Fermenting Homemade Whole Food Chicken Feed

[Secondof9]

Is there one you recommend? I prefer to do organic.

Hi,

I am new to raising chickens. My chicks are 8 weeks old and I have 10 of them. They are currently eating up the last bits of chick crumbles the feed store sold me when I bought the chicks. However, after doing more research, I want to feed them a whole food unprocessed feed instead of pellets. Maybe just keeping a bag of organic pellets to fill a feeder if we decide to go camping or something. Ideally, I would like to ferment / sprout a whole grain feed and just feed that exclusively. They are "free range" in the sense that they are in a tractor that I move around the yard where they have access to grass, weeds, insects and dirt all day and then come home to their coop/run at night.

Can I ferment a whole food feed and if so, do I only feed them in the morning and night and just let them eat grass and bugs while out in the tractor all day? I also give them fresh veggies and fruit that I pulse in the processor and then mix with a little feed and grit and take that to them as a lunch in there tractor.

As growing hens, should they have access to feed all day? I don't have to make my own feed but I will if that is best - do you have brands of whole food feeds that you recommend?

Thank you for you help.

I finally settled on using Scratch and Peck feeds for my chickens, mainly to avoid Soy because I have such strong allergic reactions to it and didn't want it transferring into my eggs. It's whole grain but does contain other trace items making it a wholesome, complete feed. I tried making my own whole grain feed and the chickens loved it! But they gradually stopped laying. I did my research on BYC and others noted that the smart little chooks will pick through and eat only what they like best, avoiding the "balanced" diet. I watched and saw that was absolutely true! The little buggers were picking out only the black oil sunflower seeds and the millet then flicking the rest onto the ground. I switched back to Scratch & Peck and they began laying again after about 10 days. There are some fine granules in this product and it does sift to the bottom of the feeder - the chickens eat it last but they do eat it. This time when time to refill their feeder I'm going to take this out and ferment it and see how that goes. Also, they do have access to free feed at all times and only take what they need. Hope this helps. I'm sure your chickens will do fine whatever you choose to feed.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I know @rosemarythyme frequently weighs in on this subject as well, paging them to the courtesy phone for you. One of those experienced posters I mentioned above, from whom I've learned a thing or two.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I know @rosemarythyme frequently weighs in on this subject as well, paging them to the courtesy phone for you. One of those experienced posters I mentioned above, from whom I've learned a thing or two.

Well, dunno how "experienced" I am lol, but if you're going to use a whole grain feed, then yes it should be fermented. Probably the best known brand of this type of feed is Scratch & Peck (in my area every feed store carries it, and many pet stores as well) and they do recommend fermenting due to the fact that the added vitamins, minerals and protein which make the feed a feed (vs scratch grains) is mostly in the fines, which is the powder in the feed mix.

That said, because I don't want to micromanage feed all day, I only feed fermented in the morning and then my flock gets dry pellets available all day. If you strictly want to feed fermented feed then you'll need to do some experimenting to see exactly how much you need to provide and how often, to ensure the birds are well fed while not wasting feed. Personally I'm less concerned about the benefits of fermenting, and mostly interested in reducing feed waste as well as making sure my birds eat their complete diet.

 

[saysfaa]

I started out giving them whole veggies - bell peppers, apples, cabbage, etc. and it mostly when uneaten.

I noticed mine didn't eat veggies and greens either when I first gave them some. I think they couldn't get a small enough piece like they would have if it had been attached to the rest of the plant still rooted in the ground. When I held it, they could eat it. I think they will learn to hold the bigger piece down with a foot as some of them are doing that a little. I'm not hurrying that learning because I like that time I spend with them. Actually, they probably all have it thoroughly learned, they finish off the leaves of most of what I leave when I don't sit with them.

 

[Fluffy Lambs]

I respect y'alls opinions, but.... I love the ferment feed! (Not in the sense of eating it lol) I was doing crumbles and scratch mixed together, but I think I'm going to start doing it separately, scratch in the morning and crumbles in the evening (both fermented). I mix oyster shell in with the feed at night if the store has it if they don't I feed the granite stuff. I haven't tried fermenting chick grower yet though, but I give my older chicks a tiny bit of the ferment every day just because. I want to free range my chickens but I have annoying owls right now. There's our barn down the road from us where my cousin let bunch of his chickens loose... Until there was like a hundred... Now you talk about chickens that eat things their not supposed to. Their diet is: bugs, horse feed, and bull feed. And they grow like crazy (their little bantams) in two weeks the chicks are like half grown! But all in all, the fermented feed is great. My birds go crazy over it.

 

[Happy hen lover]

I ferment small amounts of their dry feed mini pellets every day. I have chicken feed every day all day free choice. They also have oyster shell and grit free choice. I give treats daily of whichever fresh weeds, grass clippings, small amounts of fruits veggies, in summer refrigerated salt free canned veggies if nothing else on hand, sometimes proper meat leftover/ cooked eggs . I also throw out some 5 grain scratch on ground. To boost protein some times a small amount of floating fish food. Mine could care less about mealworms, fish food is way cheaper anyway.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I feed Scratch & Peck grower. I ferment it and free feed the Scratch & Peck layer pellets. I only give them fermented feed a few times a week (mainly because it's time consuming in the mornings - I've got goats and a veggie garden to tend and a killer commute). They also forage once hubby gets home to dark, so they get lots of grass (we plant a special chicken grass seed mix) and bugs and things. The foraging cuts down on the cost of the feed, which is pretty pricey! I sell their eggs at an organic farmer's market, so I have to be choosey or lose my certification. But my birds love it and do very well on it. Scratch & Peck is the best for fermenting, imo. And you can even grow fodder from it because it isn't baked so it will sprout. Good stuff!

 

[Outta Here]

I feed my free-range chickens whole grains with a recipe I concocted using Garden Betty's Chicken Feed Calculator. We keep 25 lbs each of various organic grains and beans from Azure Standard for emergency long term storage, and this is my source for my chickens also.
They don't like the split peas or the alfalfa pellets and will leave them, greatly reducing their protein intake, so I have taken to fermenting. Now they gobble every last morsel and drink the liquid eagerly.
Their coop hopper is always full with an organic, soy-free crumble mix, but they start mobbing me every time I step out the door for their daily "treat" and attack it with relish. Aside from a couple of handfuls of dried black soldier fly worms (super high in protein, calcium, and fat) and the occasional piece of fruit, this is the only "treat" I set out for them. They eat more of the fermented feed than the crumbles.
Just for interest (everyone should carefully calculate the nutrients in their own homemade mix), here's my recipe: Everything is organic. It costs me about 1$ per pound, which is good for organic, non soy feed. I do change the recipe around a bit sometimes.

2 cups oats
2 cups wheat
2 cups dried split peas
1.5 cups whole corn
1 cup alfalfa pellets
1 cup black oil sunflower seeds
1/2 cup unsalted shelled sunflower seeds
1/2 cup COOKED lentils
1 T kelp powder

I cover the mix with water. Because this makes about 10 cups and I only have 15 chickens, I start feeding the very next day (wet mash) and continue taking some out each day while it is sitting on my kitchen counter getting sour. When bubbles appear (fermented), I refrigerate and continue feeding.

Their daily protein intake is higher than 17.7% because of the 45% protein BSFL worms treat they get and the bugs they forage. To be exactly sure, I probably should measure the worms and figure them into this recipe. I have just started putting out oyster shell free choice to my just-on-the-verge-of-laying girls.

 

[Outta Here]

"Youtube".

I'm so sorry.

STRONGLY recommend against Youtube diets, for yourself, or your chicks. There is plenty of room for reasonable debate - and it happens here on BYC almost every day, respectfully - about how much protein to offer what breeds, in what situations. How much fat is too much. When you can get away with feeding an enhanced calcium mix to Roos and non laying hens and pullets. Whether BSFL or Mealworms are a better treat, and how much to offer. The benefits of ACV...

But what is NOT in debate is the benefit of feeding a commercially balanced diet to your birds - because the possibility of creating a balanced diet meeting birds needs for various amino acids (to make up a complete protein) without resulting in massive amounts of fat or exhorbitant price tag (or both) by almost any backyard chicken owner is somewhere between nil and none. If you use the search engine, you will find numerous threads (roughly weekly) by new owners feeding very expensive whole grain organic feeds to their birds, who are suffering vitamin deficiencies as they pick out their favorites (according to flock order) and ignore the powdery vitamin/mineral supplement the feed company added to make that corn, barley, soy, wheat mix into something that will support a modern chicken in something like top condition.



This is wisdom ^^^. Accept that, for now, you don't have the knowledge or experience to sort the good from the fad on Youtube regarding feeding your birds.

So, I'll try and touch on the rest of your questions.

My birds free range (flock below, in the signature) across an area of about 4.5 acres, but generally confine themselves to a 1.75 acre area of biodiverse polyculture (Basically, I've deliberately seeded it with everything I could get cheaply which might self-propagate in my climate, then let things go). I benefit from the fact that I'm in north Florida, mild climate with a long growing season. You've not indicated your location, or the nature of your pasture, but the more diversity it has, the less likely that birds will either gorge on particular treat, or find a dearth of some needed vitamin to maintain their diet. I do have to be careful when the muscadines are in season that they don't get too many.

Tractoring is similar to free ranging - there's a lot of overlap in practice and experience - but the fact is, for good or ill, your birds are stuck eating whatever is in the tractor. Makes it easier to keep them away from the bracken fern, for instance, but harder to ensure that what they are offered is nutrient diverse. Just moving them from place to place on the fescue isn't going to cut it.

I feed my birds once in the evening, so they all come "home" to roost in one of the runs feeding them a complete commercial blend in quantity (adjusted seasonally) to ensure they go to bed with full crops, then are eager to free range when I open the gates in the morning. That works for me. My flock appears healthy, they show good weight gain, decent egg production, there's always a batch or three growing out - and I'm looking at the insides of a couple once a week as I cull.

My management practices in this regard are almost unique among the regular posters here at BYC. Thus, my experience in this regard should be considered an anecdote, not data. You are welcome to duplicate, but I make no guarantees.

My experience is that free ranging reduces my feed bill somewhat - around 25 - 30%, not insignificant when you have 50+ birds, but its not a free ride either. I have also fermented feed in the past. I now serve wet mash. Both are ways of ensuring that very important, vitamin and nutrient enriched fine powder in the whole grain feeds actually get eaten. Also substantially reduces waste for those of us feeding crumble (which, honestly, oft looks like powder at the bottom of a 50# bag). I have nothing against fermenting - it happens rapidly in my environment - it just didn't deliver the promised savings in food consumption (but as my birds already free range, it would have been unreasonable to expect big savings). Best guestimate is a savings between 10% and 15% on feed when I fermented. Right now, I don't have the space, but hope to return to it in the winter.

Whether you feed dry powder (crumble), dry pellets, wet mash, whole seeds, or sprouted, fermented whatever, its all going to the same place - the important thing is that the birds get the nutrition they need, not that they have a textural experience while eating. You can still feed them scratch, fruits or veggies from the kitchen*, from sprouting trays, mealworms or whatever as treats - but those treats should not exceed 10% of their daily diet by weight in order to maintain the balanced, nutritionally complete diet that they need.

*with a few to avoid, of course

I think that covers it. I can provide no shortage of studies over the past 40-50 years regarding the nutritional needs of modern birds, particularly modern layers or modern meaties which generally reach the same conclusions. That's science. I can offer my own experience - that's anecdote, and should not be highly valued. and of course I invite you to compare with the experiences of others here, many who have owned and maintained chickens far longer than myself, who have experiences of their own to offer you. Then make the best decision you can, for your needs, with the information available and go forth on your chicken journey, adjusting (or not) based on what works for you and your flock.

"But what is NOT in debate is the benefit of feeding a commercially balanced diet to your birds - because the possibility of creating a balanced diet meeting birds needs for various amino acids (to make up a complete protein) without resulting in massive amounts of fat or exhorbitant price tag (or both) by almost any backyard chicken owner is somewhere between nil and none. If you use the search engine, you will find numerous threads (roughly weekly) by new owners feeding very expensive whole grain organic feeds to their birds, who are suffering vitamin deficiencies as they pick out their favorites (according to flock order) and ignore the powdery vitamin/mineral supplement the feed company added to make that corn, barley, soy, wheat mix into something that will support a modern chicken in something like top condition."


Stormcrow, I hadn't read all the posts before adding my own recipe from Garden Betty's Chicken Feed Calculator. If I had read your excellent post, I certainly wouldn't have posted a homemade diet! I agree that it's easier to go waaaay wrong trying to formulate your own chicken food (especially because chickens pick and choose ingredients), and that the safest thing is buying from those who have a degree in poultry nutrition.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

"But what is NOT in debate is the benefit of feeding a commercially balanced diet to your birds - because the possibility of creating a balanced diet meeting birds needs for various amino acids (to make up a complete protein) without resulting in massive amounts of fat or exhorbitant price tag (or both) by almost any backyard chicken owner is somewhere between nil and none. If you use the search engine, you will find numerous threads (roughly weekly) by new owners feeding very expensive whole grain organic feeds to their birds, who are suffering vitamin deficiencies as they pick out their favorites (according to flock order) and ignore the powdery vitamin/mineral supplement the feed company added to make that corn, barley, soy, wheat mix into something that will support a modern chicken in something like top condition."


Stormcrow, I hadn't read all the posts before adding my own recipe from Garden Betty's Chicken Feed Calculator. If I had read your excellent post, I certainly wouldn't have posted a homemade diet! I agree that it's easier to go waaaay wrong trying to formulate your own chicken food (especially because chickens pick and choose ingredients), and that the safest thing is buying from those who have a degree in poultry nutrition.

Its all good.

I play with calculators every once in a while, its a learning experience that helps "practice" what I think I now know.

and the deeper I get into poultry nutrition, the deeper I find this hole seems to go. I admit a bias as well, I have two good sized mills nearby producing a high quality local feed, and likely more mills than that, if I looked - we are located in Southern "chicken country". If I was in the Northern midwest, the cost differential might not be quite so lopsided **if** making feed in bulk. But I'd DEFINITELY mill the grains to keep them from picking and choosing.