Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Beekissed]

That depends on the content of the feed...some on here have done a conversion for it, but I never have. One of my friends stopped feeding the FF for one bag of feed....the same bag that usually fed the flock for 2 wks when fermented only lasted 1 wk when fed dry. She was then fully convinced that this was saving her money and says she will never go back to dry.

 

[Windy Bay Farm]

That depends on the content of the feed...some on here have done a conversion for it, but I never have. One of my friends stopped feeding the FF for one bag of feed....the same bag that usually fed the flock for 2 wks when fermented only lasted 1 wk when fed dry. She was then fully convinced that this was saving her money and says she will never go back to dry.

I'll have to search through the hundreds of posts to see if I can find a conversion; the reason I am asking is because I am wondering how much dry feed to add to the exisiting FF when I take some out to feed the flock, such that I can essentially keep the fermentation process going without having to restart a new batch all the time. If I were to remove 4 cups of FF for the flock, I want to know how much dry feed to replace it with.

 

[Demosthine]

I'll have to search through the hundreds of posts to see if I can find a conversion; the reason I am asking is because I am wondering how much dry feed to add to the exisiting FF when I take some out to feed the flock, such that I can essentially keep the fermentation process going without having to restart a new batch all the time.  If I were to remove 4 cups of FF for the flock, I want to know how much dry feed to replace it with.

Again, don't stress about the details. Throw a couple of cups in to ferment and look at it in the morning. If you need more, add more next time. If you use less, don't add as much or skip a day. It should be relatively stress free. Their consumption will vary as they grow, so it's a constant adjustment.

If you are truly that concerned about it, take a single cup of dry feed and put it in a four cup measuring bowl. Let it soak up all the water it can and determine the wet weight. The general consensus seems to be that one cup dry feed will yield 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups wet feed. But like Bee mentioned, it varies greatly based on the contents of the feed and the type.

 

[wlhtx]

Like Bee's friend, I can also attest to the 2 weeks to use up a 50lb bag when feeding FF vs 1 week for same size bag feeding dry.

I got lazy with the FF last week and just decided to fall back to dry. I keep a spreadsheet of all things chicken related: how many eggs per day, feed expenses, etc. I opened one 50lb bag of chick starter/grower on June 28 and fed that out fermented. I opened a new 50lb bag on July 11 (so 13 days later). The bag I opened on July 11 is nearly gone and will only last me maybe another couple days (and that's because I made myself get up earlier this morning to mix the remainder in my FF buckets and they may just get slightly lighter portions today and tomorrow - otherwise I would only have had enough left for this evening's feeding). So that means this last bag, which was mostly fed out dry will only last 6-7 days... So, literally half the amount as when feeding the food fermented. And the birds are not nearly as excited to eat the dry...

As for how much to refill, I personally do not measure in exact amounts how much to put back in after I've fed out. Rather, I find it easier to just judge the amount based on what it looks like in the bucket. Meaning, if I've fed out so much that the bucket is only 1/3 full, then I add enough dry back in to get it a little above the half way point of the bucket, then add enough water (allowing for absorption and expansion) that the end result is that the bucket is maybe a little more than 3/4 full. All that to say, I eyeball it.

You'll probably find that you'll just have to play around with it for the first week or so in order to find a consistency that you and your birds like and then just recreate that every night.

 

[Beekissed]

I don't replace fresh, dry feed each time I feed out of the ferment bucket. I feed out of the bucket for up to 5 days before replenishing feed and water...this is why I was saying you are being somewhat conservative in your initial amounts of FF. That small of an amount will only feed for a little while.

I know I compare this rolling ferment to sourdough mix and keeping it fed, but unless you are making bread every single day, you won't be putting new flour in that mix each day. Since we are feeding out every day, just make a batch big enough that you can feed several times and several days without having to add back to it.

This is why I use the two bucket system...my fermented fluids are not all sitting in the feed mix, so I could use my whole bucket of feed up if I wanted and not have to start all over on getting good ferment. I usually use feed until I am scraping the bottom of the bucket and then I fill it back up with feed and fresh water. The FF fluid in the bottom reservoir rises into the fresh feed and I am half way to full fermentation right then and there...it just needs to absorb into the feed and sit overnight to be fermenting properly enough to be fed out. That culture rich scoby that is always present and never "used up" in my reservoir is merely diluted with fresh water and also gets a 'wash" of fresh feed residue that filters down into the reservoir to feed the scoby there. The rich fermented water rises into the fresh feed, already full of the active, living lactobacilli that are needed for full fermentation.

ETA: I NEVER measure anything!

My method is the dump and pour...until the bucket is holding the amount I know will feed the birds for several days without me having to add it again any time soon. I like ease in my chickening, so I make everything as simple as possible so as to keep it easy to do. Work smarter, not harder, is my motto!

 

[Windy Bay Farm]

Again, don't stress about the details. Throw a couple of cups in to ferment and look at it in the morning. If you need more, add more next time. If you use less, don't add as much or skip a day. It should be relatively stress free. Their consumption will vary as they grow, so it's a constant adjustment.

If you are truly that concerned about it, take a single cup of dry feed and put it in a four cup measuring bowl. Let it soak up all the water it can and determine the wet weight. The general consensus seems to be that one cup dry feed will yield 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups wet feed. But like Bee mentioned, it varies greatly based on the contents of the feed and the type.

Thank you, Demosthine !

 

[Windy Bay Farm]

I don't replace fresh, dry feed each time I feed out of the ferment bucket. I feed out of the bucket for up to 5 days before replenishing feed and water...this is why I was saying you are being somewhat conservative in your initial amounts of FF. That small of an amount will only feed for a little while.

I know I compare this rolling ferment to sourdough mix and keeping it fed, but unless you are making bread every single day, you won't be putting new flour in that mix each day. Since we are feeding out every day, just make a batch big enough that you can feed several times and several days without having to add back to it.

This is why I use the two bucket system...my fermented fluids are not all sitting in the feed mix, so I could use my whole bucket of feed up if I wanted and not have to start all over on getting good ferment. I usually use feed until I am scraping the bottom of the bucket and then I fill it back up with feed and fresh water. The FF fluid in the bottom reservoir rises into the fresh feed and I am half way to full fermentation right then and there...it just needs to absorb into the feed and sit overnight to be fermenting properly enough to be fed out. That culture rich scoby that is always present and never "used up" in my reservoir is merely diluted with fresh water and also gets a 'wash" of fresh feed residue that filters down into the reservoir to feed the scoby there. The rich fermented water rises into the fresh feed, already full of the active, living lactobacilli that are needed for full fermentation.

ETA: I NEVER measure anything!

My method is the dump and pour...until the bucket is holding the amount I know will feed the birds for several days without me having to add it again any time soon. I like ease in my chickening, so I make everything as simple as possible so as to keep it easy to do. Work smarter, not harder, is my motto!

This makes perfect sense and thanks for the explanation, also, when starting my first batch I am planning to put the dry feed in the bucket and ensure there is enough water to basically cover the feed once it has reached its absorption point but how long do I leave it before I begin to feed it, how many days until it reaches a good ferment ?

 

[Beekissed]

That depends on your ambient temps and how successfully you pull in yeasts from the air. Stir it daily, give it time....official sources say fermentation starts in 8-15 hrs in temps 70* and above. Since I feed once every 24 hours, I never worry about it~with the bacilli rich fluids and the 24 hour time period my ferment is fully in place.

 

[Windy Bay Farm]

That depends on your ambient temps and how successfully you pull in yeasts from the air.  Stir it daily, give it time....official sources say fermentation starts in 8-15 hrs in temps 70* and above.  Since I feed once every 24 hours, I never worry about it~with the bacilli rich fluids and the 24 hour time period my ferment is fully in place.

 

Do you have to cover it in between stirs ?

 

[Beekissed]

I have a lid on my buckets but it is only snapped down on one side...this causes it to tilt upwards in the air a little allowing airflow into the mix. this seems to have been sufficient airflow for the process. You can't see it in this pic but the uplifted side of the lid actually gaps open about 1/8 of an inch.