FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[lazy gardener]

My birds switch readily from FF to pellets and back again.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Yes, I am typically lazier in the cold months and ferment when it is cold outside and sprout in spring as the left over sprouts that the chickens do not eat end up growing into plants for them to eat.
For fermenting, I simply fill a 5 gallon bucket 1/3 full and fill with water to soak for 3 days. We have a little over 60 chickens and we feed them about 1/3 pound each a day. When I ferment, it doubles in weight meaning the 20lbs of organic feed I buy on ebay is 40lbs which makes it more economical.

I sprout also in a 5 gallon bucket that I drilled holes smaller than the flax seed to allow the water to drain. I soak on day 1, and rinse 2x a day on days 2 and 3. Then feed the morning of day 4. When I do this the 20lbs weighs appoximately 60lbs which makes it less than what I can buy a bag of food from the feed store. Fodder takes 7-10 days which I am usually to distracted to commit to. However, it does make the 20lbs turn into 120lbs of feed which is insane. I find fermenting and sprouting to be really easy.

I tried others seeds http://www.ebay.com/itm/132059463011 was the one that sprouted the best and had the most variety. It has barley, flax seed, millet, oat groats, red winter wheat, sunflower seeds, and green field peas.

If you have a smaller flock you can use mason jars to ferment or sprout. Or a metal strainer in a bowl to sprout. We just have so many chickens that we use the 5 gallon buckets.

That's pretty awesome! True my fodder weight was 7 times that of my seeds in about 8 days.

However, I've done a lot of research and it indicates that while the weight of the sprouted or fodder does indeed increase... the dry matter does not... therefor although it does unlock some of the nutrients, the dry matter is what actually counts for the livestock. And they eat to meat their energy/calorie needs not their nutrient needs. This link says as far as saving money, it is basically not effective.

http://www.idosi.org/wasj/wasj16(4)12/9.pdf

I still sprout and sometimes fodder because I like to and my animals enjoy it!

Also, when fermenting... the water SLIGHTLY increases nutrient value, but I'm not sure about caloric... It's like having dehydrated potatoes or anything else. Rehydrating them just puts the water back into the original product. So your chickens are just not drinking as much water to push the stuff down.

So when you 1/3 pound each... is that your wet or dry weight?

Don't mean this to sound ugly, just having a conversation... I'm always willing to learn something new.

 

[mobius]

Lol why would we grow wheatgrass then for wheatgrass shots? Otherwise we would just eat the seeds...thinking of fodder. And having a conversation. There are many statements about fodder and sprouting and fermenting that have to do with removal of protective coatings and nutrient availability increase. Yes, some of it is water. But you can't say that a tomato seed has the same nutrient value of a tomato, and so on. Maybe I am just a little off-base here....however...it is not about just water content.

Rehydrating mashed potatoes? I get that but I don't think it is a good comparison here...let's talk about seed comparisons...

 

[Venumfire]

We drain the water from the fermented grains and seeds and feed approximately 1/3lb of the soaked feed, same for the sprouts, rinse them off then feed. They also forage on our pasture and we grow herbs for our chickens to free choice. Here are some of the herbs we grow for them and why:
Oregano is antiparasitic, antifungal and an antibiotic.
Basil, Dandelion greens, alfalfa, Chervil, Coriander, Dill, Fennel, Marjoram, Parsley, Spearmint and Tarragon are herbs with high protein and all assist in feather growth. They also make the yolks more of an orange color. Basil repels insect pests, serves as an antibacterial, improves mucous membrane health and is rejuvenating. Dill is an antioxidant, is calming, prevents disease, controls parasites, improves respiratory health, is high in protein, repels harmful insects and is an antidiarrheal. Parsleyis a laying stimulant, helps blood vessel development and circulation.
Nettles, Parsley, Sage, and Spearmint all improve overall health. Rosemary, Dill, Parsley and Mint assist feather growth. Lemongrass repels insect pests. Rosemaryrepels insects, is a pain reliever, improves respiratory health and is calming. Parsleyis high in vitamins and helps with blood vessel development and circulation.
Bee Balm, Dill, and Thyme helps respiratory health. Fennel, Marjoram, Nasturtium, Parsleyare egg laying stimulants.
Cilantro, Sage, Spearmint, Tarragonare great for general health. Cilantro is an antioxidant, antifungal, it builds strong bones, is high in Vitamin A and K. Comfy aids digestion, is an antiinflamatory, supports bone and artery growth, contains vitamin B12 and is high in protein.
Comfrey Aids digestion, is an antiinflammatory, supports bone and artery growth, has vitamin B12 and is high in protein.
Pineapple Sage aids in nervous system development and smells amazing.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

We drain the water from the fermented grains and seeds and feed approximately 1/3lb of the soaked feed, same for the sprouts, rinse them off then feed. They also forage on our pasture and we grow herbs for our chickens to free choice. Here are some of the herbs we grow for them and why:
Oregano is antiparasitic, antifungal and an antibiotic.
Basil, Dandelion greens, alfalfa, Chervil, Coriander, Dill, Fennel, Marjoram, Parsley, Spearmint and Tarragon are herbs with high protein and all assist in feather growth. They also make the yolks more of an orange color. Basil repels insect pests, serves as an antibacterial, improves mucous membrane health and is rejuvenating. Dill is an antioxidant, is calming, prevents disease, controls parasites, improves respiratory health, is high in protein, repels harmful insects and is an antidiarrheal. Parsleyis a laying stimulant, helps blood vessel development and circulation.
Nettles, Parsley, Sage, and Spearmint all improve overall health. Rosemary, Dill, Parsley and Mint assist feather growth. Lemongrass repels insect pests. Rosemaryrepels insects, is a pain reliever, improves respiratory health and is calming. Parsleyis high in vitamins and helps with blood vessel development and circulation.
Bee Balm, Dill, and Thyme helps respiratory health. Fennel, Marjoram, Nasturtium, Parsleyare egg laying stimulants.
Cilantro, Sage, Spearmint, Tarragonare great for general health. Cilantro is an antioxidant, antifungal, it builds strong bones, is high in Vitamin A and K. Comfy aids digestion, is an antiinflamatory, supports bone and artery growth, contains vitamin B12 and is high in protein.
Comfrey Aids digestion, is an antiinflammatory, supports bone and artery growth, has vitamin B12 and is high in protein.
Pineapple Sage aids in nervous system development and smells amazing.

Fun info... thanks for sharing!

More things for me to overthink and then still try to do.

 

[Deb T]

We drain the water from the fermented grains and seeds and feed approximately 1/3lb of the soaked feed, same for the sprouts, rinse them off then feed.  They also forage on our pasture and we grow herbs for our chickens to free choice.  Here are some of the herbs we grow for them and why:
Oregano ​is anti­parasitic, anti­fungal and an antibiotic.
Basil, Dandelion greens, alfalfa, Chervil, Coriander, Dill, Fennel, Marjoram, Parsley, Spearmint ​and Tarragon are herbs with high protein and all assist in feather growth. They also make the yolks more of an orange color. Basil ​repels insect pests, serves as an anti­bacterial, improves mucous membrane health and is rejuvenating. Dill ​is an ​antioxidant, is calming, prevents disease, controls parasites, improves respiratory health, is high in protein, repels harmful insects and is an anti­diarrheal. Parsley​is a laying stimulant, helps blood vessel development and circulation.
Nettles, Parsley, Sage, ​and Spearmint all ​improve overall health. Rosemary, Dill, Parsley ​and Mint ​assist feather growth.  Lemongrass ​repels insect pests. Rosemary​repels insects, is a pain reliever, improves respiratory health and is calming. Parsley​is high in vitamins and helps with blood vessel development and circulation.
Bee Balm, Dill, and Thyme​ helps respiratory health. Fennel, Marjoram, Nasturtium, Parsley​are egg laying stimulants.
Cilantro, Sage, Spearmint, Tarragon​are great for general health.  Cilantro ​is an antioxidant, anti­fungal, it builds strong bones, is high in Vitamin A and K. Comfy ​aids digestion, is an anti­inflamatory, supports bone and artery growth, contains vitamin B12 and is high in protein.
Comfrey ­ ​Aids digestion, is an anti­inflammatory, supports bone and artery growth, has vitamin B12 and is high in protein.
Pineapple Sage​ aids in nervous system development and smells amazing.  

Terrific info. Thanks

 

[igorsMistress]

I tried fermenting the crumbles, didn't care for the outcome and neither did the girls.

Second time around I tried wild bird food and when next I saw the bowl it was empty. I didn't know if the chickens ate it or the wild birds did but I made more.

Apparently the chickens do like it because they swarmed the bowl and were chattering away about it!

I lack confidence in my ability to ferment food without making anyone sick but so far so good.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I tried fermenting the crumbles, didn't care for the outcome and neither did the girls.

Second time around I tried wild bird food and when next I saw the bowl it was empty. I didn't know if the chickens ate it or the wild birds did but I made more.

Apparently the chickens do like it because they swarmed the bowl and were chattering away about it!

I lack confidence in my ability to ferment food without making anyone sick but so far so good.

Nobody has been sick on my watch... and I'm pretty lazy...

Do not make the wild bird feed you sole ration or you WILL end up with health issues. Yes they do like the whole seeds and such. They would probably like any whole grain product.

 

[mobius]

Nobody has been sick on my watch... and I'm pretty lazy...

Do not make the wild bird feed you sole ration or you WILL end up with health issues. Yes they do like the whole seeds and such. They would probably like any whole grain product.

Agreed. If you remove other food, they will eat the fermented food. You can sprinkle a little dry on top to encourage. Chickens can be known to reisist fermented food initially. But it seems that once they are used to it, it is nearly always preferred to regular feed.

The fermented wild bird seed can be fed a a treat.

 

[MasAhora]

I found some of my older hens took a while to like FF. For a while I offered normal and FF and when they also started going for the FF first, I quit dry feed altogether. That took about 2 months. which suited me as I was not entirely sure about the FF thing. However, they now all prefer it, their poops have less odour and there is almost no wasted food which is really annoying the wild birds.
Personally I have a decent reduction in food costs, I think that is due to less powdery waste found with the dry feed mixes I can buy locally.