Help needed - Fermented Feed issue

[fatcatx]

This is my third summer feeding fermented and I’m having a scum issue that I’ve never had before. I’ve bleached the buckets, let them bake in the sun, but it keeps coming back. Logics seems to point that it is already in the feed? (Using same brand I always have - Scratch and Peck.) Any thoughts?

The picture shows it at first bloom. I do my best to poor it off but by tomorrow it will be at least 5x worse.

 

[azygous]

The "scum" is likely the scoby that forms on the surface of FF. This is why stirring a couple times a day is beneficial.

Also, there really is no need for that much water. Just barely covering the dry feed with water in your fermenting bucket is adequate. In minutes, you should see all the water absorbed and there shouldn't be any standing water after that on the surface of the feed.

My chickens prefer their FF the consistency of thick cooked oatmeal. Using less water during the mixing stage will deliver the proper consistency and no need to drain any off before feeding.

Any "scum" left in the pores of the plastic bucket after you feed the last of that batch will generate some of the yeast spores required for the next batch. Do you have two buckets going so one is ready to feed out as you empty the other?

I use filtered tap water with a small scoop of FF from the previous batch to start the next. It ferments in just 24 hours, and it's easy to keep two fresh batches going at the same time.

 

[fatcatx]

I have two buckets going at a time using filtered water and I regularly stir. Normally I do not keep that much liquid in the bucket but since the growth started , I've been adding more so I can pour it off. It takes over the surface in a 24 hour period if I dont.
You say it's the scoby, but I've never had it in years prior. (???) My biggest concern is that the feed no longer has the pleasant fermented smell once the growth shows up. It starts to smell "off" even though it's only day 3. Are you saying I should just leave it and not worry about it? After a cumulative 15 months of doing this, just wondering what has changed to have it show up now.

 

[azygous]

If the feed smells "off", trust your judgement.

It may be the feed itself that is responsible for this. Could you have switched brands? Is the mill date far in the past? I have had terrible luck trying to ferment Feather Fixer, as an example. But the feed you're using may not be viable.

Have you checked the smell in the bag you're using from? Try dampening, not covering with water, a spoon full of this feed as an experiment, and watch what happens.

 

[fatcatx]

This is a whole grain feed that smells typical of how it always does. Good idea re: the sampling. I will do it in a glass jar to see if that makes a difference - trying to rule out the buckets.

 

[azygous]

Yes, a lot of the time, a small scale experiment can give answers a large scale sample would be difficult to see. Let us know what you turn up.

One thing you haven't mentioned is how the chickens have been doing on this feed with the scummy surface. Any problems that you've noticed?

 

[rosemarythyme]

You say it's the scoby, but I've never had it in years prior. (???) My biggest concern is that the feed no longer has the pleasant fermented smell once the growth shows up. It starts to smell "off" even though it's only day 3. Are you saying I should just leave it and not worry about it?

Has it been pretty hot lately? Heat increases speed of fermentation a lot (I would definitely start feeding at 24 hrs, not 3 days, in the summer) and I'm getting noticeable yeast development and sour smell because of it. Yeast is fine, mold is not - you can google for photos to see the difference.