FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[monkcat]

Thanks for the picture! I have been wondering if my fermented feed is okay. It smells sour like I think it should - the only thing that has me slightly concerned is that everytime I go to stir it, I notice that there is a white "layer" of stuff on top of the feed, under the water. It looks like yours has this white-ish layer also. I have been fermenting their feed for 3 weeks since I got them and replace what I use each day, just as you do. So far, so good!

The white stuff is a good thing. It's a scoby. Symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, or something like that! Just stir it in if you want. Though it's not necessary. It's also known as the mother. It's helping ferment your feed.

 

[Clucksandgiggle]

Quote:
Ahhh...thanks!! I figured it was good but I've never done this before so who knows!

 

[monkcat]

No problem! The fermented foods are new to me. So are chickens for that matter. But I have made kombucha for a while and it's very similar withe the scoby and all that stuff! A small leg up.

 

[Clucksandgiggle]

I'm pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to ferment feed and how the benefits are so easy to recognize. I love my 3 week olds having hard, non-smelly poops, in addition to not having any food waste and them not easting so much. Love, love, love fermented feed!

 

[Meeka3]

Thanks for the picture! I have been wondering if my fermented feed is okay. It smells sour like I think it should - the only thing that has me slightly concerned is that everytime I go to stir it, I notice that there is a white "layer" of stuff on top of the feed, under the water. It looks like yours has this white-ish layer also. I have been fermenting their feed for 3 weeks since I got them and replace what I use each day, just as you do. So far, so good!

that white layer is the good stuff called scoby, just stir it through each day and the more you get, the better it is.

 

[ohmyhens]

Thanks for the picture!  I have been wondering if my fermented feed is okay.  It smells sour like I think it should - the only thing that has me slightly concerned is that everytime I go to stir it, I notice that there is a white "layer" of stuff on top of the feed, under the water.  It looks like yours has this white-ish layer also.  I have been fermenting their feed for 3 weeks since I got them and replace what I use each day, just as you do.  So far, so good!

mine also has the whitish layer

 

[PolentaDragon]

deleted post

 

[LindaB220]

Monkcat, I do add stuff to my All Flock before I ferment it. I am not very scientific how I do it, but I think I can explain it so you can understand it. And I am not being sarcastic either.

I mix my feed by volume, not weight.

2 cans of All Flock + 1 can of scratch + 1/4 can alfalfa pellets

Pour enough water on it to soak it completely until it is soupy. The feed will soak up the water and be pretty stiff. It ferments for 3 days, then I feed it.

I have not washed my fermenting buckets since last summer. I put a spoonful of FF from the next day's bucket of FF in the bucket and start all over again.

I used to ferment for 4 days, but one of the bucket handles broke and I haven't replaced yet. I will replace it one of these days.

You can modify my method by using any size or kind of measuring utensils you have at your place. The stirring spoon I have is stainless steel from the camping section at Wal~Mart.

Enola, that is exactly my recipe. And they do so well with it. Only trouble is, when I went to surgery and rehab for a month my SIL Clint only fed and watered. Using pellets. Dry. Now that I have 35+ growing babies in the 'bator I wonder how many males I'll have running around. Probably half. sigh.

 

[enola]

It didn't affect the sex ratio in my hatches. I have always had more males than females.....

 

[LindaB220]

Agreed. Everyone goes around saying there's no wrong way to raise chickens, feed chickens, hatch, etc. but it's simply not true as many of the failed experiments in doing so can attest.

When I say keep it simple, ferment the balanced ration in a bag it's exactly what I mean. When I say make sure if you add whole grains that you keep your feed at least 50% layer ration and only do that in the winter if you are feeding layers...they need the calcium and phosphorus in that layer ration, it's exactly what I mean. When I say it's not necessary to get into complicated feeding mixtures, it's exactly what I mean. When I say you don't have to cover the mix with water to get LABs, it's exactly what I mean. When I say you don't have to cover it tightly with a lid, it's exactly what I mean. When I say you don't need some kind of starter like kimchi, yogurt, bread yeasts, etc., it's exactly what I mean. You just DON'T need it, so why add it? It's futile and it doesn't make the mix any better than it was as it will simply convert to whatever it was originally going to be in the first place, primarily LABs with some acetobacter along side.

My success with this method has encompassed those very things and I cannot guarantee success with any other way of doing it.

Follow instructions. They count. Ask any teacher.

Well, considering that you restarted the whole way to ferment resurgent, that's saying a lot. Computer won't let me give smilies so I'll give a hug instead.