Fermenting Feed

[Foster's Freehold]

I plan on sprouting in the winter time, but there is lots of greenstuff right now. We are in chickweed high season lol.

 

[cholland]

I just use one bucket. I add equal volume of pellets or crumble to water. One quart pellets, one quart water. Make enough for 2-3 days. I leave about half cup behind in the bucket when making more. Whatever is stuck on the sides, and in the corners.
Consistency is similar to oatmeal. No liquid to pour off.

 

[lazy gardener]

View attachment 1283407 hi! I’m looking into fermenting my chicken feed. I’ve read a lot of conflicting things. So can I pour the whole 50 pound bag into a container and pour water till it covers all of it? Can I leave the food in there till it’s all gone (a typical dry food bag lasts me 2 weeks or so) or can it only stay in the water for a max of 5 days? So does this mean I’m going to have to have several containers operating at once that have just enough food for one day? Also, do the containers need to have a lid? Does the lid need holes? Does it smell so bag that I should keep it in the shed or can it be in my laundry room? Also, on a completely irrelevant side note, I was taking pictures of my LF white Cochin eating a worm. I just looked at the pictures and realized it was a worm snake. Is it okay to eat a worm snake? They’re not poisonous, but I can’t imagine the scales digesting well. She slurped it down like a noodle.

@Adrien515 , You've gotten a lot of answers. As you can see, we all do it just a bit differently, yet we all arrive at the same end product. Play around with it, and you will find the best method for you. A lot depends on your flock size. For my flock of 27 adult birds, I rotate 2 buckets, 5 gal each. Each day, I give them the oldest bucket full, and save back a bit of feed in the bottom. That gives the newer bucket an extra day to "ripen". Depending on the temperature, I use warm or cold water, and I ferment beside my wood stove in extremely cold weather, in my cold basement/laundry room which stays warmer than the garage in the winter, and my garage, in summer weather. Depending on how quickly I need my buckets to be ready, or the ambient temperature, I may use very warm water (like if making yeast bread) or cooler water.

I do not find the smell of FF to be at all objectionable. It has a somewhat sour, yeasty smell. My grandson who has sensory issues will gag when he smells it. You generally won't notice it at all unless you are hanging your nose over the bucket and stirring it. I like to make my FF about the texture of mashed potatoes, thick cooked oatmeal, soft serve icecream. The serving ladle will definitely stand up in my bucket!

I do not cover my FF unless I have an issue with fruit flies (tomato season!) You want it open to the air so it can breathe and so it can be "seeded" by the natural yeasts and bacteria that float around in all natural environments. It may take your flock a while to get used to the change. If that is the case, take away their usual dry feed, do not give them any scratch, and sprinkle some of their dry feed on top of the FF to start. They will eat the familiar dry stuff before they "accidentally" get into the wet FF. Once they get a taste for it, they usually go nuts over it.

There is a FF FAQ article in my signature that was written by @Tikkijane . That should give you plenty of good information.

 

[Adrien515]

This practice is called backslopping. If you use one bucket to ferment, and rinse your feeding bucket back into it, it preserves the "starter". You are adding fresh feed and water every day, nothing gets gross. I scrape down the sides of my fermenting bucket when I add the dry feed and water back to it.
It doesn't get gross because you are basically changing it out every day. The bit left is the "starter" so it will ferment quickly for the next day.
Temperature plays a role. Warmth encourages the yeast growth that causes the ferment. It's cool so mine is in the house with a bit of activated dried yeast to help. When it gets warmer, I'll put it outside and be more careful of not making too much.
Years ago when this was fairly new, I did the whole bucket with holes, bucket for fermenting, leaving water standing over the mix, strain and drain to feed, keep two buckets going. Lots of work and fuss and bucketing. You couldn't just grab it and go. The backslop method suits me better.

So when I first start I leave it in for three days.. and then I feed it to my chickens but add a bit to a new batch.. and since that new batch has some to start it t only takes 8-24 hours? Also, this week the highs are a low 70 and the lows are a high 40.. so how does that affect me fermenting? (I keep the feed in a broken car outside)

 

[PirateGirl]

The process goes faster when it's warmer.

 

[Foster's Freehold]

Yep, that's the way it works. Be careful with the old car, the temps can get really really high in one with the sun shining. Make sure you leave enough space in the fermenting bucket for it to "rise". I put too much in mine and ended up with a wet mess on the kitchen counter the other day lol. Didn't mind the mess, but lost good "whey" (the liquidy part).

It doesn't have to be a big deal, just play with it. You will figure out how much to add back to the ferment based on how much they eat. You can feed however many times a day you want. I feed in the am and the pm when I go to lock up the coop. That way they have a nibble if they are not full, it's good for them to go to bed with a full crop.

 

[iluvsedward]

I may have missed it, but how many parts water to parts feed? Do we want the feed to soak everything up and become like oatmeal, or pour excess water off and feed slop?

 

[PirateGirl]

depends the feed

I start by putting the dry feed and filling water in the container to an inch above the feed in the morning, then in the afternoon or before bed on the first day I add some more water if it looks like it needs it. After the first day, once it's all wet, you probably won't have to add more water.

 

[Foster's Freehold]

I may have missed it, but how many parts water to parts feed? Do we want the feed to soak everything up and become like oatmeal, or pour excess water off and feed slop?

I start with equal parts water and feed. Give it time to absorb all the water. Add more water until it is the consistency that your chickens like. Mine like it best when the spoon stands or slowly falls over. As it ferments over the first three days, keep an eye on the water amount. Stir a couple of times a day, add water as needed.

Once you feed out, just add water and feed back to your bucket. It will ferment much quicker with the starter in it. If your bucket is in a cool place, use warm water and a pinch of activated yeast if it seems to slow down.

 

[chickens really]

Lots of views about fermented feed..I for one do not feed it..Too easy to cause mold and Chickens don't need it..
Dry feed and fresh water is all they really need..