FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[Amina]

I just read the FAQ and now I'm really confused about whether my "moldy" fermented feed is okay! I had some white colonies on top of the feed this morning, as well as white stuff on the food that had slopped up against the bucket edges above the main portion of the food.

Maybe I need to look at this stuff under a microscope and figure out what it is. Or just start over.

 

[Tikkijane]

I just read the FAQ and now I'm really confused about whether my "moldy" fermented feed is okay! I had some white colonies on top of the feed this morning, as well as white stuff on the food that had slopped up against the bucket edges above the main portion of the food.

Maybe I need to look at this stuff under a microscope and figure out what it is. Or just start over.

That's why the pics are linked. A lot of people assume what they see is mold, but it's usually the SCOBY. Mold is going to be black, dark blue, or green. The yeasts and SCOBY are white or grayish. It sounds like what you have is the yeast and your SCOBY.

 

[Tikkijane]

That's why the pics are linked. A lot of people assume what they see is mold, but it's usually the SCOBY. Mold is going to be black, dark blue, or green. The yeasts and SCOBY are white or grayish. It sounds like what you have is the yeast and your SCOBY.

This was mold.

 

[Amina]

Thank you!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I finally started trying to ferment my chicken feed, and I'm having some problems. I'm trying to ferment crumbles, and it seems like they totally dissolve in the water... then either I'm ending up with a very liquidy feed, and there's no way to strain it very well because it's pretty much totally dissolved, or I'm not putting enough water, and then I end up with mold. Ugh! What can I do?

They do seem to totally dissolve. At first I was doing the whole extra water on top and straining. That was too much work! Now I use enough of each to get a basic oatmeal consistency, there's a magic ratio that is easy for me. To dry and the chicks pick through it looking for goodies. Too wet and they look at it like.... huh?

What I wonder about your mold is... How often are you stirring your mix? I stir a few times a day. Also when I was using smaller containers I would rinse down the sides as I added my fresh water. I think I would have mold if I didn't do that.

I suggest that you keep trying to get a handle on it so you can reap the benefits, Don't give up yet is what I mean.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

My biggest issue with FF is that a lot of my chicks end up with really hard crusty balls hanging from their chins. And the other chicks try to pull them off. When I try to work them off, it takes forever.

It seems to go away as they get bigger, but is there anything I can do to remedy it? It keeps their feathers in that location not fluffy. So aside from it being ugly, I guess I worry about them getting chilled. But I assume they would let me know if they were cold.

Thoughts?

 

[Amina]

I'm stirring mine once a day, so I guess I could increase that to twice a day... probably not more than that because I work full-time. And yeah, maybe I could keep the sides of the container cleaner. But this morning, the colonies were on top of the main part of the feed, which was a thick oatmeal consistency. The feed smells okay... not wonderful, but not gross and spoiled, and not fungal-smelling. So I guess the white stuff could be a type of yeast. Maybe I can look at it under a microscope if it comes back tomorrow.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

People have different types of colonies depending on what's in their air and their water. There is no way your feed should be molding over night. I had some white stuff in the beginning. But had to make the same determination. We are on well water, all I add is feed and cold water.

Twice a day stirring should be good (technically seems like once should be fine). I just make sure everything gets stirred off the top. Certainly you can only do what works for your life or it won't work at all.

I think getting started is the hard part with all the fear of what could go wrong and how do you know if it's right.

Best wishes!

 

[Jensownzoo]

I stir mine once daily and get white stuff on top all the time...yep, it's the good stuff. Just stir in and feed out. Never had issues.

 

[Beekissed]

I just read the FAQ and now I'm really confused about whether my "moldy" fermented feed is okay! I had some white colonies on top of the feed this morning, as well as white stuff on the food that had slopped up against the bucket edges above the main portion of the food.

Maybe I need to look at this stuff under a microscope and figure out what it is. Or just start over.

Just yeast growth.....it's very okay, just stir it and feed the chooks. Been feeding that "moldy" FF for some years now and the chickens LOVE it.