To breath or not to breath..? (feed fermenting)

[FlyWheel]

...that is my question.

I just started fermenting my feed, and have been going through the various threads here and the articles linked to within them, and am becoming rather confused. Here is my quandary...

Some say that lacto-fermentation (the kind we want) is an anaerobic, meaning without oxygen, process. Others state it is aerobic one,meaning it requires oxygen. Now I still don't have my PhD in biochemistry yet, but I do know that either type of bacteria has this nasty tendency to die off of if it finds itself in the wrong environment. In Other Words it has to be one or the other, it cannot be both. So which is it? Do I leave my brew uncovered and be sure to stir in a bunch of air (oxygen) so the 'bugs' can breath? or cover it up to prevent the oxygen in the air from killing off the lacto-bacteria that is doing the fermenting?

I'm thinking this is going to be heated, that's why I started a separate thread.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It is my understanding that some of the bacteria and yeasts work in various concentrations of oxygen so it isn't just one or the other.
I start mine covered in water so get more of the anaerobic fired up but eventually let all the water be absorbed.