FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[Beekissed]

The amino acids are the biggest created nutrients out of fermentation and that seems to be the largest gold nugget of all. Another benefit that people are not focusing on is how the soaking and fermentation decreases anti-nutrients and toxins in the grains that prevent digestion of the nutrients to be found.

http://www.fao.org/docrep/x2184e/x2184e06.htm

Quote: http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2010/05/traditional-preparation-methods-improve.html

In addition to the reduction in toxins and anti-nutrients afforded by soaking and cooking, grinding and fermentation goes much further. Grinding greatly increases the surface area of the grains and breaks up their cellular structure, releasing enzymes which are important for the transformation to come. Under the right conditions, which are easy to achieve, lactic acid bacteria rapidly acidify the batter.

 

[zanelee]

I do not want to hijack this thread, but I have some questions. (I've read a great deal of this post, but not all)
I tried ff once before using the 2 bucket method and laying crumbles/pellets along with some scratch grains.
Here are my questions.
I live in Texas where it is HOT in the summer. Usually 3 digits and lots of humidity. I do not have an indoor place to ferment these feeds, and barely any shade to keep the buckets in. Will this affect the quality of my ff? Especially if it is in direct sun some?
Also, with the layer crumbles/pellets, they disintigrate and become sludge that I cannot really get out without taking out the water. Suggestions? Or is this normal, and if so, what do people do to be able to use this sludge? (My chickens will not really eat scratch grains. Only if that is all there is, and it's been sitting in their bowls for a long while)

Thanks so much, and I appologize if this isn't the correct place to post this!
Jennifer in Tx

 

[Beekissed]

I do not want to hijack this thread, but I have some questions. (I've read a great deal of this post, but not all)
I tried ff once before using the 2 bucket method and laying crumbles/pellets along with some scratch grains.
Here are my questions.
I live in Texas where it is HOT in the summer. Usually 3 digits and lots of humidity. I do not have an indoor place to ferment these feeds, and barely any shade to keep the buckets in. Will this affect the quality of my ff? Especially if it is in direct sun some?
Also, with the layer crumbles/pellets, they disintigrate and become sludge that I cannot really get out without taking out the water. Suggestions? Or is this normal, and if so, what do people do to be able to use this sludge? (My chickens will not really eat scratch grains. Only if that is all there is, and it's been sitting in their bowls for a long while)

Thanks so much, and I appologize if this isn't the correct place to post this!
Jennifer in Tx

You'll see a big acceleration of your fermentation in those temps and you'd have to mix very small batches and replenish often to keep up with feeding the lacto and avoiding other molds and bacteria from growing on the sides of your container and on top of the feed. I'd recommend fermenting inside your coop in the shade, at least.

Mixing some whole grains with your "sludge" will help the texture and feedability of the mix, barley is a cheap and good choice. If you have scratch grains just ferment them in your mix...I guarantee those will be the first grains to be picked out of the ferment and gobbled up.

If your chickens are not eating scratch it could be they have no good grit to digest them...you could provide some extra grit for that and see what happens. Fermenting them will help also.

 

[zanelee]

Thanks so much Bee!
I'll try the barley and see how they like it. I'll also up their grit too. Hopefully that will help.

As far as the heat here goes, I have just a small flock. (8 birds, tops) Do you think that the amount I mix up for them daily would be a small enough batch to avoid mold? We will be moving and revamping our coop and pen soon too, so we'll be building an area for feeds too.
Thanks again!

 

[LindaB220]

Thanks so much Bee!
I'll try the barley and see how they like it. I'll also up their grit too. Hopefully that will help.

As far as the heat here goes, I have just a small flock. (8 birds, tops) Do you think that the amount I mix up for them daily would be a small enough batch to avoid mold? We will be moving and revamping our coop and pen soon too, so we'll be building an area for feeds too.
Thanks again!

Hi zanelee, welcome to BYC

I live outside of Shreveport, La and can understand the heat.

 

[zanelee]

Hi LindaB! We're just a few hours from each other then. Yup, that heat is something to behold!

 

[LindaB220]

Hi LindaB! We're just a few hours from each other then. Yup, that heat is something to behold!

Where in Tx? My daughter lives in Austin.

 

[Tikkijane]

I do not want to hijack this thread, but I have some questions. (I've read a great deal of this post, but not all)

I tried ff once before using the 2 bucket method and laying crumbles/pellets along with some scratch grains.

Here are my questions.

I live in Texas where it is HOT in the summer. Usually 3 digits and lots of humidity. I do not have an indoor place to ferment these feeds, and barely any shade to keep the buckets in. Will this affect the quality of my ff? Especially if it is in direct sun some?

Also, with the layer crumbles/pellets, they disintigrate and become sludge that I cannot really get out without taking out the water. Suggestions? Or is this normal, and if so, what do people do to be able to use this sludge? (My chickens will not really eat scratch grains. Only if that is all there is, and it's been sitting in their bowls for a long while)


Thanks so much, and I appologize if this isn't the correct place to post this!
Jennifer in Tx

ONLY USE SCRATCH WHEM IT'S REALLY, REALLY COLD!!! I doubt you'll need it in Texas, lol.

My ff is the consistency of grout. I don't know if you'd consider that sludge or not.... I'd use it, though. It's supposed to break down- that's part of fermenting.

 

[Beekissed]

ONLY USE SCRATCH WHEM IT'S REALLY, REALLY COLD!!! I doubt you'll need it in Texas, lol.

My ff is the consistency of grout. I don't know if you'd consider that sludge or not.... I'd use it, though. It's supposed to break down- that's part of fermenting.

 

[Tikkijane]

Thanks so much Bee!

I'll try the barley and see how they like it. I'll also up their grit too. Hopefully that will help.


As far as the heat here goes, I have just a small flock. (8 birds, tops) Do you think that the amount I mix up for them daily would be a small enough batch to avoid mold? We will be moving and revamping our coop and pen soon too, so we'll be building an area for feeds too.
Thanks again!

Initial fermentation takes a few days. If you're backslopping, you should be able to refresh (add new feed + water) daily if you wanted to, but you likely won't have as much of a ferment going on that way, despite the temps. I don't know how much of an issue that is. But you should have fermented feed going on all the time once you start, regardless of your set up.

Do you have a garage or well house or shed or something? Having a lid on it will help to a point, too, once it's fermented.

Coming from 17 years in the NMican desert, I know that heat!