fermenting food

[spurrer]

I know this has been discussed somewhere else but just wonder if anyone on here has fermented any. I read where a lady said all you needed was equal parts of mash and water, no ACV. I did like she said and all I have so far is wet feed. Have had it mixed for three days and lots of hot weather but it is just sitting there doing nothing. Should I add some vinegar?

 

[rIrs roost]

Is the water over the feed about an inch? If so it should be bubbling a little. I've never had to use acv.

 

[spurrer]

i added some more feed. pellets this time. Added water to one inch over. People talk about how it smells sour or bad. Mine just smells like wet chicken feed and it didn't expand like others say. Today I gave my chickens a ladle of it and they ate it up and nearly ate the pan. Does that mean it fermented or do they just like wet feed. Is it supposed to smell sour ? There were a few gray looking grain like things in it but it didn't smell like mold. What do you think? I really want to learn to do this.
Thanks,
Jane

 

[rIrs roost]

Well mine did expand. And after you use the same water over and over again it will have a smell. They love wet feed btw.

 

[spurrer]

I have another question. My chickens are picking at themselves and I am thinking they may have mites. My two chickens don't run free so they don't have any good dirt to roll in. Do you know how I could provide the dirt for them to dust themselves. I read somewhere to use builders sand in a box or something else big enough for them. I have only started to keep chickens mostly for my husband to enjoy since he has Parkinson's Disease and is very limited in what he can do. I remember we had chickens when I was growing up and I don't remember my mama going to so much trouble for our chickens. Just threw them some corn. I do remember her chopping their heads off , scalding them and picking the big feathers off and then singeing the pin feathers off. As she cut it up I liked to look at the craw and see what was in it. I don't think I could ever prepare a chicken like that but they tasted mighty good.

 

[rIrs roost]

You can put a litter box or something like that in there with the sand. Also you can do a search on here to find out what type of mites they may have. They could possibly have leg mites too. There's different treatments for all of them. I know enough to help with leg mites. Hopefully someone with more experience will chime in. You can put some ashes from a fire in with the sand to help with mites.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I never add acv. Just water and feed plus stir a couple time a day. The smell will be different depending on what type of feed you use and what culture are in your air.

Do you stir it up?

 

[AuntNomi]

I feed my chickens ff. I make it up in a 5 gallon bucket, usually have 2 buckets going as I have around 50 chickens. I use eual amounts of water and feed and stir it a few times a day, I spend a lot of time out around the coop so it's no big deal for e most of the time. Mine is usually bubbling around 3 days, and has a smell to it but I do not think I'd call it sour smelling. Once it is getting close to half empty I make my other bucket. I take a big scoop of the ff I already have and then equal parts water and feed for the rest of the bucket and stir each day until the other used up and just go back and forth that way. Its really very simple one you get it going. I dont reuse the water, because my feed sucks up all the water, and I use single bucket method. But there are alot of different ways of doing it. I have never adding anything other then the food and water on mine.
I wish I could help you with the mites, but I have not yet dealt with that. I hope that someone comes along with some good advice that works fast to cure that up for you. Good luck with the chickens.