Is high quality feed worth the money?

[ChookieG]

Fermenting feed is said to make nutrients more available, and like serving wet mash, it helps reduce waste from scattered feed. The big savings in feed costs, however, never materialized for me - maybe 5-10% (and closer to 5%)? I was underwhelmed. Other posters report better experiences.

I should say, I do feed wet mash routinely, AND my bird free range. Either could be factors in the lack of comparative savings. Or not.

Yeah I noticed around the same.. I thought fermentation would amount to hugh savings.. but it is for me probably around 15% less consumption. I have stuck to a 50% fermented feed, 50% regular feed as I noticed that they weren't laying as much with a 100% fermented diet.. I'm guessing some of the nutrients are consumed/broken down by the microorganisms/microflora during the fermentation process even though some additional nutrients are made more bioavailable to the chickens.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Yeah I noticed around the same.. I thought fermentation would amount to hugh savings.. but it is for me probably around 15% less consumption. I have stuck to a 50% fermented feed, 50% regular feed as I noticed that they weren't laying as much with a 100% fermented diet.. I'm guessing some of the nutrients are consumed/broken down by the microorganisms/microflora during the fermentation process even though some additional nutrients are made more bioavailable to the chickens.

Like so much else in life, tradeoffs, always tradeoffs.

If there were one, easy, universally best way for everyone, we'd all be doing it. Well, except that one guy, because there is always that one guy...

I suspect it works better for some feed ingredients than others, but which one and why is not something I've seen studied (nor have I seriously looked).

 

[Folly's place]

For me, less work is always better than more work, and so fermenting feed looks like effort expended for little or no gain. For forty or more chickens, way too much trouble.
Buying good fresh feed makes more sense!
Mary

 

[Cj Tracker]

What is lacto fermenting your feed and how do you do it? I know fermented foods are super healthy for us but I haven't heard of preparing or giving it to my flock. Would love to know more details. Thank you

 

[U_Stormcrow]

What is lacto fermenting your feed and how do you do it? I know fermented foods are super healthy for us but I haven't heard of preparing or giving it to my flock. Would love to know more details. Thank you

Lacto Fermentation is a form of anaerobic fermentation reliant on lactobacillus, the same bacteria responsible for kimchi, yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, pickles, etc.

For fermented chicken feed, the easiest way to make it is to add feed to a five gallon bucket, 1/3 to 1/2 of the way up. Cover with water. Stir. Add more water. Repeat until the feed is fully submerged (this step is necessary because feeds tend to absorb a LOT of water, crumble most, pellet close, whole grain least). Now add another inch of water. This ensures the process is anaerobic (without oxygen).

Wait.

How long depends on your climate and conditions. A couple days is normal.

I can't describe the smell of a good culture anymore, because I don't have much sense of smell (auto accident - damage extensive), but its pretty distinct, and not really displeasing. At this point, you have a fermented starter, like sourdough.

Scoop out what you want to feed your birds - a strainer helps to keep excess liquid in the bucket where you want it. Replace with an equal quantity of fresh feed. Repeat each day. If the bucket starts to smell bad, something else may be colonizing - start over - but a good ferment ensures so many beneficial bacteria are present that its hard for anything else to move in.

Some people take out "insurance" on their ferment by adding a tub of plain yogurt or a cup of sourdough starter to help innoculate the mix at the start, and most keep a lid, loosely, on their buckets.

Once you've done it a few times, and have a good sense of how much water your feed absorbs at the start, you can mark the inside of your bucket, fill feed to the line, then add water to the higher line, stir and forget.

If you feed as many birds as I do (flock in sig), in a climate like mine, you can line up a couple buckets and get started, one each day. By day three (in the spring, summer, fall) I've got a very good ferment (day two, sometimes) going, and dump the whole bucket to the flock - which I then refill with fresh food and water to start over. The residue on the inside of the bucket helps jumpstart things. SO I can just rotate thru a collection of three or four 5 gallon buckets, not really much more effort than the normal feeding routine.

That said, I do not normally ferment, I usually just offer cold or hot wet oatmeal-like mash. The increased bioavailability of the fermented feed offers a small savings on consumption, but the "looser" consistency compared to my thick oatmeal means I lose more to waste - even serving it in plastic rain gutters - the factors tend to pretty closely balance out for me.

Last notes (speculative, NOT experiential). Fermented feed should *slightly* resist freezing as compared to a wet mash, by a couple degrees. I have hot water near at the edge of my pasture, which is why I do hot/cold water mash depending on season. So that may be a marginal benefit if you are in a borderline region with breif AM and evening temps in the freezing zone. Overnight temps don't matter, since the birds don't generally eat after dark. Second, the colder it is on average, the longer it takes for your ferment to get started on make progress. My temps average around 70 degrees, so a three or four bucket rotation is all I need to feed a flock of 70. If your temps average 50s, you will either need more buckets in rotation, or a longer wait with a much smaller flock.

Hope that helps!

 

[ChookieG]

I can't describe the smell of a good culture anymore, because I don't have much sense of smell (auto accident - damage extensive), but its pretty distinct, and not really displeasing. At this point, you have a fermented starter, like sourdough.

Wow!! That's a very nice and comprehensive guide @U_Stormcrow!

I would just like to add in to say that your fermented feed should smell sour, and not like vomit.. which will happen if something goes wrong. I suggest you also add some white vinegar to provide a better environment for your acid-loving beneficial microorganisms to thrive over the not-so favourable butyric acid forming (vomit-smelling) ones. I add about 1 tbspn vinegar to 2-3 quart volume.

That said, I do not normally ferment, I usually just offer cold or hot wet oatmeal-like mash. The increased bioavailability of the fermented feed offers a small savings on consumption, but the "looser" consistency compared to my thick oatmeal means I lose more to waste - even serving it in plastic rain gutters - the factors tend to pretty closely balance out for me.

I try to reduce waste from the looser consistency by adding fresh (non-fermented) dry feed into the fermented feed to make a thicker paste. I try to prepare enough for just the day however I also set aside another container of dry feed in case they run out of fermented feed. You'll figure out the amount required after a while and you can then adjust accordingly.

Last notes (speculative, NOT experiential). Fermented feed should *slightly* resist freezing as compared to a wet mash, by a couple degrees. I have hot water near at the edge of my pasture, which is why I do hot/cold water mash depending on season. So that may be a marginal benefit if you are in a borderline region with breif AM and evening temps in the freezing zone. Overnight temps don't matter, since the birds don't generally eat after dark. Second, the colder it is on average, the longer it takes for your ferment to get started on make progress. My temps average around 70 degrees, so a three or four bucket rotation is all I need to feed a flock of 70. If your temps average 50s, you will either need more buckets in rotation, or a longer wait with a much smaller flock.

Yeah it takes a lot longer for the feed to completely ferment in the colder months or in a much cooler climate. I ferment mine in a home-made incubator in the colder months - it's just a large styrobox containing a heat mat (like the ones they sell for reptiles) and a temperature controller set at around 25 deg C (77 deg f). Works like a charm.

 

[NatJ]

I ferment mine in a home-made incubator in the colder months - it's just a large styrobox containing a heat mat (like the ones they sell for reptiles) and a temperature controller set at around 25 deg C (77 deg f). Works like a charm.

If you are trying to save money by fermenting the feed, then having to heat it in the winter will cancel out some of those savings. But if you want to ferment feed for other reasons, I think that sounds like a great solution

 

[ChookieG]

If you are trying to save money by fermenting the feed, then having to heat it in the winter will cancel out some of those savings. But if you want to ferment feed for other reasons, I think that sounds like a great solution

Yeah the heat mat runs on 20W power so very little is consumed...and the controller runs on 2-3 W. You can get lower wattage mats too.

 

[kurby22]

I agree that you are not charging enough for quality birds. Even at auction around here. Run of the mill (day old to a week or so old) silkie chicks bring $6 to $8 apiece. Silkie Roos average $10 apiece. Back in September 3 nice looking bearded silkie hens (being an auction no guarantee about true background and quality) brought $70 apiece! After two attempts and 5 years of time building up a flock of quality bearded silkies. Only to have a neighbors dog and a very determined mother raccoon totally eradicate every one that I had. I have given up on having silkies. I am still intrigued with them and always check out any that I come across.

There’s a Silkie breeder near me that sells chocolate Silkie female chicks for $60/each!! And she always sells out of them. Silkies go for pretty good prices out here. I bought my silkies for $10 each and that was a backyard breeder quality!

 

[kurby22]

Swimmy44, may I ask which company you use in Petaluma? I’m in Solano county in the Bay Area and I’m wondering if it’s sold anywhere near me.

I’m guessing it’s Bar Ale? That’s what I use and I really like it! Chickens don’t go through it as fast and their feathers are so soft!