FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[chwychuro]

Hello down in Paso!

I do NOT miss those temps. Used to live in the valley and head that way for riding pretty often.

Did you keep your FF stirred during that 3 days of garage heat? You should save yourself some $ and don't put the acv in your ferment.. it will work plenty well with out it.

One major difference I noticed is the poo was more solid and less stinky.

So are you using the scratch just to create interest? Otherwise scratch diminishes your protein level and should be kept to less than 10% of daily intake. Other than fun, IDK why people feed scratch... for me it's the same price as feed but with way less nutrients.

Wow, with a flock the size of yours, the savings should add up! And that's just feed not even including the health benifits and possible saving from having a healthy flock and treating for less illness/disease.

Thank you for sharing with me, I will look forward to hearing an update! Try to keep cool. ETA: love your user name. I want some churros.

Yeah the summer this year is going to be hot. Not looking forward to it at all... Yes, I stirred the FF all three days, but it might have been the added heatwave and the fact that I covered it with a plastic bag, almost like getting into the car on a hot summer day, only shady. I was reading that the ACV would help kick start the mother, then after that you would just keep using the same water and adding as necessary. I'm currently only doing the scratch to get them to start eating the fermented feed, more like a treat for the time being. As for my flock size... I accidentally let it get out of hand... its just... those babies are just so cute! And even with the latest babies I raised of 25 they were still pretty personable. Not too bad for not really knowing what I'm doing. I'm mainly looking for the health benefits for the FF, so I'm really excited to see how this works. And because they still have access to the regular feed as well, maybe that might be why I'm not seeing too much of a difference in poop yet? Either way, I am feeling more confident that I'm not going to kill them with the FF, so theres a positive. And yup, figured out the temperature situation so hopefully this works well in the summer. Thanks for all the tips!

 

[FlyWheel]

I would guess that "on the ground" means on the lawn. But, that is me making an assumption based on my situation. I would not choose to put the ferment on the bare soil ground, especially if that bare soil ground happened to be in a run. and if the ferment is going on the lawn, they indeed should have access to grit. It is my opinion that all chickens should have access to grit, from a very young age.

Ok I get it, I assume you're feeding them on pavement?

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As far as using ACV as a starter, I use what's left over in the fermenting 'bucket' after pouring their feed (called 'backslopping'). Also, if there is any extra water on top of the fermenting feed I carefully pour it off into a container before feeding them, then pour the old water into the next batch. IOW I let the fermenting feed make it's own ACV.

 

[lazy gardener]

I have no pavement. so, it's either grass, or other vegetation... or soil here.

 

[strangeanimal]

Upon request I am starting a thread about using fermentation to improve feed nutritive value and health benefits.

1. Anyone doing it?
2. How long have you been doing it?
3. Your methods?
4. Grains/feeds used in this manner?
5. Your overall review of this method of feeding?

1. uhu me and I am sure very many !
2. how long now ? Recently but before I used to do it just on occasion for fun while experimenting with food but it's now I'm paying close attention to how much it is liked or not and how the chickenbehavior is
3. I do not use buckets and buckets , I just make smaller jars in a few liters in fact because I do not want to have any feed spoiled by having it standing too long / wrong on a shelf . My method is simple in fact :
a). I mix up all kinds of food in one piece , in chunks or both , just throw it all in a layer of water , not too much and the food is also not totally under the water , cover this with a towel , bandage around it the first day and put it in the closet , on top of the fridge in the kitchen , anywhere ...
b).the one thing daily to do is stirring it all up a few times , checking it and on day 2 there are the bubbles so for more oxygen I remove the towel ( no bug / fly that gets in oddly enough ) , on day 3 or 4 I have a white layer on top of it so ready to feed , depending on what kind of feed it is it is day 3 or day 4
c). How I feed it ? this is all they get now the weather is favourable for a chicken so they'd still eat greenies and all sorts of bugs they find

4. I mainly use grains in this manner , no mash but real grains , a mixture of all kinds , usally with layingpellets ,
5. My overall review ? I did tested the chickens out wether they liked the normal grain mixture or the fermented , they prefer the fermented and they eat it rapidly yet not as much as normal grain so you save money but I personally would not give it more than 3 times top a week , I noticed the chickens got stomach issues at the beginning if they ate ' too much ' because they weren't used to it , plus I do not think it is that healthy to get your chicken eat less and less , just a little bit of it is enough for them , they are full yet like the taste of it so they ' overeat ' themselfs actually eating almost nothing for real . I do see the positive side of this as well , they are more vital , active , feeling fine so they sure have benefits from some fermented feed , visable , plus it is costing less . It is good , but I'm not going to give it as their mainfeed as we as humans also do not always eat yoghurt ... they like to find their food too , so switching is ok but only fermentation is not what I believe healthy .
Hopefully this was helpfull !

 

[strangeanimal]

I have no pavement. so, it's either grass, or other vegetation... or soil here.

same here , soil ( awesome !)

 

[FlyWheel]

@strangeanimal: I've noticed that too. When I was giving them their feed dry I could easily regulate how much they needed by how much was left in their feed bin by the same time the next day. When I ferment the same amount of feed it's gone in a few minutes! So they're eating the same amount and I'll bet they'd be eager to eat more if I gave it too them.

So much for the feed savings myth!

 

[lazy gardener]

If the birds are given FF on a regular basis, and not as a treat, they will initially pig out on it. But, then, their consumption will go down to a base line: level out. IMO, the initial pigging out is b/c they are working to replenish nutrients missing from their system when fed a dry ration. Same feed, but the bacterial and yeast action actually produces some vitamins.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

1. uhu me and I am sure very many !
2. how long now ? Recently but before I used to do it just on occasion for fun while experimenting with food but it's now I'm paying close attention to how much it is liked or not and how the chickenbehavior is
3. I do not use buckets and buckets , I just make smaller jars in a few liters in fact because I do not want to have any feed spoiled by having it standing too long / wrong on a shelf . My method is simple in fact :
a). I mix up all kinds of food in one piece , in chunks or both , just throw it all in a layer of water , not too much and the food is also not totally under the water , cover this with a towel , bandage around it the first day and put it in the closet , on top of the fridge in the kitchen , anywhere ...
b).the one thing daily to do is stirring it all up a few times , checking it and on day 2 there are the bubbles so for more oxygen I remove the towel ( no bug / fly that gets in oddly enough ) , on day 3 or 4 I have a white layer on top of it so ready to feed , depending on what kind of feed it is it is day 3 or day 4
c). How I feed it ? this is all they get now the weather is favourable for a chicken so they'd still eat greenies and all sorts of bugs they find

4. I mainly use grains in this manner , no mash but real grains , a mixture of all kinds , usally with layingpellets ,
5. My overall review ? I did tested the chickens out wether they liked the normal grain mixture or the fermented , they prefer the fermented and they eat it rapidly yet not as much as normal grain so you save money but I personally would not give it more than 3 times top a week , I noticed the chickens got stomach issues at the beginning if they ate ' too much ' because they weren't used to it , plus I do not think it is that healthy to get your chicken eat less and less , just a little bit of it is enough for them , they are full yet like the taste of it so they ' overeat ' themselfs actually eating almost nothing for real . I do see the positive side of this as well , they are more vital , active , feeling fine so they sure have benefits from some fermented feed , visable , plus it is costing less . It is good , but I'm not going to give it as their mainfeed as we as humans also do not always eat yoghurt ... they like to find their food too , so switching is ok but only fermentation is not what I believe healthy .
Hopefully this was helpfull !

My birds get ONLY FF as their main feed and it's available free choice from sun up to sun down. My birds do NOT over eat it and they don't eat less and less every time. I save about 10% over my dry feed bill. And the birds don't even go straight to the feed when I let them out in the morning, not even the chicks and mamas. They go to the grass and hunt worms and eat greens and make their way back to the FF when they are ready. It's true we don't always eat yogurt.. but we also wouldn't always eat cereal either. I don't know if you will actually save $ feeding it out like a treat. I can pick it up out of the trough and drop it like a treat and my birds all go crazy even though it's the same exact feed that's right next to them. It's about perspective... they think it's a treat if I'm serving it up. Also chickens don't have nearly the same amount of taste buds as humans do.

The amount they eat on any given day is relative to a lot of things, not the least of which is weather. On rainy days my birds will lick clean the same amount that might have more than half left on a sunny day.

So, I feed ONLY FF and on occasion I toss out dry feed as treat! They still get whole nutrition instead of candy bar corn kernels. They have access to free range lushness all day. And I'm so pleased to see the ravenous chicks pass the feeder and head for the field first!

Anyways, I do understand what you are saying and we all have different experiences. My chickens find their food just as well as any chicken eating a dry ration and find it the same as they would any other dish of feed.

Do you mind describing these "stomach issues" please? So I can see if I notice what you are talking about. The only thing I have noticed is that they burp more. I would think filling up on dry feed and then drinking water that expends it would cause more problems than filling up on a wet mash.. if I were reasoning it, and I am. But I am here to learn as well!

 

[pioneerchick816]

I've found that my layers have self regulated now that it's spring & critters & greens abound. They eat less of the FF some days & more others. I also leave out dry. Free ranging is awesome...just saying. Thankfully, I'm home all day so I can keep & eye & ear on things

 

[centralcaligirl]

We switched from dry to fermented feed and we also noticed an adjustment period of about a week of "pigging out" before they went back to a normal eating routine.

This morning I had to use a different bowl for the fermented feed other than the usual red dog bowl and as soon as they saw the new bowl they went nuts. Same feed, different bowl! Mine just love novelty. Anything new is exciting for them but eventually the newness wears off and they go back to normal.