For those who ferment: how do you handle (human) vacations?

[Finnie]

I love the simplicity of just topping up one bucket! With only three girls (for now bwah hah), I use two 1-quart Mason jars, one for today and one for tomorrow. When today’s is almost empty, leaving some “starter” in there, I fill it halfway with feed, add water, stir it up, partly cover, and let it ferment while I use the other jar for THAT day’s feed.

It was me grumbling about carrying bowls in the rain! But the kitchen is maybe 10 yards from the coop, so like I said, just grumbling!

Two jars is still pretty simple. It’s like the one bucket method, except each one gets to ferment a little longer. Sounds like a win.

 

[jayna1]

Hi,

I ferment HHR mixed with whole oats and wheat, and for us, it's just once daily. They get Kalmbach's Flock Maker crumbles too, in DIY 5-gallon PVC feeders. (Silkies).

If I go on vacation, they'll just have their crumbles as I have a farmer to lock them in at night and open the coops in the morning, but I couldn't expect her to take care of my ferment. In fact, if we're gone more than a couple of days, I think I'll have to dump it out. We used to do jars, so one jar a day, but with a larger flock, I now do about 2/3 of a 5-gallon bucket.

For you, I think refrigerating it would work though, if it's just for a couple of days.

I'm wondering if the "mold" can just be scraped off and use the rest? What do you think?
Also, Debbie292.....you might want to invest in a chicken door that opens and closes on a timer, if you are going to keep chickens for more than a minute!! Honestly, we put one in 20 years ago after I saw a comment on BYC - "beg, borrow or steal" an automatic door!! IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO GO! Mine was made in Pennsylvania - Poultry Door Butler I think.

 

[Debbie292d]

I'm wondering if the "mold" can just be scraped off and use the rest? What do you think?
Also, Debbie292.....you might want to invest in a chicken door that opens and closes on a timer, if you are going to keep chickens for more than a minute!! Honestly, we put one in 20 years ago after I saw a comment on BYC - "beg, borrow or steal" an automatic door!! IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO GO! Mine was made in Pennsylvania - Poultry Door Butler I think.

Hubby made the chicken door frame very nice, and that's why we don't have an auto door on that one, as he'd have to tear it down. Now we've got four breeding pens he took pains to making sliding doors for, that are on ski ropes so from the inside I pull the ski rope and up or down they come. We've got a garage door opener he wants to incorporate them all into when he's got time.

That's probably not mold, but scoby per se, like a yeasty thing that grows on top of the ferment. I had some of that on mine and sides when I did it in the bucket. I'm back to doing jars though since I last posted that. For some reason I'd rather just feed them 3-day old ferment from clean jars, and every day it's the same.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Hubby made the chicken door frame very nice, and that's why we don't have an auto door on that one, as he'd have to tear it down. Now we've got four breeding pens he took pains to making sliding doors for, that are on ski ropes so from the inside I pull the ski rope and up or down they come. We've got a garage door opener he wants to incorporate them all into when he's got time.

That's probably not mold, but scoby per se, like a yeasty thing that grows on top of the ferment. I had some of that on mine and sides when I did it in the bucket. I'm back to doing jars though since I last posted that. For some reason I'd rather just feed them 3-day old ferment from clean jars, and every day it's the same.

I wondered if it might be scoby (what a name.) It was more of a film when one of my batches developed it.

 

[Karlkurla Chooks]

Why would grain feed need to be fermented?

It seems easier to just scatter the grains over the yard before a shower of rain, for them to ferment then be eaten by the chooks while foraging?

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Why would grain feed need to be fermented?

It seems easier to just scatter the grains over the yard before a shower of rain, for them to ferment then be eaten by the chooks while foraging?

The whole grain feed I use has whole grain (including peas, sunflower seeds, etc.) plus “bits”, which I assume are the vitamins, minerals, and pre- and probiotics that don’t come in handy natural grain etc. form. Fermenting integrates the bits with the much larger wheat, barley, peas, etc. so that everything is eaten.

They get the ferment first thing in the morning in two bowls before being released to forage, and the non-fermented dry feed (same stuff) is available throughout the day in the hanging feeder. When the “bits” pile up in the feeder, I do shake them out of the ground for pecking.

 

[Perris]

Why would grain feed need to be fermented?

It seems easier to just scatter the grains over the yard before a shower of rain, for them to ferment then be eaten by the chooks while foraging?

I copy this from my article on home-made feed to answer your question:
fermentation has begun as soon as bubbles can be seen rising through the grain to the top of the liquor, which becomes slightly cloudy as starch and so-called ‘anti-nutritional compounds’ in the grain are drawn out of them by the soaking and fermentation process. The so-called 'anti-nutritional compounds', mostly phytates, are inherent within the grain, put there by the plant to try to preserve and protect their seeds from being digested; we want to remove them so it can be fully digested. ...

Fermenting cereals in combination with legumes improves the overall quality of the fermented product in several ways. Cereals like wheat are usually deficient in lysine but are rich in cystine and methionine, while legumes like peas are usually rich in lysine but deficient in sulphur-containing amino acids. By combining cereals with legumes, the overall protein quality is improved. In addition, “the benefits of fermentation may include improvement in palatability and acceptability by developing improved flavours and textures; preservation through formation of acidulants…and antibacterial compounds; enrichment of nutritive content by microbial synthesis of essential nutrients and improving digestibility of protein and carbohydrates; removal of antinutrients, natural toxicants and mycotoxins… Changes in the vitamin content of cereals with fermentation vary according to the fermentation process, and the raw material used in the fermentation. B group vitamins generally show an increase on fermentation … (for example) During the fermentation of maize or kaffircorn in the preparation of kaffir beer, thiamine levels are virtually unchanged, but riboflavin and niacin contents almost double (Steinkraus 1994)” (Haard et.al, chapter 1).
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...eat-tears-a-calculator-or-deep-pockets.78655/ where there are links or full references if you want to follow them up.

If you just scatter grains in the yard before it rains, they will get wet, they will not ferment. Assuming they are not eaten by the local wildlife before your chickens find them of course.

 

[Appalachickens]

I read that as "human vaccinations" and wondered if there was something horrifying I'd missed about fermenting feed!

 

[Mother of Chaos]

@Perris, this is more of a forage/treat question, but is there research on how much spinach it takes to interfere with calcium absorption? And does this also happen for other dark green leafy vegetables?

 

[Debbie292d]

An interesting discovery regarding kefir (fermented milk) as an aid in eliminating/reducing the use of antibiotics for poultry illnesses/diseases.

• Kefir supplementation enhanced immune responses and microbial balance, making it a promising probiotic for poultry-disease management.

If you read this, and they refer to "nigella sativa", that's cumin seed or oil.

https://modernpoultry.media/natural...xmmq6pw3mOfIQLwYxg_aem_TvZUPDREuniqYOrVXyCQug