FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[Tikkijane]

yeah i just saw a recipe for the fermented feed I'm getting some meat bird at the end of the year I'll try is out with them.

Feed + water + time. It's really pretty easy. And it's not rotten or moldy- that's likely the SCOBY, which is the good stuff.

Fermenting takes regular feed and turns it into a super food. More details, including pica of yeasts and molds, compiled from this thread in my next post (because I have trouble with links on mobile).

 

[Tikkijane]

http://tikktok.wordpress.com/2014/04/13/fermented-feed-faq/

yeah i just saw a recipe for the fermented feed I'm getting some meat bird at the end of the year I'll try is out with them.

 

[winteree]

Feed + water + time. It's really pretty easy. And it's not rotten or moldy- that's likely the SCOBY, which is the good stuff.

Fermenting takes regular feed and turns it into a super food. More details, including pica of yeasts and molds, compiled from this thread in my next post (because I have trouble with links on mobile).

thanks

 

[aatx]

I noticed a bit of a mold smell with my FF. It's not the FF itself, but around the sides and top of the container. I took a papertowel and rubbed it around and got a bit of blue-green mold off. Nothing like that growing on the FF itself and when I take a scoop out and smell it, it does not smell like mold.

So how do I deal with the mold on the container, but not on the FF? Should I transfer my FF to a different container and do a thorough cleaning of this container before moving stuff back? Even if I do that, how can I keep it from coming back? Right now it is in the same room with the chicks, averaging 80 degrees. Lid is ajar as I have my scoop in there and the handle sticks out. Lately I've been trying to mix it drier, so I no longer have a layer of water on top. I have been making less than before so I normally feed about 3-4 days, then get down to the last few scoops, add more water, stir that all around, and then add in more dry food (chick starter).

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I noticed a bit of a mold smell with my FF. It's not the FF itself, but around the sides and top of the container. I took a papertowel and rubbed it around and got a bit of blue-green mold off. Nothing like that growing on the FF itself and when I take a scoop out and smell it, it does not smell like mold.

So how do I deal with the mold on the container, but not on the FF? Should I transfer my FF to a different container and do a thorough cleaning of this container before moving stuff back? Even if I do that, how can I keep it from coming back? Right now it is in the same room with the chicks, averaging 80 degrees. Lid is ajar as I have my scoop in there and the handle sticks out. Lately I've been trying to mix it drier, so I no longer have a layer of water on top. I have been making less than before so I normally feed about 3-4 days, then get down to the last few scoops, add more water, stir that all around, and then add in more dry food (chick starter).

I'm not sure if what you've got growing is "good" or "bad," but if you don't like it, you might want to consider moving your FF bucket to a cooler/cleaner spot? Air temperatures and spores in the air will determine what cultures grow and how fast they grow. You could probably dig up research on the optimal temperature at which to ferment grains ... lots of the research I've read discusses that, but I haven't bothered to pay attention to that detail because everything seems to be working okay for me so far.

I only started the FF project this winter, and have kept the buckets in my kitchen. As it has gotten warmer, I've noticed more activity in the buckets ... in the form of faster start to the fermentation process. I keep the bucket entirely open to the air ... for some reason I feel that trapped moist air won't be as healthy as circulating dryer air, but I have not done any research into that. I'm feeling the "need" to stir it more often now that it is warmer.

I also scrape down the sides ... and stir 2x per day. The acid environment of the interior of the FF is the best protection against funky stuff growing.

If I thought I had a problem with one of my FF buckets mildewing ... I'd transfer the FF to a new bucket being careful to not get the mildew in the new bucket/feed, and I'd do some "mildew abatement" to the old bucket ... meaning I'd scrub it down and soak it with a strong bleach solution then rinse it really well, then let it air dry very, very well before I'd use it again.

 

[pdirt]

I noticed a bit of a mold smell with my FF. It's not the FF itself, but around the sides and top of the container. I took a papertowel and rubbed it around and got a bit of blue-green mold off. Nothing like that growing on the FF itself and when I take a scoop out and smell it, it does not smell like mold.

So how do I deal with the mold on the container, but not on the FF? Should I transfer my FF to a different container and do a thorough cleaning of this container before moving stuff back? Even if I do that, how can I keep it from coming back? Right now it is in the same room with the chicks, averaging 80 degrees. Lid is ajar as I have my scoop in there and the handle sticks out. Lately I've been trying to mix it drier, so I no longer have a layer of water on top. I have been making less than before so I normally feed about 3-4 days, then get down to the last few scoops, add more water, stir that all around, and then add in more dry food (chick starter).

It may be that mold just grows more easily where you live. I wouldn't worry about it. Wipe it off if you wish. I wouldn't bother transferring to a new container, because unless you get rid of the mold issue entirely (such as moving to the desert), it will likely grow back. If your container is plastic you could wipe the moldy areas of the container with vinegar (cheap white works), then put a tight fitting lid on it to keep air out. Molds typically need air to grow.

Even if you get mold growing on the feed itself, simply stirring it in (or scraping it off if there is a whole lot of it) will do the trick. It won't solve your mold problem, but it will keep it under control. The mold won't grow IN the feed, only ON it, because it needs air to grow. The acids and probiotics in the FF will take care of the mold.

 

[subhanalah]

I noticed a bit of a mold smell with my FF.  It's not the FF itself, but around the sides and top of the container.  I took a papertowel and rubbed it around and got a bit of blue-green mold off.  Nothing like that growing on the FF itself and when I take a scoop out and smell it, it does not smell like mold.

So how do I deal with the mold on the container, but not on the FF?  Should I transfer my FF to a different container and do a thorough cleaning of this container before moving stuff back?  Even if I do that, how can I keep it from coming back?  Right now it is in the same room with the chicks, averaging 80 degrees.  Lid is ajar as I have my scoop in there and the handle sticks out.  Lately I've been trying to mix it drier, so I no longer have a layer of water on top.  I have been making less than before so I normally feed about 3-4 days, then get down to the last few scoops, add more water, stir that all around, and then add in more dry food (chick starter).

blue green slime sounds more like cyanobacteria, not mold. If that's what it is, it is highly toxic/poisonous.

 

[LindaB220]

Bee said to wipe it off the sides and stir and feed.

 

[aatx]

blue green slime sounds more like cyanobacteria, not mold. If that's what it is, it is highly toxic/poisonous.

It wasn't slime. It looked like what grows on bread.

I trusted the FF to do it's thing on any mold that got stirred in, but I got concerned that I might pick up some mold when scooping and put it in their feeder, so I carefully scooped out the FF into a small bucket and got a new spoon to use. My previous container got rinsed out well and then went through the dish washer with an extra sani cycle.

It may not have been necessary, but I felt better about it.

 

[Tikkijane]

Hello all, I've had a batch of fermented feed rolling for about a month. When I came out the other other day, the top looked like this and I stopped using it.

Any ideas on what went wrong? Is this fixable or should I toss the batch like I suspect? And how can I prevent this from happening again?

Looks like SCOBY. I'd also add more feed.