Isn’t fermented feed alcoholic??

[Ihavesomechickens]

Wouldn’t fermented feed become alcoholic as it ferments due to the fermentation of the feed?

Is alcohol okay for chickens?

I’ve personally never tried fermented feed but I just got this random thought all of a sudden.

And don’t worry I’m not planning on giving my chickens beer. They deserve high quality champagne

 

[darkbaysfordays]

There may be trace amounts of alcohol, similar to why kombucha companies are legally obligated to put such a statement on their bottles. Sugar + yeast = alcohol.

 

[Ihavesomechickens]

Hmmm.

I think that’s why some people have trouble with fermented feed, as if it was left too long the alcohol content might go up significantly, causing the chicken to ingest larger amounts at once

 

[DobieLover]

No. It is not alcoholic.
You are thinking of a different fermentation process.
The process that ferments feed is lactic acid fermentation.
The process that produces alcohol is ethanol fermentation.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

The key is oxygen. No oxygen = alcohol. Oxygen = vinegar.

 

[DobieLover]

The key is oxygen. No oxygen = alcohol. Oxygen = vinegar.

Not really. Look up the fermentation process. It's a little bit more complicated than that.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Fermentation through yeast => Alcohol
Fermentation through lactobacillus => lactic acid and vinegar
The second one is the desired process for feed
The first one can be used to produce moonshine, but that may cause trouble with the law…

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

If you want to get tricky, you can use the first to make beer and then the second to make the spent grains into fermented chicken feed!

 

[Dephora]

Yeah as others have said lacto-fermentation and yeast fermentation are both totally different fermentations.

Yeast turns the sugars into alcohol while the lactobacillus bacteria turns carbs into lactic acid. So fermenting feed should produce lacto-fermentation naturally because of the carbs. Other things that are lacto-fermented are pickles and krout, which never turn alcoholic.The only reason you MIGHT get yeast fermentation, which would make alcohol, would be if some sugar got in the feed like molasses.

I saw someone mention Kombucha, interestingly Kombucha IS a mix of both fermentation, the SCOBY as the name implies (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) is both a yeast and bacteria creating a nice probiotic that can be alcoholic.

Really your fermented feed has very little danger of becoming alcoholic.

 

[Clayisfood]

Yeah as others have said lacto-fermentation and yeast fermentation are both totally different fermentations.

Yeast turns the sugars into alcohol while the lactobacillus bacteria turns carbs into lactic acid. So fermenting feed should produce lacto-fermentation naturally because of the carbs. Other things that are lacto-fermented are pickles and krout, which never turn alcoholic.The only reason you MIGHT get yeast fermentation, which would make alcohol, would be if some sugar got in the feed like molasses.

I saw someone mention Kombucha, interestingly Kombucha IS a mix of both fermentation, the SCOBY as the name implies (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) is both a yeast and bacteria creating a nice probiotic that can be alcoholic.

Really your fermented feed has very little danger of becoming alcoholic.

Best answer ever! Thanks!