Soaking/Fermenting Feed/Grain...Elementary Version

[davemonkey]

I read some of the fermenting threads, but I need the K-5 version of this.

First of all, I know it works. My wife and I soak our own grains overnight before cooking them, with surprising results. And just playing around with the chickens, I noticed that unsoaked bird seed yielded bird seed in the poop. But the same seeds soaked overnight...no seeds in the poop. That tells me that they are digesting what they are eating.

So, for the most basic version of fermenting (and without the use of acronyms/abbreviations), can someone spell out for me the way to start fermenting grains for chicken feed, and how long to let it sit?

 

[KPenley]

Cover your grains/feed with water. Add about 1 Tablespoon of raw unpasteurized apple cider vinegar per gallon of water added. Mix well. If you're going to make a big batch, it will take a couple of days for the fermenting to start. You'll see bubbles, greyish stuff, etc. Keep adding water as the feed soaks the water in (so that it is lightly covered with water). Some people mix a few times a day, some don't. Get a good strainer and pull out about 1 cup of fermented feed per adult bird a day to feed (unless they're free range foragers and then you an feed less). Bowls with sides work well since the final result is kind of mushy. Once the fermenting is really going you can just keep adding some dry grains and extra water daily or whenever it works for you to keep the feed going for the next day(s).

 

[davemonkey]

Cover your grains/feed with water. Add about 1 Tablespoon of raw unpasteurized apple cider vinegar per gallon of water added. Mix well. If you're going to make a big batch, it will take a couple of days for the fermenting to start. You'll see bubbles, greyish stuff, etc. Keep adding water as the feed soaks the water in (so that it is lightly covered with water). Some people mix a few times a day, some don't. Get a good strainer and pull out about 1 cup of fermented feed per adult bird a day to feed (unless they're free range foragers and then you an feed less). Bowls with sides work well since the final result is kind of mushy. Once the fermenting is really going you can just keep adding some dry grains and extra water daily or whenever it works for you to keep the feed going for the next day(s).

Thanks!!! That is exactly what I was needing.