FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[lazy gardener]

If you do a feed bill comparison, assuming that you are not growing out chicks, you will find that your bill on FF is less, and that is with the process of feeding them all they will eat. My flock is in a run due to heavy hawk predation, so their opportunities for free range are limited. I found that my bill on FF is about 25 - 30% less. I fill their dog bowls in the morning, and many days there is still some left in the bowls in evening. You can use the hen's crops to indicate if they are getting enough to eat. If they are not going to bed with empty crops, all is well. Also, feather quality, comb, face, and shank color is a good long term indicator.

 

[aart]

Same with the taste of the eggs...clean, nutty, no eggy smell or flavor.

Eggs that don't taste or smell like eggs?

 

[lazy gardener]

Fresher taste. Not that old egg taste. I agree with Bee, there is almost a sweet subtle nuttiness to them.

 

[Beekissed]

Eggs that don't taste or smell like eggs?

Indeed! More like what eggs are supposed to taste like....clear, mild, no excess sulfur smell or taste that you burp up later. What you've always known to be eggs or the flavor of eggs doesn't have to be what flavor eggs are supposed to be...same with the flavor of chicken. That stuff they sell in the store is most decidedly NOT how real chicken tastes but millions of people all over the world will swear that it is how they are supposed to taste because they've never known any thing different.

Eggs how they were meant to be and chicken flavor as it was meant to be, I'm convinced of it.

 

[lcertuche]

Eggs from the store make me feel sick to my stomach often but usually home grown eggs don't. Weird, huh?

 

[MandalaMaMa]

Just curious if anyone else is mixing dry cob in with their ferment food. :/

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Just curious if anyone else is mixing dry cob in with their ferment food.

Hi.

I am on the Northern Ca coast. We are almost neighbors.


I only ferment my feed, haven't tried adding anything yet.

If you do a feed bill comparison, assuming that you are not growing out chicks, you will find that your bill on FF is less, and that is with the process of feeding them all they will eat. My flock is in a run due to heavy hawk predation, so their opportunities for free range are limited. I found that my bill on FF is about 25 - 30% less. I fill their dog bowls in the morning, and many days there is still some left in the bowls in evening. You can use the hen's crops to indicate if they are getting enough to eat. If they are not going to bed with empty crops, all is well. Also, feather quality, comb, face, and shank color is a good long term indicator.

I am growing out chicks of different ages. The oldest 3 started laying mid July. I have a total of 48 and they free range sun up to sun down on about 1 acre. I am going through a 50# bag every 5-6 days. I am guessing this # will go up as the rest get larger. I think I am having some waste just because of the dishes I am using. I can see some grain on the ground around the dishes. I am planning to switch to the plastic gutter, unless there is a better recommendation. Another thing is that I like to have it free choice all day. But since my dishes are being outgrown rapidly I have to give refills. When I show up, somehow the whole flock does to! And I suspect this may be drawing them back to the feed dish before they would come back on their own, ultimately costing me more.

I hope it's saving me $. Because my chicken math told me I get 30% more chickens for fermenting feed and another 30% more for free ranging!!

Anybody have their average cost per bird per month? @ $20 for a 50# bag of feed I am guesstimating $2.50.

 

[ldawntaylor]

Back to fermenting... The nutritionist at the VA hospital my hubby works at loves the fermenting idea and agrees that it increases nutritional absorption. I think it's great that you are fermenting at all and I am glad you found the thread! So you are actually not worried about feeding them only veg, you just don't ferment your other feed because it has animal protein. You answered my question that they do have access to other feed than just scratch, which was my concern. You actually use dairy products for your birds? Does it adversely effect them?

Just for fun... How many birds are you feeding? How old? How long have you been fermenting? Have you noticed any differences at all in your chickens since you started. or your consumption amount? Did you get your questions answered? And did you make any observations.... other than that BYC is a great knowledge sharing community? Any tricks you learned so far about FF? Sorry if I asked questions that you already have addressed.

1 thing I would like to suggest is not feeding it directly on the ground, at least not where they poop.

I think that gives more of a possibility of heavy parasite load.

I actually like the FF process... the stirring, the mixing, the bubbling, the feeding out. Hope you enjoy your chickens and BYC as much as I do!

At the moment I have 14 birds. I had 5 cockerels processed a couple of weeks ago and the person who did the processing commented that the birds seemed quite healthy. As for my observations - in the amount of feed - I don't need as much of the dry feed. I've also noticed that even on the hot days I don't need as much water for my flock. The birds must really like the stuff since I have to keep such a tight hold on the container when I first go into the run. If I don't hold on to it the fermented scratch will end up all over my shoes too.

As for putting the fermented scratch on the ground... I have to weigh which is the bigger problem...parasites or boredom related behaviors? My birds don't free range at this point so I think the activity of searching for at least some of their food is a good thing. I don't put any in the hen house itself which is where most of their poop seems to be.

I've heard that saurkraut - fermented cabbage - is higher in vitamin C than fresh cabbage. I wonder if there are similar differences in the fermented feeds? I've actually been experimenting with the fermentation process since I was quite young. Mom threw out more than one of my "experiments" over the years.

Anyway, it is certainly a learning experience for me.

 

[Molpet]

At the moment I have 14 birds. I had 5 cockerels processed a couple of weeks ago and the person who did the processing commented that the birds seemed quite healthy. As for my observations - in the amount of feed - I don't need as much of the dry feed. I've also noticed that even on the hot days I don't need as much water for my flock. The birds must really like the stuff since I have to keep such a tight hold on the container when I first go into the run. If I don't hold on to it the fermented scratch will end up all over my shoes too.

As for putting the fermented scratch on the ground... I have to weigh which is the bigger problem...parasites or boredom related behaviors? My birds don't free range at this point so I think the activity of searching for at least some of their food is a good thing. I don't put any in the hen house itself which is where most of their poop seems to be.

I've heard that saurkraut - fermented cabbage - is higher in vitamin C than fresh cabbage. I wonder if there are similar differences in the fermented feeds? I've actually been experimenting with the fermentation process since I was quite young. Mom threw out more than one of my "experiments" over the years.

Anyway, it is certainly a learning experience for me.

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


1) Superior nutrition
Fermenting creates new vitamins; specifically B vitamins, and new nutrients. Some of those nutrients are amino acids. The soaking and fermenting also breaks down the anti-nutrients and toxins in the grains that prevent the digestion of available nutrients.
“http://www.fao.org/docrep/x2184e/x2184e06.htm
Quote:

http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2010/05/traditional-preparation-methods-improve.html

In addition to the reduction in toxins and anti-nutrients afforded by soaking and cooking, grinding and fermentation goes much further. Grinding greatly increases the surface area of the grains and breaks up their cellular structure, releasing enzymes which are important for the transformation to come. Under the right conditions, which are easy to achieve, lactic acid bacteria rapidly acidify the batter.” {https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/645057/fermented-feeds-anyone-using-them/2220 }

 

[EggSighted4Life]

At the moment I have 14 birds. I had 5 cockerels processed a couple of weeks ago and the person who did the processing commented that the birds seemed quite healthy. As for my observations - in the amount of feed - I don't need as much of the dry feed. I've also noticed that even on the hot days I don't need as much water for my flock. The birds must really like the stuff since I have to keep such a tight hold on the container when I first go into the run. If I don't hold on to it the fermented scratch will end up all over my shoes too.

As for putting the fermented scratch on the ground... I have to weigh which is the bigger problem...parasites or boredom related behaviors? My birds don't free range at this point so I think the activity of searching for at least some of their food is a good thing. I don't put any in the hen house itself which is where most of their poop seems to be.

I've heard that saurkraut - fermented cabbage - is higher in vitamin C than fresh cabbage. I wonder if there are similar differences in the fermented feeds? I've actually been experimenting with the fermentation process since I was quite young. Mom threw out more than one of my "experiments" over the years.

Anyway, it is certainly a learning experience for me.

Have you tasted any of those processed birds yet?

Boredom can be a BIG problem for sure. I understand weighing the pros and cons and making the best decision you can. I think that's what we all have to do. Have you checked out other boredom buster suggestions or threads? Just a couple... incorporate a compost/scratching area inside your run, the bugs will come and the birds will enjoy looking for them. Hang treats... broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, what ever.... slightly out of reach so the chickens have to jump to get it, even swinging as they hit it. I have seen my chickens jumping and getting berries off trees.

This is always a learning experience for me as well. I am here to share whatever information I can, but also to absorb as much knowledge as possible. The hard part is keeping it all sorted out!