how to start making your chickens feed fermented feed

[chickenmama109]

hey everyone i would like to start feeding my chickens fermented feed but im not really sure how to make it and i just have a few things i would like to know.

can the chickens eat it all the time or should they eat regular feed with it.

does it cost more, and is it better for the chickens.

and how do you make it. lol thanks.

 

[SueT]

take whatever you are feeding them, add water, enuf to make a nice mash, and let it sit at least overnite. Start with a small amount and see how it goes! Good luck! There are lots of how to threads you might want to check out.

 

[rosemarythyme]

can the chickens eat it all the time or should they eat regular feed with it.

does it cost more, and is it better for the chickens.

and how do you make it. lol thanks.

They can eat it all the time as their sole diet, though I personally don't want to guess how much they'll eat in a day so I only feed it in the morning and leave dry food out the rest of the day.

No it doesn't cost more, it's just feed soaked in water. Is it better, I suppose that's debatable but I do it because it forces the chickens to eat all the components of their whole grain mash that they were otherwise picking through and not eating.

At the most basic level you make it by soaking feed in water and letting it sit for one to several days. Everyone has their own method or formula, which can vary by the feed used, temperatures, etc.

 

[llombardo]

I give them a nice size bowl in the morning and they have access to dry too. The fermented feed is always gone by the end of the day and they eat less dry. I do believe if I went straight fermented feed I would use a lot less food.

I think the fermented feed is more of a stick to the gut food like oatmeal would be. They like it better when I add garlic. I also add Spirulina and I have added that chicken probiotic in the little packets. I let it sit for 3 days.

Their poop is way less and nicely formed and they drink less water and I think that is because of the water content in the fermented feed. I like that for my rooster because I worry about his waddles and frostbite. So I'm hoping he drinks less water and has less of a chance for frostbite.

 

[Ms. O...aka Jean]

hey everyone i would like to start feeding my chickens fermented feed but im not really sure how to make it and i just have a few things i would like to know.

can the chickens eat it all the time or should they eat regular feed with it.

does it cost more, and is it better for the chickens.

and how do you make it. lol thanks.

I just started this also,I used the pellets some crumbles some bird seed with a lot of little black sunflower seeds. I even put some old fashioned quaker oats when it was too soupy. I only have 2 hens 3 young silkies and a pair of tiny old english game birds, all is always eaten without any of it left on the floor or ground.

 

[Mimi13]

In the beginning I did ferment feed for 4 hens. I did the whole “let it sit for 3 days and stir it 3-4 times a day” thing. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but I had two different half gallon containers going (each at different stages) all the time, and it got old and, to be honest, confusing at times. Stir now? Or did I already? What day is it? Are you sure?

Fast forward to 25 chickens. I thought that I should give my new chicks the best nutrition possible so I started fermenting again...in a 5 gallon bucket. Kind of went the same way as before, but with that amount of feed, I had to leave the bucket in the coop, instead of the house as with my first go around. Summer, heat, gnats, fermented feed, and I let half a bucket get ahead of me and go to waste, no thanks!

Now, my flock gets mash every morning. I mix two scoops of their feed with enough water to make an almost soupy mixture. They seem to like it a little wetter than drier it seems and on these colder mornings I add warm water instead of cold. I have a 3’ trough feeder so every morning I “slop the chickens.” They love it. They also have a container of dry feed as well and they will eat along on both throughout the day and will finish up the wet feed before going to roost.

 

[Perris]

You can ferment whatever you are feeding them now; the only addition is water and time. Stirring when you remember is fine. And use glass or plastic container for the feed that is soaking/fermenting - metal may react with the contents. As soon as it smells a little vinegary, you are good to go

 

[chickenmama109]

Thanks everyone, sorry I forgot to say that I have 13 chickens. And I was also wo dering what I should feed it in. Should i use A shallow dish. Or should I just use my regular feeder. Thanks everyone I really appreciate it.

 

[llombardo]

Thanks everyone, sorry I forgot to say that I have 13 chickens. And I was also wo dering what I should feed it in. Should i use A shallow dish. Or should I just use my regular feeder. Thanks everyone I really appreciate it.

I would not use the feeder. The depth of dish will depend. I was using a dog bowl and they kicked stuff in it, so I went smaller shallow bowls--multiple in different areas off the ground. Pie pans is what I'm getting next

 

[rosemarythyme]

Fermented feed won't work in a gravity type feeder. I use cat bowls (smaller flock), or pie pans or a trough like the type some people make from rain gutters would work.