Fermented feed smells like death

[ehoneybee]

Is it supposed to smell like the worst thing you've ever smelled?! I'm hesitant to give it to them. I had it under water in a container for 3 days and it smelled disgusting from day 1. I ferment our food and if anything smelled like this I'd assume it was contaminated and dump it. Is it different for feed?

 

[lazy gardener]

What is your feed? If it has animal protein, or a high level of flax seed in it, this might be your issue. I never cover my FF with water. It puffs up like a yeast dough "sponge", and smells yeasty, tangy, fragrant, though other members of my family tell me it stinks.

 

[ehoneybee]

It's an organic layer feed (pellets). So you just put enough water to let it soak it up and not add more? I thought it had to have an inch covering it to keep it from turning rancid. Is this safe for my chickens?

 

[duluthralphie]

No, if it stinks so bad you would not eat it yourself, why feed it to them?

 

[Dayrel]

Fermented feed is very much like sourdough bread- the exact same process is involved. I'm not a fan of the slightly sour smell of either FF or sourdough, but neither should be horrible and overpowering.

Add as much water as the feed can absorb- about a 1:1 ratio (I use about 1.1 parts water). I'd recommend starting over with a clean/sterilized container as you don't want to transfer the current bacterial culture to the new batch. Use a smaller amount of feed until you are comfortable with the results- 1 pint/quart/gallon depending on the size of your flock.

The tiktok.com link in @lazy gardener's signature is the best reference.

 

[ehoneybee]

Fermented feed is very much like sourdough bread- the exact same process is involved. I'm not a fan of the slightly sour smell of either FF or sourdough, but neither should be horrible and overpowering.

Add as much water as the feed can absorb- about a 1:1 ratio (I use about 1.1 parts water). I'd recommend starting over with a clean/sterilized container as you don't want to transfer the current bacterial culture to the new batch. Use a smaller amount of feed until you are comfortable with the results- 1 pint/quart/gallon depending on the size of your flock.

The tiktok.com link in @lazy gardener's signature is the best reference.

Ok thanks! I only used a cup just to see. Cannot figure out what happened!

 

[ehoneybee]

No, if it stinks so bad you would not eat it yourself, why feed it to them?

Exactly! I know other ppl have said some brands smell horrible so I just wanted to guage my experience.

 

[lazy gardener]

Let me repeat:

YOU DO NOT NEED TO HAVE THE FEED COVERED WITH WATER.

YOU DO NOT NEED TO HAVE THE FEED COVERED WITH WATER.

YOU DO NOT NEED TO HAVE THE FEED COVERED WITH WATER.

YOU DO NOT NEED TO HAVE THE FEED COVERED WITH WATER.

There is no reason to keep the feed covered with water. IMO, it is far better to NOT cover it with water. By not covering it with water, you allow the organisms to have healthy oxygenization.

I'm only guessing here, but wondering if by covering it with water, you are setting up anaerobic conditions. IMO, that would smell putrid. Kind of like a septic system.

 

[ehoneybee]

Let me repeat:

YOU DO NOT NEED TO HAVE THE FEED COVERED WITH WATER.

YOU DO NOT NEED TO HAVE THE FEED COVERED WITH WATER.

YOU DO NOT NEED TO HAVE THE FEED COVERED WITH WATER.

YOU DO NOT NEED TO HAVE THE FEED COVERED WITH WATER.

There is no reason to keep the feed covered with water. IMO, it is far better to NOT cover it with water. By not covering it with water, you allow the organisms to have healthy oxygenization.

I'm only guessing here, but wondering if by covering it with water, you are setting up anaerobic conditions. IMO, that would smell putrid. Kind of like a septic system.

Yes, horrible! Fermenting foods for human consumption require it to be submerged. Weird how it's not the same for feed. Lots of places I've read say it needs an inch of water.

 

[Dayrel]

Yes, horrible! Fermenting foods for human consumption require it to be submerged. Weird how it's not the same for feed. Lots of places I've read say it needs an inch of water.

Try it without the extra water and let us know if it works better for you. I've seen people that claim either is proper, so it would be another data point for us to work with.