. 1/4 lb. feed per bird per day is all they need for adult hens. I put mine in fenced run with water so I am not feeding the wildlife. Don’t overfeed chickens once grown. Good savings here. When my chicks were young they were fed ad lib but now not growing because they are at breed weight so they just need maintenance. This makes them not waste food and they are ready and eager when I go out with food.

 

[jolenesdad]

Following.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hello! So lately I have been seeing many posts about Fermented feed. I have heard that it cuts your feed bill by a whole lot.

Hi there. I'm in California and live right off the 101.

Please let me give you the down low as I see it after 2+ years of fermenting... I NO longer do.

SOME flocks will benefit more than others... it saved me NOT one single dime and costed a WHOLE lot of time... for a flock my size (75+ I go through 100# per week)... but boy was it ever fun to use an excuse to get MORE chickens!

My flock is NOT a big wasting flock... and that is where I think the MOST amount of savings will come for SOME people. With the parameters mentioned in the OP... there MUST be some major free loading going on. Collecting or securing feeders at night is a must.

The thing is formulated feed IS formulated to meet the needs of our birds... IN CAPTIVITY. We somehow think that we are improving it when what we are doing is essentially changing some of the carbs to a little more "usable" protein. In my opinion you DON'T get something for nothing, EVER. Corn is NOT just a filler anymore than wheat or any other source of carbs... it IS a source of cheaper energy.

Regarding adding in probiotics... There is ONLY so much balance that can take place... it MAY help birds that need it but will do NOTHING for those who don't. Some feeds have probiotics already added in if you read the label... even ones who don't spend money on fancy bags or advertising.

Answering questions as they were asked...

1) Meh... not much if your flock is in good health and you don't diminish nutrients with low quality treats like scratch or lettuce.

2) Commercial is the best choice in regards to guaranteed formulation, time management, affordability, and ease of use.

3) Any feed will work.. pellets, crumble, whole... they may absorb different amount of water or ferment at a slightly slower rate if whole. Don't waste time with water floating on top and draining that is old information that isn't really that valid. Use an amount of water that makes your consistency like thick oatmeal. Also the rinsing described is NOT needed... as long as you rinse down your sides into the bucket each day... I was using a trash can... and NEVER had an issue with mold or anything else. Weather does effect it... left too long becomes more sour and the bird won't eat it... simple adding in enough feed to get you PH back to an acceptable level was sufficient and adjusting how much is your are doing as needed... if it's getting to sour to fast, back slop less and mix less for the next time. I personally use 20% flock raiser... it's interesting that raising seemed to reduce intake for you... to me a calorie is a calorie regardless of where it comes from... but about 3% of 16% layer feed is zero calorie calcium... so you should see a difference right there...(I would like to see calorie count on chicken feed labels) but you also went from crumbles to pellets... which will have POSSIBLY reduced your waste. Some flocks waste more crumbles while mine waste more pellets. So MANY individual factors ALL have an impact!

4) Again this didn't save me ANY money at all... long term. But my time is more valuable than gold... and it adds up when we are talking about a large flock. Dry feeding is soooo much easier. However after much research, I almost feel like simply adding water to a make a mash... MAY provide just as much pre digestive and waste savings as fermenting... But that is almost as much work as FF.

5) Couldn't get much simpler... add dry feed and water and stir a couple times per day... until you have fantastic bubbling action and your smell is a little different. The thicker your mix is might be hard to notice the bubbles so start thinner while getting familiar and thicken up right before feeding if desired... my birds won't really eat soup. The amount of bubbling and how long it takes is very heavily dependent on your ambient temperature... what takes 3 days for some might take me a week!

6) I wouldn't try homemade starting out, too difficult, pricey, and time consuming to gather all the products together that make for a good balanced ration. BUT to share what info I have..
https://thefrugalchicken.com/organic-homemade-chicken-feed/

And a few links from another thread discussing FF that I book marked for further review...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19373724

https://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com/p/fermented-feed.html?m=1

https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajb/article/viewFile/60378/48610

Since sprouting and fodder were mentioned, I might as well share a quick thought about that too as I have done it and extensively researched it.... To ME, it is a good source of enrichment... but NOT a money saving thing either. I have a lot of fun doing it and my goats and chickens both enjoy it!

While you may think it will get some "green" in them... a cheaper way is mowing your lawn. My birds will pick the seed off and leave the green behind... if I grow to fodder. Also the 7 fold increase in weight that is seen in as many days... is NOT and increase in dry matter it is an increase in water weight. I do not consider it a cheap food source but rather a fun and nutritious treat to be used for enrichment... Feeding out at an earlier stage can be nutritiously just as valuable with less risk of mold...
http://www.idosi.org/wasj/wasj16(4)12/9.pdf

In the end... I do both on occasion, because it is fun and I like experimenting. I don't think it's detrimental to flocks.... and for SOME WILL have some benefit. But at the end of the day... it's a bunch of hype without NEARLY as much savings or benefit as many claim... all in all... there was NO increase in egg production or size, let's be real genetics is key. There was also no flavor difference between eggs or meat.

Having all these things on your radar means you are ahead of the game and care deeply about the condition of your flock!

I won't be fear mongered into somehow thinking I am doing less than by not fermenting.

Yes, I believe those that say it save them $. That was NOT my personal experience.

ETA: whether fermenting or dry... I leave enough for free choice feed all day... The sparrow's don't eat enough for me to start hunting them out of my yard, but a fence doesn't stop them either. And my birds do much better if I don't "bring out" feed because then it seen as a treat and they mob me every time.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

@FarmerGirl101, So I found the other really long thread that also discuss FF, that might be of interest for your review...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/fermenting-feed-and-protein-levels.1274554/

I'm just glad that even though I know how I feel (subject to change), that I'm not just about looking at my side... I like to see ALL the information AND share it as well so peeps can make their own choice what makes sense for THEM.

The more conversation, the better chance of seeing the truth.

 

[FarmerGirl101]

@FarmerGirl101, So I found the other really long thread that also discuss FF, that might be of interest for your review...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/fermenting-feed-and-protein-levels.1274554/

I'm just glad that even though I know how I feel (subject to change), that I'm not just about looking at my side... I like to see ALL the information AND share it as well so peeps can make their own choice what makes sense for THEM.

The more conversation, the better chance of seeing the truth.

Many times in threads people say fermented feed and talk about the basics of doing. Pretty talking about just soaking the feed but never talk about anything else.

 

[Ursula09]

Many times in threads people say fermented feed and talk about the basics of doing. Pretty talking about just soaking the feed but never talk about anything else.

What is FF?