FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[Sidhe13]

My brand new bag of chick starter got wet over the weekend. Can I ferment it? It is medicated, does that make a difference?

 

[stevethack]

It should ferment ok. Might be easier to spread it out on a large sheet (cheap low thread count sheet...or burlap) and dry it in a sheltered place. Turning it often.. and only ferment a small bucket of it now.

 

[Sidhe13]

Thanks @stevethack!

 

[stevethack]

Last medicated I fermented smelled slightly "mediciney" possibly. but there's such a small amount of it in the feeds it wouldn't hold back much. And I don't think it's an antibiotic to start with. But I have had the "mediciney" smell with another brand of non-med feed too.
I just stick with the po-boy favorite "TSC Starter-Grower" ...it always smells good enuff (smells kinda like home-made beer fermenting) I have been tempted to take a taste of it myself since the chik'ns seem to relish it as much as a big fat ol june bug. But since I rarely wash out any of the ferment buckets and merely back-slosh the next load...I have passed on the "sampling" of the product.

 

[Sidhe13]

I mixed some up and added some acv...and noticed the similarity in smell to the wet crumble...this makes me hope that it will ferment fine!

I mean, if it works, I have saved an entire bag of feed...if it doesn't, i made a mess...no real loss so it is worth a shot.
I have been wanting to try fermented feed and this is a great excuse!

 

[stevethack]

It should do fine. Just remember, you are fermenting...some grains will turn to alcohol. Some plant parts will have a ferment like Kimchi. And feed only this... don't leave any dry for them to get to... couple hours hungry will make most of the most picky- finicky eaters come running... My 6+ week old Cornish X's (aka little bulldozers with unlimited appetites) came running for it right out of the box cuz I cut back on them laying right at the feeders and blimping out and actually falling asleep eating the dry crumbles!! The 6+ week old pullets (less then 1/3 the size of the broilers!) will come running too! And fight the big ones for trough space.
A 2-3 day first ferment... feed 2/3--3/4 of it out. Then just add back dry to the full mark and plop it down in the outside bucket with the "used ferment water" and add more warm water (warm but not hot will kick start the ferment far better then cold) to cover the dry... stir it up to mix the old fermented feed into the new...and then only have to wait one day and it's ready again. And 3 days and longer it will begin to get "slightly" stronger smelling..lol. If ya see a white "frosting" on top (but I have only seen this when I used a slosh of ACV at the start or refill)...stir it back into the feed.

 

[Sidhe13]

It has been slim picking since the food bag got wet and my poor chooks have had to make do with whatever we can scrap together....but today is Day 3 of the fermented wet feed and it smells great! I just put some out and the chooks were happy to receive! So a bag of feed has veen saved! There is enough in the bucket for tomorrow and the next day. I will start a new batch tomorrow and keep rolling it over...next week is pay week and this will last until then...

 

[stevethack]

You could have fed the wet stuff..or the fermenting stuff from day one even. It's just better for the fowl after a few days fermenting for full effect.. I use two buckets going at once. Morning feed is one bucket...evening is the other. And refill each every time used some out. After a few days fermenting and adding back into the "old dirty back-slosh water"...it takes off fermenting so fast one day is enuff....some rainy days it gets passed over for feeding dry stuff cuz that's quicker for me, so it gets a while extra day here and there fermenting. And lately that's been quite a few days!! It has rained buckets for weeks now.

 

[Sidhe13]

I have read there is a maximum time for fermenting of 5 days. In fact, I have read a whole lot of stuff that all contradicts each other...I don't really know what to believe! Some say aerobic, some say anaerobic. Some say there is dangerous alcohol in the fluid, others say it is fine...most say 3 days but no more than 5, some say the longer the better. Some say "yay ACV to kick start", others say the ACV makes the ferment bad for chickens...I just hope I have done it right and they don't all get sick or drop dead on me! It is a bit freaky to be honest!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

WARNING: I don't get out of the house much, and don't get many visitors. My partner gets a bit tired of hearing about the going ons of the menagerie we have here, and my thoughts and theories on it, so I tend to ramble on and write essays online.....apologies in advance...feel free to tell me to shush...

That's a good one.