Fermenting vs sprouting. Is one better than the other.

[rhmcdowell]

Is fermentation better than sprouting?

 

[Hanathehappyhen]

Is fermentation better than sprouting?

Sprouts can’t be relied on for a complete chicken feed, they’re just a supplement. Fermented feed works well for a diet staple.

 

[FloorCandy]

Is fermentation better than sprouting?

Fermentation is still complete nutrition, sprouting basically improves the seed/bean/grain and makes it go further at just the cost of water. With rising feed costs, both are good methods for stretching feed and treats further, or if you have stuff that the birds can’t have, like that bag of dried beans in the back of your pantry, sprouting takes it from unusable to a nutritious supplement.

 

[RainbowRabbits]

Is fermentation better than sprouting?

Jason Rhodes has a youtube channel (and his own chicken feed) and he sprouts in the winter. I'm curious to try this with my ducks (I've done fermenting in the past).

 

[RevolutionaryChicken]

Sprouts can’t be relied on for a complete chicken feed, they’re just a supplement. Fermented feed works well for a diet staple.

I am curious as to why you would say this. Why not sprout corn, wheat, barley, peas, flax seeds, etc and give it to chickens vs. fermenting the grains? I see so much benefit in sprouting, possibly even more than in fermenting.

 

[RevolutionaryChicken]

I am curious as to why you would say this. Why not sprout corn, wheat, barley, peas, flax seeds, etc and give it to chickens vs. fermenting the grains? I see so much benefit in sprouting, possibly even more than in fermenting.

 

[nuthatched]

I am curious as to why you would say this. Why not sprout corn, wheat, barley, peas, flax seeds, etc and give it to chickens vs. fermenting the grains? I see so much benefit in sprouting, possibly even more than in fermenting.

There is a difference between 'feed' and 'grain', Hana is referring to a complete feed. Sprouts and sprouted grains lack many proteins and essential nutrients, but sprouted, they can supplement a feed to make the feed last longer and can make scratch healthier. But it's not a complete feed.
If you ferment feed, it makes it swell up so the birds fill up quicker and makes some nutrients more available, but there's not more nutrients in fermented feed so the amount you feed may result in under nourished birds.
Any reports on feed conversion or health benefits are often greatly exaggerated.

 

[Debbie292d]

Fermented feed is high in probiotics and prebiotics, plus boosts other vitamins/minerals, and more so depending what you're fermenting. What I do is a quart jar half filled with a dry mix I make with mostly Kalmbachs Henhouse reserve and 6-grain scratch and some hard red winter wheat. I mix all that dry stuff in a bucket with lid. After I half-fill a jar with this mix, I add a tablespoon of chia seeds, then I fill it the rest of the way with water and cover it for three days, stirring each day.

The hard red winter wheat I grow in trays and give them a tray of "grass" a couple of times a week. That's got different vitamins and benefits, but not the probiotics/prebiotics. To me, it's just mostly for the fun of them having this in the winter when they can't free-range.

 

[Debbie292d]

I am curious as to why you would say this. Why not sprout corn, wheat, barley, peas, flax seeds, etc and give it to chickens vs. fermenting the grains? I see so much benefit in sprouting, possibly even more than in fermenting.

Fermenting is creating probiotics/prebiotics and other benefits above and beyond sprouting stuff which also has some. Generally, when fermenting, you have a variety of ingredients, each of which adds something, whereas if you are growing sprouts, that's one thing. There's benefits to both, but for the bigger bang for your buck, fermenting is it as that can be their feed for the day, sprouts can't.

 

[Hanathehappyhen]

I am curious as to why you would say this. Why not sprout corn, wheat, barley, peas, flax seeds, etc and give it to chickens vs. fermenting the grains? I see so much benefit in sprouting, possibly even more than in fermenting.

Like nuthatched said, a complete feed is made up of more than just grains. Often protein in the form of blood/bone meal is added, as well as various other vitamins as supplements. Sprouted grains would create more volume in food, but would not be sufficiently nutritious as a feed on its own.