Mash vs Pellets

[FowlWitch]

I prefer pellets because there's less waste.

The chickens prefer crumble.

I also feed fermented (to reduce waste to close to 0) whole grain mash.

I love feeding fermented - the birds love it so much they don't waste a single speck and they all seem so much more healthy and robust since I started.

 

[ValerieJ]

How do you "ferment" crumbles?

 

[IamRainey]

I use pellets (all flock) for the big girls and crumble for the chicks and juveniles. The bags are identified only with a tag sewn into the closing seam at the bottom of the bag so the shape of the feed makes perfectly clear what goes into which feeder.

 

[paneubert]

How do you "ferment" crumbles?

The same way you ferment any chicken food. Add water. Same exact procedure for mash, crumbles, pellets, whole grains, grasses like dried alfalfa, etc...

There are tons of detailed guides and discussions on the topic, but if you want the extremely short version...

1. Container that is at least 3 times the volume of feed you want to ferment. This is because it is going to expand and fluff up when gasses are created.
2. Add some feed.
3. Add equal volume of water (same volume as the feed you added).
4. See how much water the feed soaks up, most likely going to happen within 30 minutes.
5. If feed soaks up all the water (it most likely will), stir it to see how wet or dry it is, and add more water until it is very soupy, bordering on "watery". Some people like to add enough water that there is a thin/clear water layer floating above food, but personally I just get it to a hot/freshly cooked "oatmeal" type consistency.
6. Wait 24-72 hours. You will know it is fermenting when you see it bubbling or you see little divots/air channels where gasses have escaped. Ever make pancakes? Know how you know it is time to flip them when you see the bubbles popping? Same sort of thing to look for in fermented feed to know it is working. Also, it will most likely smell a little like sourdough bread, or a little tangy/acidic if you take a whif.

 

[ValerieJ]

The same way you ferment any chicken food. Add water. Same exact procedure for mash, crumbles, pellets, whole grains.

I've just never fermented anything for my chickens. I'm afraid of spoiling it. What I've read is to add water and let it sit for a couple days. That doesn't sound specific enough to me. I'm afraid of making them sick.

 

[paneubert]

I've just never fermented anything for my chickens. I'm afraid of spoiling it. What I've read is to add water and let it sit for a couple days. That doesn't sound specific enough to me. I'm afraid of making them sick.

Sorry, I went back and edited my comment. So go check it out again.

It really is as simple as adding water and letting it sit. The yeasts in the air (and usually also added manually to most chicken feeds, go read your ingredients list to confirm), will out compete bad bacteria. Yes, if you leave a bucket of fermented feed for a month without using it or stirring it, you will have a bad time. But there are people who ferment barrels at a time.....like 50 gallons at a time. So be brave and try it with a smaller volume. I have seen people go as small as a mason jar, up to the giant barrels.

 

[ValerieJ]

Sorry, I went back and edited my comment. So go check it out again.

It really is as simple as adding water and letting it sit. The yeasts in the air (and usually also added manually to most chicken feeds, go read your ingredients list to confirm), will out compete bad bacteria. Yes, if you leave a bucket of fermented feed for a month without using it or stirring it, you will have a bad time. But there are people who ferment barrels at a time.....like 50 gallons at a time. So be brave and try it with a smaller volume. I have seen people go as small as a mason jar, up to the giant barrels.

Thanks for this clarification! I came back in to see if anyone answered and your original answer came up in its edited form and I thought, 'how did I miss all that?' Then I saw this response. I think I will try this. Not sure why, but everyone seems to think it's a good idea. I want to do the best by my girls and this might seem like a treat to them, perhaps healthier than the mealworms they love. Thanks for all the info!!!

 

[Kiki]

I prefer crumble.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I've just never fermented anything for my chickens. I'm afraid of spoiling it. What I've read is to add water and let it sit for a couple days. That doesn't sound specific enough to me. I'm afraid of making them sick.

If you're nervous about trying it just make a small amount to start (some folks jump right in and make a huge batch, then find they can't use it up fast enough, or the chickens just don't take to it, etc.) You can use a glass jar for it.

There's a bit of experimentation to figure out how much liquid to how much feed is ideal for you (as the amounts vary by climate and the feed you're using). Since I've been doing it a while I'm pretty good at simply eyeballing the feed to water ratio but it'll be easier at the start if you measure out portions, then adjust to make the mix more or less wet... most chickens prefer a resulting feed that's drier like stiff oatmeal.