Homebrewers! Do you feed your flock mash?

[Country Heart]

Quote:
Yep - they love it

 

[MoSo]

Quote:
Pretty much. For our much smaller home-use quantities, I've tried using it as a breakfast cereal (hmmmmm) and using it to make a whole-grain bread - but even making 5 gallons of beer at a time results in 2-3 pounds of left-over grain.

I'd guess the big breweries sell the waste to feed processors, so it might not be free anymore.

Homebrewing is an excellent excuse to buy a grain mill, btw, and then you can grind custom grains for your chickens, too AND make beer. Living in the Pacific Northwest I'm somewhat of a beer snob, and the price of my favorite microbrew just hit $11 a sixpack - but I can make a version of it that taste pretty much identical for about $25 for 50 12oz bottles (of course, since I've been doing this about 5 years, the cost of the equipment - about $175 - is down near zero).

 

[BriteChicken]

Quote:
My Dad would adore you but unfortunately I have to keep paying that price because I have to buy Gluten Free beer and some of it tastes horrible! Celiac in the House! Lol!

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

The mash might not be any good. Send me LOTS of homemade beer to sample & I'll get back to ya on that!

 

[Tadkins472]

I would assume the Chicks would love the spent grain. If not Just compost it.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Spent brewers grain is good feed. But as others have noted it spoils quickly due to the moisture content. This means either feed it out immediately, freeze it, or spread it in the sun to dry.

It has a higher protein content than unfermented grain, but less carbohydates. The protein it contains is not balanced so unless you are incorporating a balancing component I'd treat it as scratch. This is of less importance if they are free-ranging and their local range is decent.

 

[mrsmccunn]

we feed our hens grape mash leftover from wine making. They love it!