FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[22qZoo]

This may not be the place to ask, but would a ruminant benefit from fermenting feed or would it be redundant because fermentation happens in the rumen anyway?

I have been wondering about some of the same stuff. I've eaten my fair share of yogurt,drink a kambucha once in a while,like sauerkraut,not a huge fan of kim-che .What other ways can people get the benefits of FF? I am guessing that cooking something that's been fermented kills off the live cultures ,but does the concept of the nutrients being more available still apply after it's cooked?

I've been really happy with the health of my small flock of 20 ish (chicken math)since putting them all on FF. I haven't had any sickness or health issues to deal with since. But I was wondering, do any of you that have been doing FF for a long time do any annual spring/fall de-worming,dusting for mites? Don't need to be a solution looking for a problem.

 

[Beekissed]

I have been wondering about some of the same stuff. I've eaten my fair share of yogurt,drink a kambucha once in a while,like sauerkraut,not a huge fan of kim-che .What other ways can people get the benefits of FF? I am guessing that cooking something that's been fermented kills off the live cultures ,but does the concept of the nutrients being more available still apply after it's cooked?

I've been really happy with the health of my small flock of 20 ish (chicken math)since putting them all on FF. I haven't had any sickness or health issues to deal with since. But I was wondering, do any of you that have been doing FF for a long time do any annual spring/fall de-worming,dusting for mites? Don't need to be a solution looking for a problem.

I examine the birds for parasites but do not do preventative dusting, just preventative environment maintenance. I do a deep litter that is bug friendly, attracting predator bugs that prey on parasite eggs and larvae. Providing adequate dusting spots, clean soils underfoot, good ventilation, low stocking rates, yearly culling for nonlaying/older flock members and exposure to sunlight can help prevent many parasite problems.

 

[Tikkijane]

Okay, so I brought some chick feed in to ferment. I want to make sure I do this right - not fully clear on how much water to use. I don't have any ACV with the mother, so it's just water in the bucket for me. Should I mix it to the consistency of grout? Starting to get nervous - my chicks will hatch on Sunday and I feel like I should have started this sooner. 

It generally takes 3/4 days for a good ferment, depending on your temps.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I have been wondering about some of the same stuff. I've eaten my fair share of yogurt,drink a kambucha once in a while,like sauerkraut,not a huge fan of kim-che .What other ways can people get the benefits of FF? I am guessing that cooking something that's been fermented kills off the live cultures ,but does the concept of the nutrients being more available still apply after it's cooked?

Cooking is another way to "release" the nutrients in food. I believe that some studies show cooking after soaking, sprouting or fermenting grains can be beneficial, though likewise probably some of the more delicate things (living probiotics) are destroyed during cooking.

Here in the USA we mostly get our ferments from dairy, alcohol, pepperoni on pizza, pickles on hamburgers, and maybe sourdough bread or sauerkraut if like those "sour" things. Oh, and soy sauce, tofu, or tempeh, though I don't believe the industrialized versions of those things represent true fermentation. Yeast for bread is a form of fermentation, though I don't believe it has acted upon the grains enough to improve the nutrition ... it just helps make them more fun to eat. This is likely true for lots of pickled things unless they are traditionally pickled. You can pickle eggs ... not sure how that adds to the nutritional profile of them, though ... hmmmm

Internationally speaking, fermentation is a big deal. A lot of the world's population has traditional fermented feeds ... I'll skip the examples and provide some links that discuss the importance of fermentation both by thing fermented and by region ... so do take a look at the links even if you don't read every word ... the lists are extensive.

The first two were produced by The United Nations. That's how important fermentation is to a lot of the world. I especially appreciate the one on Cereal Grains as that is particularly important to keeping chickens.

This one is about fermenting Cereal Grains ...
http://www.fao.org/docrep/x2184e/x2184e00.HTM

This one is about Fruits & Vegetables ...
http://www.fao.org/docrep/x0560e/x0560e00.htm

I turned to Wikipidia for a list of fermented milk products ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermented_milk_products

Here is an overview of Fermentation in Food Processing by Wikipedia ... in addition to the items discussed above, it discusses alcohols and meats and even tea ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermentation_in_food_processing

Happy reading!

 

[lazy gardener]

So, do most of you who use FF for your adult populations, start chicks on FF? Or do you start on dry, and switch to FF, or offer both??

 

[Beekissed]

So, do most of you who use FF for your adult populations, start chicks on FF? Or do you start on dry, and switch to FF, or offer both??

FF from start to finish, nothing else offered. Makes for a strong chick and health chicken.

 

[lazy gardener]

I'm starting 7 layer chicks, and 10 meat birds this spring. It'll be interesting to see what the feed conversion rate is for the meat birds on FF. anyone grown Pioneers?

 

[Tikkijane]

So, do most of you who use FF for your adult populations, start chicks on FF?  Or do you start on dry, and switch to FF, or offer both??

FF for the babies on up.

 

[kpgoldstar]

So, do most of you who use FF for your adult populations, start chicks on FF? Or do you start on dry, and switch to FF, or offer both??

This is my first flock. FF from chicks up to adults. Mine are 21 weeks now. They had dry for a week before I found out about FF. Nothing else offered other than kitchen scraps since.

 

[22qZoo]

LeslieDjoyce- thank you for all the links, whew, that is a lot of reading. Psychological health via gut health is a fascinating topic . I think I am going to try to find some recipes of fermented stuff that I can get the family to eat without them knowing that its good for them.