FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[Molpet]

Okay thank you! I'll just add more feed to it, then. I just started it a few hours ago anyway.

On birds that never had FF, I feed it after it's been soaked and let it continue to ferment... So they get used to the taste.

 

[TexasLisa]

Make your mash the consistency of thick oatmeal. If you have maggots, your chickens will LOVE you!

I start my chicks out on fermented feed. I sprinkle a little dry chick feed on top to get them to eat it. It is fun watching them go at it.

 

[Bushastead]

Upon request I am starting a thread about using fermentation to improve feed nutritive value and health benefits.

1. Anyone doing it?
2. How long have you been doing it?
3. Your methods?
4. Grains/feeds used in this manner?
5. Your overall review of this method of feeding?

I have just recently started sprouting (i know not fermenting, but I could)the new feed I got. And let me say, my girls love it! I have their old food left in their coop to get rid of it, and they wont touch it! Lol

 

[CindyinSD]

In



How do you make it thick? This is what I have going right now. Am I doing it right? Lol View attachment 2061228

That's the way to do it if you're intending to make grain liquor. I pour in warm water while stirring until the whole container looks like medium-thick gruel. After it sits overnight, it will be pretty thick--which is what you want so the birds don't end up looking like they've had a food fight.

This feed fermentation is more in the line of bread rising. I don't usually keep it very long. I have quite a few birds, so I only make enough for a day-day & a half. It ends up sitting long enough to rise and smell wonderful, but it doesn't stay around long enough to develop that sourdouh tang. It's the tailings left in the bucket that get it going. If you're just starting you can add some active-culture of live vinegar, whey, homemade pickle juice, etc., or you can just give it an extra day or two for wild yeast to find it.

I do feed it to my brand new fluffies... only it spoils them for anything else.

 

[Jenjens]

I just gave my chickens their fermented feed. I used Purina all flock. although when the bag is out I intend to get a better all flock feed when my husband it's not with me (he's a cheapskate and won't let me buy better food) I have a rooster and don't want to feed him the extra calcium, even though I know a lot of people do.

Anyway, they were not impressed. I still made a bigger batch hoping they will get used to it. The better food with more healthy seeds and such should help out.

 

[aart]

Purina all flock

Purina Flock Raiser?
About the most expensive unless you go organic.

 

[Jenjens]

Purina Flock Raiser?
About the most expensive unless you go organic.

16 bucks for 50 pounds is not expensive in my opinion. That lasts over 3 months for my 5 chickens. I just want to get food that is not just corn with added vitamins and minerals....something with millet, alfalfa, wheat, etc.

 

[bgill1215]

The chicks had their first taste of fermented feed. They LOVE IT. They are 3 weeks now. I give fermented feed in the morning and dry feed rest of the time just because they eat it so fast I always make sure they always have free access to food and kind of hard to do when they eat it up within 20 minutes.

 

[CindyinSD]

I just gave my chickens their fermented feed. I used Purina all flock. although when the bag is out I intend to get a better all flock feed when my husband it's not with me (he's a cheapskate and won't let me buy better food) I have a rooster and don't want to feed him the extra calcium, even though I know a lot of people do.

Anyway, they were not impressed. I still made a bigger batch hoping they will get used to it. The better food with more healthy seeds and such should help out.

It can take a while to get adult chickens to eat fermented if they've never had it. They can be like my friend's young neighbor: "No thank you. I don't like anything I've never tried, Mrs. C."

 

[CrisAnderson27]

Oh man...another rabbit hole.....

...back to the beginning to start reading.


/sigh!!