Fermented Vegetables for chicken food??

[carolb5]

I did did't I?
We used to use a dinner plate and a gallon pickle crock with water in it for weight.
Now I use a piece of high-density polyethylene (like the good cutting board are made of) cut to fit in the crock, but I still use the pickle crock.

I am surprised to see how many people add water to there kraut when there making it. I don't know if there cutting corners, using "bad" cabbage or just don't know the correct way to make it.

I don't cut corners on my personal Kraut. But this is for the chickens. It will still ferment. And I am using bad cabbage, leftovers from the garden, things chickens love.

Carol

 

[pdirt]

The end of the garden season. I am going to ferment kale, cabbage, broccoli leaves, and swiss chard. Each separately and in food grade buckets. Has anyone one the board done this??

Carol

Sounds like a great idea. Fermented broccoli can produce some strong sulfurous odors, fyi...and I imagine it's similar for the leaves of the plant. If you do a brine, go super easy on the salt as the chickens can't process salt as well as we can. You could also use a bit of vinegar instead of the salt. Or just plain water, as the lactic acid bacteria are already on the plants and will acidify the contents within a few days. The kale, cabbage and broccoli leaves should turn out fine, but the chard will likely be a gooey mess...still good and fermented, but not all that pretty. The chickens won't care!

 

[carolb5]

pdirt, thanks on the reminder about too much salt. I will do the chard separately and cut it into ribbons sort of. I did give them a quart of a sauerkraut mix that I didn't care for. It was only 7 weeks old. Glad they liked it. The broccoli will be the leaves of the plant mainly. I know it will stink, that's why I'm not doing it in the house.
Thanks again.

Carol

 

[oilmandg]

How did this turn out? Thinking of doing the same thing. I also wonder what other vegetables to grow to store for winter. We used to plant extra winter squash and keep them for our flock, plus anything that went a bit off that was in the root cellar.