Fermenting feed

[cori1023]

Hi BYC peeps
Can chick starter feed be fermented?
.. Is it too soon? And if it can.. Directions
TIA

 

[mymilliefleur]

I start feeding fermented feed to my birds from day one. It gets them off to a very good start. I feed a whole grain feed, but I know people who ferment commercial feed as well.

Here are some helpful links:

http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com/p/fermented-feed.html
http://www.gardenbetty.com/2013/05/why-and-how-to-ferment-your-chicken-feed/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/645057/fermented-feeds-anyone-using-them/5900

 

[cori1023]

I have organic chick starter feed from 1-8wks old ..

 

[cori1023]

Great info .. Thx so much will get started on the ASAP

 

[mymilliefleur]

Your welcome.

 

[piopio123]

I also gave my chicks fermented chick starter right away, and they love it!
I have what I guess Milliefleur called a whole grain starter. It contains different sizes of ground grains, very fine to just sort of cracked. So they get a variety and the soaking/fermenting softens the larger pieces well. The first day (they arrived) I gave them some of the more mushy sediment (the fermented finely ground bits) thinking the others were too big and they loved it. But the next day I did give them the whole mash and they gobbled it up no problem. I gave them a tiiiny bit of grit in case they needed it for grinding, may not have been necessary. They are doing very well, they also like yogurt a lot (one in particular).
So in conclusion, I agree the common chick starter which is very fine can still be fermented, but it will be pretty wet when given to them.

 

[azygous]

A word of caution on feeding FF to chicks. They have a tendency to walk and wallow in their food. It's a good idea to bring the consistency down to firm oatmeal so they won't drown in it if they fall into it. A cover made of half inch hardware cloth is a really good idea to keep the chicks out of the FF and from making a terrible mess of themselves, but for safety, also.

 

[piopio123]

A word of caution on feeding FF to chicks. They have a tendency to walk and wallow in their food. It's a good idea to bring the consistency down to firm oatmeal so they won't drown in it if they fall into it. A cover made of half inch hardware cloth is a really good idea to keep the chicks out of the FF and from making a terrible mess of themselves, but for safety, also.

good point azygous!
I give it to them in a shallow, yet deep enough plate to retain the food, and I place a jar or something in the center of it so that it creates a "ring" of food. That way they can not drown or walk through it pooping etc..

 

[mymilliefleur]

good point azygous!
I give it to them in a shallow, yet deep enough plate to retain the food, and I place a jar or something in the center of it so that it creates a "ring" of food. That way they can not drown or walk through it pooping etc..

That's a good idea, especially for bantams. Drowning is not really a problem for me though, since I make sure the feed is well drained before feeding it out.

 

[dawnpel]

I have read alot of posts about fermented food but none mention anything about storage. Is it best to keep in a cool dry place or can you keep it outside? Wasn't sure about the effects the sun and heat would have on it.