FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[Rubestmar]

'Fraid not, in the UK we get layers mash or pellets. Can serve both wet or dry. Tried fermenting mash but it just turned to slop, altho I did use cold water not hot ..

 

[igorsMistress]

@barred2rock I changed feed and my birds didn't like it. It's what I had so I kept feeding it and eventually they came around.
Why did you change feed? Just curious because I was having trouble finding the stuff I normally buy

 

[FlyWheel]

Chickens are wary of anything new. Give them time.

 

[Rubestmar]

We changed feed for our cross beak from hatch duck thinking it'd be easier for her to scoop her feed up more easily than flicking up pellets with her tongue. That and our chickens were picking out the tastiest pellets and leaving the rest!
Incidently, our chickens are doing the same with the layers mash now!

 

[barred2rock]

@barred2rock I changed feed and my birds didn't like it. It's what I had so I kept feeding it and eventually they came around.
Why did you change feed? Just curious because I was having trouble finding the stuff I normally buy

I changed because the Flock Raiser my local TSC carries is always old and the layer is much fresher. The layer was two weeks old while their Flock Raiser is anywhere from 3 months to a year old.

 

[barred2rock]

Chickens are wary of anything new. Give them time.

Well, the wet feed is just as new as the fermented. lol Anyway, the reason I ask is because the flax seems to make it discolored and smell funky. If I put a lil excess water, the water layer at the top turns a dark brown. Guess I just need to get used to it too.

 

[lazy gardener]

I recently spoke to a Kent feed representative regarding an other matter. This company supplies the company I do business with, but they also supply TSC. This lady appeared to actually be concerned about the quality of feed provided to customers, and indicated that she would be speaking to the local big box feed store folks (I'll not mention any store names, but you can use your imagination here.) regarding the lack of freshness of their product. I imagine that if enough customers went to the corporate level with their complaints, that perhaps these stores would be forced to clean up their act. A customer should not be forced to change up their feed regimen b/c the feed store sells nothing but aged crap.

 

[Finnie]

Tried fermenting mash but it just turned to slop, altho I did use cold water not hot ..

Was there something wrong with the "slop" it turned into? My fermented feed is always the consistency of slop. I ferment crumbles. And I always use cold water. So to me, yours sounds just about right. Did it stink?

 

[Rubestmar]

Was there something wrong with the "slop" it turned into? My fermented feed is always the consistency of slop. I ferment crumbles. And I always use cold water. So to me, yours sounds just about right. Did it stink?

Just a wet sludge with cold water. Warm water from the kettle works better.
Crumbles in the UK are only given to chicks up to age 12 weeks then go onto growers mash which is basically small pellets.
It starts to smell differently by evening - they love it then!
I'm considering barley in bulk, already got whole wheat but they'd need more nourishment than barley & ww can provide which is why I bought a small sack of wild bird seed. Hmm....

 

[Hdghawg]

Does anyone ferment Purina Layena Plus Omega-3? Does it seem to get funky when it's fermented? My girls will eat it wet, but once it's fermented they want nothing to do with it. Hasn't been an issue with the Flock Raiser I used previously.

I use the "Plus Omega-3 and have not had a problem with my 19 girls eating it. I mix up probably 4 gallons worth in a 5gl bucket and it lasts 4-5 days (depending on how much I free range them) until I mix again with the leftovers.