Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Robert M]

A cover is not necessary. I have fermented for months at a time and 'bad' bacteria or yeasts have never taken over. And I ferment my feed right in the building my chickens are in. I don't even wash my buckets I use to ferment the feed in.

Adding yeast to ferment feed is just not necessary.

I believe that when this thread was started it was recommended that the FF be covered with a cloth, but I suppose it is a personal preference.
At the least, it would be MY preference, including starting with a yeast. So...

 

[lazy gardener]

Lol..the bucket...sorry lol that's funny!

I was wondering when I saw that question but I wondered if the composition of the nutrients CHANGE at all with time? Bacteria concentrations would increase/decrease or alter certain nutrients depending on where it is in the fermenting process?

Lol our silage just gets heaped in a huge mountain and we scoop from it until spring...so I'm not too savvy on this "time" thing lol.... All I notice is the smell gets richer by the end of winter and the silage gas been steaming all winter...never noticed any kind of decrease in performance or gain...

But obviously a 50 ton pile is going to colonize at a different rate, especially when doing this firm of FF, where you're adding yeast....I've never worked with yeast.....never had to

There is a difference between a fermented product, and non fermented product. When grains are processed, the nutrients break down over time, just the same as vitamins in a vitamin pill do when stored over a long time. There is no leaching, simply degradation of nutrient.

 

[LindaB220]

For those interested, actual studies cited here: https://scratchcradle.wordpress.com/2012/09/22/science-of-fermented-feed/

Welcome to BYC. Great to have you. A very good article. I'm one of the dry feed people. I keep mine like thick oatmeal so I don't have to drain.

 

[LindaB220]

Hi Linda,
I guess my point was that since Neal was claiming scientific reasons to NOT use fermented feed that instead of laughing at him, those more studious points should be referenced.

I use fermented feed too and am aware of what it does, how, and why it is worth the effort.

Gotcha. Sorry to unload on you. .

 

[LindaB220]

I believe that when this thread was started it was recommended that the FF be covered with a cloth, but I suppose it is a personal preference.
At the least, it would be MY preference, including starting with a yeast.  So...

Yes, Bob, I loosely sit my top on my five gallon bucket. It keeps the gnats out, and also the chickens. I accidentally left it open and four hours later I went back and two four mo old Comets were sitting in there stuck. I felt bad for them but they had plenty to eat.

 

[tjo804]

Quote:
Ok I think that answered my question on the old dry feed. looking back *leach* was probably the wrong word to use.

So if you buy discounted broken down nutrient feed bags does fermenting somehow add them back?

 

[wlantry]

Welcome to BYC. Great to have you. A very good article. I'm one of the dry feed people. I keep mine like thick oatmeal so I don't have to drain.

Thanks for the welcome. I have very little experience with chickens (we got our first ones this spring) but I like doing research.

Based on that research, I suppose my method is a little strange. We only have 14 hens. I just took a five gallon bucket, half filled it with starter crumbles, cracked corn, and anything else I had on hand (a little wild bird seed with lots of sunflower seeds, a big bag of oats the flour moths had invaded), put in enough water to cover it, plus a couple inches, and started feeding exclusively from that three days later. I stir it up, take out their days feed, and put back in as much as I took out... mostly crumbles. I've got a plastic garden trough I drilled some holes in, so I don't worry about straining the water out.

Really, I started doing this because they wouldn't eat ANY of the cracked corn I bought as scratch. They do eat it now, although they'll eat all the crumbles first. I add about a teaspoon of chili powder every few days, to make it less palatable to possible rodents. I've been thinking about adding some fresh crushed garlic to the mix every once in a while, but my Darling Bride might notice her garlic press missing...

Thanks again,

Bill

 

[enola]

Ok I think that answered my question on the old dry feed. looking back *leach* was probably the wrong word to use.

So if you buy  discounted broken down nutrient feed bags does fermenting somehow add them back?

Fermenting feed makes the available nutrients more easily digested.

Nothing can improve feed that has lost nutrients that have broken down.

Feeding outdated feed to your chickens is not "really" saving you any money. Your pocketbook may feel fatter, but your hen's will systems will know the difference.

 

[Robert M]

"I use purina layena (my ladies don't like the other stuff"

That's alright, when they get drunk on that FF feed, they'll eat anything.

 

[tjo804]

Quote:
That is what I thought. Thank you.
I have never actually checked the dates on the feed bags since TSC usually sells out of the Layena Pellets I figure its fresh I know it also goes faster here than the other brands carried at TSC. However in all fairness I don't usually check the dates on my food stocks either.