Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[hillfloweranch]

I add stuff all the time. Others may have a differing opinion, though

 

[Wilson Chickens]

I'm interested in doing fermented feed. My chicks are 5 weeks old maybe older but anyhow onto the fermented feed. I will be fermenting their chick starter to start off with but what else can I ferment with the chick starter?

 

[hillfloweranch]

I'm interested in doing fermented feed. My chicks are 5 weeks old maybe older but anyhow onto the fermented feed. I will be fermenting their chick starter to start off with but what else can I ferment with the chick starter?

grains like rolled oats, veggies, corn, sunflower seeds...pretty much anything...as far as I know..which is probably not much! lol

 

[Kilsharion]

I'm interested in doing fermented feed. My chicks are 5 weeks old maybe older but anyhow onto the fermented feed. I will be fermenting their chick starter to start off with but what else can I ferment with the chick starter?

Pretty much anything that is edible for chickens can be tossed into the fermentation. I would hesitate to toss in fresh meats for a couple of reasons. A) it smells absolutely foul and B) depending on the fermentation environment, you run the risk of certain unhealthy bacterium deciding that it's a great place to be...The processed meat by products often found in mash and other type poultry feed is not nearly the potential hazard as fresh meats. If you want to supply meat scraps from your kitchen, it is best advised to add them as you feed the FF, not to the actual fermentation bucket.

Fermenting things such as leafy greens is actually quite beneficial as it reduces the amount of oxalic acid in them. Oxalic acid retards absorption of calcium, so getting that out of the equation is always a benefit.

I will often toss random stuff into my fermentation bucket; but, I also add things after fermentation. Such as nutritional yeast, raw milk kefir, mealworms, kitchen scraps, etc.

 

[me me me]

I just started fermented feed and when I opened one of two buckets today it had mold skimmed across the entire surface.
Recipe: scratch grains. Cracked corn. Boss. Brags apple cider with mother. Water room temp stir 2x a day
Is it garbage now if so what went wrong?

 

[highline]

I just started fermented feed and when I opened one of two buckets today it had mold skimmed across the entire surface.
Recipe: scratch grains. Cracked corn. Boss. Brags apple cider with mother. Water room temp stir 2x a day
Is it garbage now if so what went wrong?

if it looks anything like this, it's not mold. It's fermentation at work, a good thing.

 

[me me me]

if it looks anything like this, it's not mold. It's fermentation at work, a good thing.

No it was white with green tint scummy and almost like a cotton texture

 

[me me me]

I have been studying up and I guess my LABs lost dominance and mold formed so ill go get a new starter tomorrow. And I just realized what happened while typing this. My 2 year old daughter put some winter horse feed in there so the molasses in it fed the mold and messed up the Ph

 

[Lacy Blues]

Molasses shouldn't hurt your ferment. The yeasts will feed on the sugar. You could scrape/scoop the top off and add some more ACV and try it a little longer.

You said you opened up one of the buckets? Do you have them closed? They need air so you can cover them with just a clean dish towel or something like it so it can breathe.

I'd try adding some more vinegar before throwing it out. Give it time and air and see if it turns around.

 

[Kilsharion]

I just started fermented feed and when I opened one of two buckets today it had mold skimmed across the entire surface.
Recipe: scratch grains. Cracked corn. Boss. Brags apple cider with mother. Water room temp stir 2x a day
Is it garbage now if so what went wrong?

What do you mean by "opened"?

And, yes, what you described was mold. Toss it and start over.

It's best to open ferment or ferment with a cloth over the top. You should not be doing an anaerobic ferment.