FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[amyandkids]

Now I don't need to worry about draining my feed for an hour before feeding out or mixin some dry feed to it if I'm in a rush! Thank you yet again! So has my feed been top notch considering I had too much water?

 

[Beekissed]

It's still good, no matter how much water you have or don't have. You could drill some holes in the bottom of your feeder to complete the draining of it if you'd like. My feeder has several holes and this keeps the feed from being so wet on cold winter days...really helps drain off that extra fluid.

 

[Windy Bay Farm]

Been doing a little research....and will quote some of the things I've found.  The microorganisms in our fermented grains are alternately called bacteria and/or yeasts/fungi/molds, depending upon the information sourced.  The SCOBY, or film, on the top of our FF is comprised of all these...bacteria, yeasts/molds.  So, referring to the SCOBY on our FF with the terminology of molds/yeasts/bacteria are all correct...because the SCOBY contains yeasts(molds) and bacteria all at the same time.

One can understand how a lay person such as myself can get the terminology confused, so let's put this to rest as PasturePets didn't come back to teach us anything about microbiology and I had to rely on what I could glean from several sources on fermentation and the organisms involved in it.  I still can't say I'm exactly clear on it all, but suffice to say when I talk about good molds vs. bad molds, there are definitely yeasts/molds that are considered beneficial vs. molds that are considered harmful...and the beneficial ones are the wild yeasts that are drawn into our grain mixture and start this fermentation process.   





So, it appears that the good organisms in our ferment are a bacteria and not exactly molds but are a type of bacteria.

Yeast, on the other hand, are types of mold or fungi....and are also in our FF. 

Thank you so much, for the info, Bee !! So glad you directed me to start using FF... I can't imagine going back to feeding anything else after witnessing first hand how healthy my chickens seem to be !

 

[22qZoo]

Ok, .. Slightly of topic but, Once I heard someone talk about useing leftover wine to make vinegar "said it would make an out of this world vin-egret for salad". But they made it sound really complicated. ( had to order something ? ) But if I understand that quote about the mother, I'm thinking I could ad a little UP/ACV and let it sit on the counter for a week and it would turn into white wine vinegar. Right ?

 

[Beekissed]

I'm not sure...but it sure would be cool to try it out. Why not try it and see how it works and let us know? Can't hurt to try and you can still use it on a salad.

I use red wine vinegar as my salad dressing every time and I prefer it over other dressings, so it could be a stronger version of that, I'm thinking?

 

[ak rain]

It's still good, no matter how much water you have or don't have.  You could drill some holes in the bottom of your feeder to complete the draining of it if you'd like.  My feeder has several holes and this keeps the feed from being so wet on cold winter days...really helps drain off that extra fluid. 

Bee as you may have seen in my picture I feed in coop I worry about litter getting wet so I've been aiming for thick oatmeal consistency is this ok?
Ak rain

 

[Beekissed]

It sure is...mine is pretty much like mortar or mashed potatoes in consistency. I wouldn't worry about getting your litter wet with this FF fluid if you are doing a deep litter...it's a good inoculate for your litter and will encourage good bacterial growth.

 

[ak rain]

I'm aiming for deep litter but don't know if there yet well next time I get the drill out well make some holes!

 

[RoseMarie1]

I LOVVVVVVE my deep litter! No more stepping in crap when I go in their pen! I hated walking out the door having to clean my shoes off and then trying to get it all off! It just blows my mind how it disappears in the D.L. Was telling a friend awhile ago about it because she was talking about learning how to compost and I was telling her what I was doing in my chickens pen and how I was going to use it in my garden and till it all in. Might not even have to use commercial fertilizer ever again and THAT will make my day!

 

[JJL74]

Ok, .. Slightly of topic but, Once I heard someone talk about useing leftover wine to make vinegar "said it would make an out of this world vin-egret for salad". But they made it sound really complicated. ( had to order something ? ) But if I understand that quote about the mother, I'm thinking I could ad a little UP/ACV and let it sit on the counter for a week and it would turn into white wine vinegar. Right ?

Yes it should. You just need the mother to convert the alcohol into vinegar. I've been making my own ACV and it's a fun process. As long as you have alcohol and AABacteria (contained in the mother) it will turn to vinegar. My suggestion is to add a bit of ACV or any raw unfiltered vinegar to the wine and then cap it. Keep an eye on it, stir it and taste it every so often until you like it. You can use a cloth cover too if you want to try to catch some wild AABacteria, just make sure to stir and taste.