FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[centralcaligirl]

When I first started, it was runny/wet so I'd strain (plastic) before feeding. Now I keep it like "oatmeal" which they seem to prefer. I've "played" with the ratio, found 1:1 works best & less messy face/feathers. Mix I add dry feed to the mix & after scooping their feed (2x day).
centralcaligirl your bubbling nicely, that's what it should look like. You are going to find it bubbles faster during the warm weather but winter it will take longer.

Thank you! I'm glad...it's taken me a while to get the hang of it. I messed up quite a few batches along the way

 

[ChickNanny13]

@ChickNanny13 for clarification do you ferment 1:1 feed:water AND mix in dry when you feed?

Still learning how to maneuver the "new" site....
wyldflwr 1 part feed to 1 part water, don't add anymore feed. I mix mine daily after the evening feeding. I mix, stir & leave it. In the morning (7am) scoop their feeding, mix into their dish. They usually need another scoop around (11am) & I mix what's left in the container. When I close them up in the "baby" coop, I give them couple of scoops cause I don't want to wake up EARLY! They'll toss their dish around & the "baby" coop is in my patio next to my bedroom window, ha ha. I also mix up the next days batch, mix & done. I got the time to spoil....Only have 4 pullets now, limited to 6 in this area

 

[barred2rock]

Just note that a one to one ratio will get pretty rank pretty quickly if you see temps in the high 80s to 90+ range without a/c. If you live without a/c (as I do), in the summer months it's a good idea to keep it a bit wetter. Just add dry feed as you serve it if your birds won't eat it soupy.

 

[Noreaster Egger]

Wow really bubbly! How do you feed it with all of that extra liquid? Do you strain it?

As others have said, I add some dry feed. I usually drain most of the excess down the sink although sometimes I will accumulate it in a container in the fridge and then put it out in a small waterer to the birds. I have a few hens that love drinking the fermented liquid straight up. The one that tends to really gulp that down has had the best, and most consistent, droppings of all of my birds so maybe it's doing something for her.

 

[igorsMistress]

@centralcaligirl I started with 6 oz feed and 6.5 water both by weight.
After several hours I noticed the food looked dry so I added another 4 oz water.
After 36 hours total time the concoction smelled fermented and was only a little bit too wet for what my birds like so I added some dry and mixed it in.

Second batch is 10 oz feed and 13 oz water. Just started it this morning.

 

[igorsMistress]

Just note that a one to one ratio will get pretty rank pretty quickly if you see temps in the high 80s to 90+ range without a/c. If you live without a/c (as I do), in the summer months it's a good idea to keep it a bit wetter. Just add dry feed as you serve it if your birds won't eat it soupy.

Good to knw, thank you! I do have a/c but it's set in the 80s during the day.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

When I first started fermenting feed I was using crumbles and I agree, stirring was definitely helpful. I will try it with this feed and see how it goes!

The first time I fermented S&P it took three or four days to get a good ferment going. It seems to me that the whole grains ferment a little slower overall than the crumble did.

I've also got a little project batch going to see if the feed will absorb more water between 24 and 48 hours. Right now is about the 36-hour mark and it doesn't look like it is. I'll check in the morning but at this point it looks like the grains stop absorbing water between 12-18 hours, which is similar to what others have also reported.

How much feed and water did you start with?

So I actually ferment 50# at a time and it gets served out over 5-7 days. It never really absorbs more than the first 12 hours (actually probably less than that). I use flock raiser crumbles. Stirring definitely speeds up the ferment as has been noted several times through out this thread... the ferment is grabbing things from the air to make the process happen, so stirring especially in the first few days of a batch can help speed the process. I would expect crumbles to ferment a little faster since it seems like there is more surface area to it than whole grains, once the water is absorbed. Or in other words because it is more processed and broken down already.

Note, as the ferment goes along... the opposite of absorption will actually happen and you start to get separation. Anybody remember the thin/soupy layer talked about near the bottom of the container in the tiktok FAQ? That never happens in the first couple days for me. Also as it ages it will start releasing it's water out of the top of the feed, and make that brown water sitting on top.

Agreed, my birds do NOT like soupy feed.

Also, I thought the bubbles are only the first indicator that your feed is fermenting not the actual final product... It is the gasses the bacteria are putting off. The bubbles rise easier and are more visible at the top on thinner mixtures. It's nice to see it in that glass jar. Thinking a 48 hour soak might be better than 24 to achieve full benefits of FF.

ETA: a bigger back slop would put the 24 hour process farther along.

 

[centralcaligirl]

So I actually ferment 50# at a time and it gets served out over 5-7 days. It never really absorbs more than the first 12 hours (actually probably less than that). I use flock raiser crumbles. Stirring definitely speeds up the ferment as has been noted several times through out this thread... the ferment is grabbing things from the air to make the process happen, so stirring especially in the first few days of a batch can help speed the process. I would expect crumbles to ferment a little faster since it seems like there is more surface area to it than whole grains, once the water is absorbed. Or in other words because it is more processed and broken down already.

Note, as the ferment goes along... the opposite of absorption will actually happen and you start to get separation. Anybody remember the thin/soupy layer talked about near the bottom of the container in the tiktok FAQ? That never happens in the first couple days for me. Also as it ages it will start releasing it's water out of the top of the feed, and make that brown water sitting on top.

Agreed, my birds do NOT like soupy feed.

Also, I thought the bubbles are only the first indicator that your feed is fermenting not the actual final product... It is the gasses the bacteria are putting off. The bubbles rise easier and are more visible at the top on thinner mixtures. It's nice to see it in that glass jar. Thinking a 48 hour soak might be better than 24 to achieve full benefits of FF.

ETA: a bigger back slop would put the 24 hour process farther along.

Ah, thank you for this! I will ferment a little bit more to create a larger backslop. Great idea!

EDIT: I will also try stirring every once in a while and letting it ferment a little longer. It is in my kitchen and my husband and my kids act like there's an alien living on the countertop so I'm also trying to just ferment one batch at a time. Since I feed once a day in the morning, it just worked out to make up a new batch once a day, hence the 24-hour ferment, but I agree, it is a really short time-frame to achieve all of the benefits of fermenting the feed.

 

[centralcaligirl]

@centralcaligirl I started with 6 oz feed and 6.5 water both by weight.
After several hours I noticed the food looked dry so I added another 4 oz water.
After 36 hours total time the concoction smelled fermented and was only a little bit too wet for what my birds like so I added some dry and mixed it in.

Second batch is 10 oz feed and 13 oz water. Just started it this morning.

lol that's exactly how it's been for me also. A little bit of extra feed, a little bit of extra water...

 

[ChickNanny13]

Just note that a one to one ratio will get pretty rank pretty quickly if you see temps in the high 80s to 90+ range without a/c. If you live without a/c (as I do), in the summer months it's a good idea to keep it a bit wetter. Just add dry feed as you serve it if your birds won't eat it soupy.

Hummm, that's good to know & will up the water a bit. Thanks, that's what's great about BYC so many out there sharing their experiences.