Fermenting chick feed for dummies

[snow5164]

EASY FERMENTING FOR DUMMIES

I have 4 quart jars , numbered 1-4,I use the first one which has sat for 3 days , stirred it twice a day.feed the 1 1/2 -2 cups it makes to my 10 chicks am and pm.then wash the jar add 2 cups hot water, 1 cup chick crumble,And 1 TB apple cider vinegar (regular kind) stir and place it last in line.by the time I make it back to one its all fermented and smells like sour dough bread! My number labels are at the 2 cup level!
Bought a small strainer today so it's not so juicy, my 10 day old chicks are healthy and strong. They were eatting 4 cups of crumble dry and spilling most of it

 

[DCortez]

When you say "regular kind" do you mean without "mother"?

 

[snow5164]

Yes, I just used what I had and it's always bubbling by day two. I like washing it out and starting fresh it keeps everything clean

 

[pdirt]

When you say "regular kind" do you mean without "mother"?

You can use ANY KIND of vinegar. Even cheap white vinegar. And you don't even need to use vinegar at all. Vinegar just lowers the ph, which helps the right bacteria get a head start. Once you have that sourdough smell going on in your fermented feed, use THAT as your vinegar for your next batch, but use about twice as much FF as you would use vinegar.

Use what you have. We have white vinegar around for cleaning and Apple cider vinegar (with mother) for cooking.

 

[circlehouse]

Sorry I'm totally new, haven't even gotten my chicks yet. Maybe a stupid question.... So this enables the chicks to consume less feed and be healthier?

 

[Chicken girl 15]

Sorry I'm totally new, haven't even gotten my chicks yet. Maybe a stupid question.... So this enables the chicks to consume less feed and be healthier?

yes and no. It doesn't really make them eat less it just keeps them from spilling and therefore you use less. Health wise YES it's much better. Take the Activia yogurt Comercial as an example. The bacteria in fermented feed is to a bird what the bacteria in yogurt is to us. It helps kill off the bad gut bugs and promotes absorbing of the vitamin and minerals and good stuff. Its not a mandatory thigh to feed FF to be a good flock owner, it's a personal choice in what works with you and your lifestyle and schedule.

 

[circlehouse]

Thanks! So what kind of feeder should I use? Will an automatic feeder work with fermented feed?

 

[yyz0yyz0]

Thanks! So what kind of feeder should I use? Will an automatic feeder work with fermented feed?

I've yet to see an automatic feeder that would work with FF, the reason is that it's a soft wet mushy gruel. Plus you don't want it sitting around for too long uneaten, once it's no longer covered by liquid in the fermentation jug it can start to grow some nasties.

That's not to say that someone couldn't come up with an idea for one, just that it seems it would be pretty difficult to do safely.

I just use a dog dish for mine, when it's empty I rinse it and refill it the next day