Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[countrygirl74]

I'm trying to ferment wheat, and before the water was kinda milky colored, but today I went out to stir it and it looked like this! Is it ok?
It smells kinda sour-y yeasty...there are big bubbles that are just sitting on the top, with white filaments going across to other bubbles, and it has bubbles coming up from the water below...

Wow, that looks really cool but I have never seen ff look like that - looks kind of moldy to me too. The ff should just have bubbles almost the same color as the feed and sometimes brown, slimy "mother". Here are a couple pictures of mine. I usually have a lot more bubbles on top, but forgot to add more feed the other day, so what's in there hasn't been fermenting long enough - that and it's been really cold. The warmer it is, the more bubbling action I get. I will also usually have the "film" layer across the entire top. The picture with the scoop shows some of the "mother" slime. I just scooped it up without stirring first. I ferment an organic mash - it drains real well right there in the strainer spoon and I can just put scoops of feed right into their bowls - only have to use 1 bucket.

 

[SunnysMama]

I'm trying to ferment wheat, and before the water was kinda milky colored, but today I went out to stir it and it looked like this! Is it ok?
It smells kinda sour-y yeasty...there are big bubbles that are just sitting on the top, with white filaments going across to other bubbles, and it has bubbles coming up from the water below...

The sour smell is the smell you are trying to achieve as you have reached the bacteria dominated phase (a good thing) opposed to the yeast dominated phase. From everything I have ever seen and read...this white cap is a good thing and mine has reached this point, too. Let your nose be the judge on if it has gone bad.

 

[fishermans wife]

Just a quick question..... If FF makes them eat less, poop less, and makes there poop smell less.... can I feed it to my family?

 

[countrygirl74]

 

[bakingintherain]

Just   a quick question.....  If FF makes them eat less, poop less, and makes there poop smell less....  can I feed it to my family? 

 

worth a try

 

[colburg]

Just a quick question..... If FF makes them eat less, poop less, and makes there poop smell less.... can I feed it to my family?

Yup, just feed em sour kraut.

 

[JulieNKC]

It's finally warming up a little here, so I mixed up a batch of fermented feed for the whole flock today. I'll switch them in a day or 2, once it's going. The little ones in the house and my seramas have been eating it a few months now and I can't wait to have everyone on it.

 

[Toast n Jelly]

Just a quick question..... If FF makes them eat less, poop less, and makes there poop smell less.... can I feed it to my family?

 

[Kilsharion]

I have a few keets in the brooder, right now. I decided to give their feed a go at fermentation and see how they'd do with it. Today was their first try and they decimated it. Looks like I have a winner

I was actually having problems getting them to eat the regular food. But, the fermented disappeared. I'm so thrilled to see that. I can't thank y'all enough for starting this thread. As much as I ferment, you'd think I'd have considered fermenting feed...but, until this thread popped up on BYC it had never crossed my mind. Craziness.

 

[Kjordanov]

I have a quick question too!! So you can do this to teir regular layer feed?? Or does it need to be a mix of grains you buy at a grain/feedstore??