Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[leliadax]

I used oat groats water and the whey stuff off my buttermilk...it bubbles like on the stove but I havent had white stuff on it, I kinda think it smells almost good...like pickled veggies...almost. I mix it throughout the feed and they gobble it up...this is like day 7 for them on ff

 

[jonezjollyfarm]

I'm curious to know what I might have done wrong to produce a yeasty smell. Too much/not enough water? Too warm/cold? Bad feed? I'm going to give it another day or 2 and see what happens. If nothing else I should have a nice layer fees ale when I'm done lmao

 

[Goosegrrl]

A yeasty smell is fine. It's the wild yeasts that populate it and make it ferment.
If it's bad it has a noticeable bad smell. Not yeasty or fermenty, but gross.

As an aside, it is possible for a batch to go bad. Because of the high heat here in FL I usually start a fresh batch about every week. Otherwise things can go icky... maybe after two or three weeks, hard to tell. So I cut my chanced of having a batch go bad that I'm planning on feeding that day by heading it off and starting up new batches fairly regularly.

 

[jonezjollyfarm]

I used the site below as a reference and it said do not feed if it smells spoil rancid or like yeast.

http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/10-fermenting-tips-reduce-chicken-feed-costs/

 

[Goosegrrl]

This whole thread is full of people doing so. Some people even use a yeast addition as a starter. No one has had a problem with alcohol production.

And the truth is, if you aren't adding ACV with the mother, the only form of fermentation that will happen is yeast based from natural wild yeasts... which is also basically impossible to keep out of FF without raising the Ph with a LOT of vinegar, which would really not be useful as a feed.

 

[jonezjollyfarm]

This whole thread is full of people doing so. Some people even use a yeast addition as a starter. No one has had a problem with alcohol production. 


And the truth is, if you aren't adding ACV with the mother, the only form of fermentation that will happen is yeast based from natural wild yeasts... which is also basically impossible to keep out of FF without raising the Ph with a LOT of vinegar, which would really not be useful as a feed. 

That's good information! Thank you!

I'm glad I didn't dispose of my ff! So just look out for a rancid smell and actual mold?

 

[Goosegrrl]

That's good information! Thank you!

I'm glad I didn't dispose of my ff! So just look out for a rancid smell and actual mold?

A light skim of white across the top is fine.

But, yes... watch out for rancid smells and actual mold growing.

Enjoy your FF trial.
Once I started feeding FF I could never go back.

 

[curious chickee]

It is around 100 degrees here ever day of summer and I have not have a batch go bad, I just stir twice a day and back slop every 3-4 days. It does ferment quickly so definitely needs to be stirred twice a day when I feed morning and afternoon.

 

[Goosegrrl]

Hitting 110 here on a regular basis, and steamy with humidity, I had a batch go bad after near 3 weeks when the temps got up this summer. The heat will likely persist for another month in all likelihood. So,until the temps drop a bit I'll keep rotating two buckets. I simply start a second bucket two days before I want to end the one I'm using.

I'm pretty sure that yeasts do well in temps up to around 100, over that they can die off and the batch can get taken over by much less desirable bugs. I know that with bread yeasts, for example, the prime temp for multiplying is 95, the only reason for using hotter(105-110) water is for dissolving and proofing the yeast before adding other ingredients, which then cools the yeast down.

 

[jonezjollyfarm]

So I have a few more questions that i can't seem to find answers to on my own. #1 now that the feed is fermented do I need to keep it in the fermenting liquid or do I take it out an store it somewhere else. Or just dip out what I need to feed?
#2 do I still offer pellets once I start feeding the ff? I feel like my chickens are going to be very bord because they spend all day eating. I think they maybe part hog lol
I feel like I had another question I can't remember now