FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[chickengirl1193]

I personally keep my fermented feed in the laundry room cuz the garage (where I keep my feed) is to cold right now.
To feed the horses my aunt brings the feed around in a wagon/cart she got from TSC then she pulls it right into the basement where she fills her buckets with beet pulp to soak and leaves them right in the wagon That could help for feeding 8 flocks so you dont have to carry the bucket and other supplies such as grit or oyster shell can be kept in the wagon so you dont have to waste trips.
When I go down to my animals I bring as much as I can so I only have to take one trip, except bringing hay and water at the same time never works lol

 

[SavageDestiny]

Okay, paranoid first time fermenter here!

My batch has been going a little over 24 hours. It is a mix of wheat, barely, oats, split peas, lentils, BOSS, chia, flax, millet, alfalfa pellets, and probably a couple things I'm forgetting. It has a slightly sweet smell like the alfalfa. Does it look normal?



I know it is probably fine but I'm a nervous nelly. The liquid is slightly slimy, is this normal? Due to the chia and flax? Or should I toss it?

Also, the lid on the container is not sealed. I left it cracked slightly to allow a bit of air flow.

 

[beverly evans]

Okay, paranoid first time fermenter here!

My batch has been going a little over 24 hours. It is a mix of wheat, barely, oats, split peas, lentils, BOSS, chia, flax, millet, alfalfa pellets, and probably a couple things I'm forgetting. It has a slightly sweet smell like the alfalfa. Does it look normal?



I know it is probably fine but I'm a nervous nelly. The liquid is slightly slimy, is this normal? Due to the chia and flax? Or should I toss it?

Also, the lid on the container is not sealed. I left it cracked slightly to allow a bit of air flow.

It actually looks like it would make a good soup! It looks fine, just more water than you need. No, don't toss it! and never seal it. The gas that forms would make it explode if you sealed it. It's going to be great and sooo good for your chickens. Sure, chia seeds will make it slimy. Have you ever soaked them for your own consumption? I do; they have a very slimy exterior after soaking up water. When you use ground feed it ferments more quickly, but seeds and whole grains are slower. Don't worry and know that any stuff that forms on the surface is good stuff that's supposed to be there and stir it up a couple of times a day. : )

 

[SavageDestiny]

It actually looks like it would make a good soup! It looks fine, just more water than you need. No, don't toss it! and never seal it. The gas that forms would make it explode if you sealed it. It's going to be great and sooo good for your chickens. Sure, chia seeds will make it slimy. Have you ever soaked them for your own consumption? I do; they have a very slimy exterior after soaking up water. When you use ground feed it ferments more quickly, but seeds and whole grains are slower. Don't worry and know that any stuff that forms on the surface is good stuff that's supposed to be there and stir it up a couple of times a day. : )

Thanks for the response! I hoped the chia was what was causing the sliminess. I know they get gelatinous when I put them in smoothies if I don't drink it fast enough!

I read that 1/2" - 1" of water over the top was a good thing to help keep bacteria out of the feed, so that's why the water is high. It also just keeps soaking up the water! The container was originally less than half full. I've been stirring it 4-5 times a day. Everything in the mix is whole grains or seeds except the alfalfa pellets.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote: Looks great.... Id taste it... Um er.... I would taste it myself.... Not telling you to.

For what its worth I have an odd habit..... I actually taste all the feed I feed my animals.... with the exception of wet dog and cat food. But when and IF I ever get to the point where I will be processing my own chickens I will be making my own dog food. ANd YEP wen I start fermenting I will be tasting.
deb

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Looks great.... Id taste it... Um er.... I would taste it myself.... Not telling you to.

For what its worth I have an odd habit..... I actually taste all the feed I feed my animals.... with the exception of wet dog and cat food. But when and IF I ever get to the point where I will be processing my own chickens I will be making my own dog food. ANd YEP wen I start fermenting I will be tasting.
deb

It's a good idea. The feed could be bitter or tasteless and tasting a bit won't hurt you. It's just food. I recommend people do that when they say their chickens aren't eating their feed.
I remember a story (not sure if it's true) back in the 60s that the regulations on bug parts in dog food were more stringent than for food meant for human consumption.

As for the above picture, I'd eat it too after simmering with some chicken, basil, garlic and rosemary.

 

[chickengirl1193]

Last year when my aunt was pregnant and my cousin and I would feed her horses we would taste all the horse feed and supplements (the non medicated ones) my aunt fed beet pulp, flax and alfalfa pellets. The flax and beet pulp were okay but.the hay pellets were horrible lol. And our favorite supplement was the apple flavored electrolyte!
I havent tasted my chickens feed tho

 

[beverly evans]

Quote:
Hooray for our Bee, our beloved "go to" person. I don't know where I'd be w/o her quick, researched answers. I'd still be reading somewhere! Thanks again, Bee, from the bottom of my heart. All that info at my fingertips made "chickening" (ha, I invented a word!) a pure joy! And it continues to be. : )

 

[Beekissed]

Thanks for the response! I hoped the chia was what was causing the sliminess. I know they get gelatinous when I put them in smoothies if I don't drink it fast enough!

I read that 1/2" - 1" of water over the top was a good thing to help keep bacteria out of the feed, so that's why the water is high. It also just keeps soaking up the water! The container was originally less than half full. I've been stirring it 4-5 times a day. Everything in the mix is whole grains or seeds except the alfalfa pellets.

The water over the feed won't "keep bacteria out of the feed", so you can dispense with all those ideas in the future. Same with keeping the lid on. Whoever is spreading that hooha is a little loopy...water is not a bacteriostatic agent nor is it a bactericide. Nothing wrong with placing water over the feed at first to allow for absorption into the kernels and ground feed, but to maintain water over the level of feed to "keep out germs" or to do "lactobactic fermentation" is not based on facts and you can put those worries out of your mind. You will get lacto fermentation anyway, no matter if you cover it with water, use a lacto starter or not, etc. You will not grow bad bacteria if you don't cover the feed with water at all times. Trust me.

from reproducing, while not necessarily harming them otherwise. Depending on their application, bacteriostatic antibiotics, disinfectants, antiseptics and preservatives can be distinguished. Upon removal of the bacteriostat, the bacteria usually start to grow again. This is in contrast to bactericides, which kill bacteria.[1]
Bacteriostats are often used in plastics to prevent growth of bacteria on surfaces. Bacteriostats commonly used in laboratory work include sodium azide (which is acutely toxic) and thiomersal (which is a mutagen in mammalian cells).

 

[Beekissed]

Hooray for our Bee, our beloved "go to" person. I don't know where I'd be w/o her quick, researched answers. I'd still be reading somewhere! Thanks again, Bee, from the bottom of my heart. All that info at my fingertips made "chickening" (ha, I invented a word!) a pure joy! And it continues to be. : )

YW but you don't need to thank me...all good things are from the Lord and you can direct thanks there!

He provides the thoughts and abilities that lead to good ideas for healthy living for chooks and humans, so I cannot claim any credit on those. I just type the words!

You are a sweety, ya know that, Bev?