FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[Molpet]

Is it normal for them to act like they are starving when you feed them? Mine go crazy when I put the fermented seed down like I haven't fed them in days???? They eat it all in about 30 - 40 minutes time (I have 22 4 week old chicks right now)

yes
they turn into velociraptors... I think if I tripped and knocked out they would devore me LOL
they will eat until they are stuffed, which is not healthy. it would be like us eating a big Thanksgiving dinner a couple of times a day for life... or as the hatcheries recommend 12hrs every day for life... that is why go many cx die of heart conditions and fluid build up internally.
if you cut it back to what they can eat in 20 min they do get used to it....mine come running when they see the food bucket... and come over when ever they see me, but when they see there is no food most of them wander off to forage.

 

[Siggie]

yes
they turn into velociraptors... I think if I tripped and knocked out they would devore me LOL
they will eat until they are stuffed, which is not healthy. it would be like us eating a big Thanksgiving dinner a couple of times a day for life... or as the hatcheries recommend 12hrs every day for life... that is why go many cx die of heart conditions and fluid build up internally.
if you cut it back to what they can eat in 20 min they do get used to it....mine come running when they see the food bucket... and come over when ever they see me, but when they see there is no food most of them wander off to forage.

LOL! Thanks, I was thinking I was starving them

because I took the dry feed out of the brooder. They have feathered out much sooner than I thought they would and they are just beautiful...very shiny so I guess the fermented food is working

They also get treats at night after they eat their second feeding. I go out and pull dandelion greens and then throw them a chunk of dirt as well for grit.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Is it normal for them to act like they are starving when you feed them? Mine go crazy when I put the fermented seed down like I haven't fed them in days???? They eat it all in about 30 - 40 minutes time (I have 22 4 week old chicks right now)

I give free choice fermented feed all day long to my dual purpose flock. No matter how much feed is left, when I bring out more they still act that way. However, I still see them picking through looking for different stuff just like they do dry feed. They are free range all day, currently 6 &13 weeks old. So I think it is normal for them to act that way. They do it even if I just stir the feed that's there. Silly chickens!

 

[Siggie]

I give free choice fermented feed all day long to my dual purpose flock. No matter how much feed is left, when I bring out more they still act that way. However, I still see them picking through looking for different stuff just like they do dry feed. They are free range all day, currently 6 &13 weeks old. So I think it is normal for them to act that way. They do it even if I just stir the feed that's there. Silly chickens!

Good to hear!! I'm feeling better about this now

 

[Johntodd]

No worries about them getting drunk. The spent grains are just grains that have been soaked in hot water. The alcohol is produced later by yeast in a fermentation vessel.

Your chickens will love the grains! Perhaps too much, so be careful of overfeeding.

 

[Kiki]

I feed 2x a day what they eat in 20 min if there is a lot left I cut back... if there is none I give them more.
https://tikktok.wordpress.com/2014/04/13/fermented-feed-faq

Is this all you feed them?

 

[Molpet]

Is this all you feed them?

they also freerange so get bugs, eat weeds/grass and whatever they can find

 

[Kiki]

they also freerange so get bugs, eat weeds/grass and whatever they can find

Ok thanks!

I'm new to chickens.
I have been sprouting lentils for my chicks.

I am looking into this fermenting business now.

 

[Chicken Cake]

Okay, I got a new bag of feed today and I’m going to try actual fermenting now. They have been getting soaked food once a day for the last week. I’ve been reading and learning but still have some questions.

Six chickens (11-25 weeks) and they get 4-6 hours of free ranging most days. One cup of dry, and then soaked for 24 hours, is too much but they still have access to dry. I would be willing to take that away temporarily but it’s probably not sustainable in the long term, so they might always have dry as a back up.

First question is chlorine. I can boil or set buckets out to let it dissipate but now I’m reading about a similar chemical used in city water that doesn’t work that way. Bottled water goes against every fiber of my being so that is a total no go. What effect does chlorination have on fermenting?

Second question is about the length of time before fermented goes bad, and if it can be frozen/refrigerated after the process is done. I have buckets coming out of my arse but I’ll never be feeding more than a few cups a day. It would be helpful in many ways if I could keep a large batch going and portion out daily servings to use later.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Okay, I got a new bag of feed today and I’m going to try actual fermenting now. They have been getting soaked food once a day for the last week. I’ve been reading and learning but still have some questions.

Six chickens (11-25 weeks) and they get 4-6 hours of free ranging most days. One cup of dry, and then soaked for 24 hours, is too much but they still have access to dry. I would be willing to take that away temporarily but it’s probably not sustainable in the long term, so they might always have dry as a back up.

First question is chlorine. I can boil or set buckets out to let it dissipate but now I’m reading about a similar chemical used in city water that doesn’t work that way. Bottled water goes against every fiber of my being so that is a total no go. What effect does chlorination have on fermenting?

Second question is about the length of time before fermented goes bad, and if it can be frozen/refrigerated after the process is done. I have buckets coming out of my arse but I’ll never be feeding more than a few cups a day. It would be helpful in many ways if I could keep a large batch going and portion out daily servings to use later.

I think it's ok if you need to have dry as a back up. If you can't make it work for YOU, then it wont' work at all....

I think as long as you don't have mold growing, it should be fine. It might be possible for you to get too much acidity from fermenting too long, which I think could be reduced(ph raised) by adding more water. I'm guessing you mean like chloro-mines in city water? I'm not sure how those effect fermenting. Do you even have them or is it just a possibility? It's easy to obtain your water quality report. How fast your feed ferments and/or goes bad is probably relative to your climate. But it should never smell bad (if it's not). I also hate bottled water, but if you need to you could get it from one of those reverse osmosis machines pretty cheap, in your own container. We have a well, so I don't currently deal with that issue, thankfully.

I try to feed out within a couple days after seeing the bubbles start. Trial and error is a good reason to start with small batches.

I would think refrigeration would slow the ferment. Freezing seems excessive.

Good luck with your chickens and fermenting!