How do you ferment chicken feed? Is it worth it?

[ChickenShepherd_6116]

So I have 9 chickens (6 are pullets) but I plan on getting rid of one adult, so I might end up with 8, it depends. Anyway, with the price of feed bills, I have been searching for ways to cut the prices, and I saw someone suggest fermenting chicken pellets/crumbles. I know NOTHING on this topic, but it seems like a lot of work when I could just fill up a big feeder and leave it there for a couple weeks. So how exactly does it work? All I know is that I think the feed sits in water for a bit... Would I have to feed my chickens their "meals" every day, similar to a dog? Because it is wet and can't just sit in a big feeder. What do I do if they dont eat it all in time? Would I just waste MORE feed because of the possibility of mold? Also, does the nutritional value really go up from fermenting it? Of course it's probably one of those things that some people think is a life saver and others hate it, so I suppose I will just have to try! But how exactly do you do it?

Any tips, advice, or experience on fermenting feed is greatly appreciated!!

 

[Perris]

There is a lot of confusion about this online because people are fermenting completely different things while calling it all 'feed'.
Be clear from the start and hold on to precisely what sort of feed is being fermented and talked about on any given site or answer.

 

[Debbie292d]

I've been fermenting for years. I don't do their feed because that gets mushy.
I make a batch of around 20# dry to put in my quart jars.

2 parts Kalmbach's Henhouse Reserve (get from Chewy) to 1 part hard red winter wheat and 1 part whole oats (get from our local feed mill in 50# bags), a tblsp each of chia seeds and flax.

Day 1: I fill one jar half full of the grain mix, then add non-chlorinated water almost to the top. I stir that and cover it with screened lids I bought on Amazon or can rubberband cheesecloth around the top. It has to breathe but keep out gnats or flies. Set out of the sun. I mark my jars with the day of the month I prepared them with a perm magic marker. That scrubs off with a scrunchy.

Day 2: I fill the second jar the same way as above. I stir the first jar and add water to cover it so it won't mold.

Day 3: I fill the third jar same as above, Stir the 1st and 2nd jar.

Day 4: I drain the first jar and serve in silicone loaf pans. (They usually can't tip those over.)

If you don't want it every day, just start it any day you want and know that on the 4th day, you'll be serving it.

You can use other grains and change this up to suit yourself or your chickens.

 

[Perris]

I ferment whole grains of wheat, peas, and pseudo-cereals. If you want to know how, it is discussed with illustration here
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...eat-tears-a-calculator-or-deep-pockets.78655/

 

[ChickenShepherd_6116]

There is a lot of confusion about this online because people are fermenting completely different things while calling it all 'feed'.
Be clear from the start and hold on to precisely what sort of feed is being fermented and talked about on any given site or answer.

I would be fermenting store bought pellets or crumbles, I rarely get the same thing every time because I can rarely fend the same things in stock at my TSC!

 

[Perris]

I would be fermenting store bought pellets or crumbles, I rarely get the same thing every time because I can rarely fend the same things in stock at my TSC!

then you would be largely wasting your time. The benefits of fermenting really come with using it on whole grains, not on processed feed.

 

[ChickenShepherd_6116]

I've been fermenting for years. I don't do their feed because that gets mushy.
I make a batch of around 20# dry to put in my quart jars.

2 parts Kalmbach's Henhouse Reserve (get from Chewy) to 1 part hard red winter wheat and 1 part whole oats (get from our local feed mill in 50# bags), a tblsp each of chia seeds and flax.

Day 1: I fill one jar half full of the grain mix, then add non-chlorinated water almost to the top. I stir that and cover it with screened lids I bought on Amazon or can rubberband cheesecloth around the top. It has to breathe but keep out gnats or flies. Set out of the sun. I mark my jars with the day of the month I prepared them with a perm magic marker. That scrubs off with a scrunchy.

Day 2: I fill the second jar the same way as above. I stir the first jar and add water to cover it so it won't mold.

Day 3: I fill the third jar same as above, Stir the 1st and 2nd jar.

Day 4: I drain the first jar and serve in silicone loaf pans. (They usually can't tip those over.)

If you don't want it every day, just start it any day you want and know that on the 4th day, you'll be serving it.

You can use other grains and change this up to suit yourself or your chickens.

How much feed would my chickens eat? If they don't eat all of it, do I have to throw the leftovers away?

 

[ChickenShepherd_6116]

then you would be largely wasting your time. The benefits of fermenting really come with using it on whole grains, not on processed feed.

oh, is that so? I've never heard of that. Thank you for informing me!

 

[Debbie292d]

How much feed would my chickens eat? If they don't eat all of it, do I have to throw the leftovers away?

I feed this once a day. It's not their daily allotment of food, as they still have access to their Flock Maker in the feeders.

1 quart jar feeds about a dozen silkies.

There's usually nothing leftover. But yes, if they didn't eat it, the next day I'd clean out their dish to give them fresh.

 

[ChickenShepherd_6116]

then you would be largely wasting your time. The benefits of fermenting really come with using it on whole grains, not on processed feed.

One thing that just came to mind: even if the chickens aren't really getting many benefits, would it still fill them up faster, therefore cutting the feed bill down?