unfermented feed smells like bread yeast

[grumpychicken]

i have two containers where I've soaked pellets in some water
it should have only been a few hours at most that the pellets were soaking

most of one container smells like yeasty white bread (i recognize it from loaves of bread we've had for awhile) and the second container smells normal

would it be safe to give to them?

 

[azygous]

Not sure I understand what you mean. Two containers of soaked feed?

One soaked feed has only been soaked for a few hours? No problem, it's just soaked feed.

The second one smells yeasty? Then it must have fermented. No problem. It's fermented feed.

Feed allowed to get damp or wet and then go moldy has a repellent odor. You cannot mistake it for simple soaked feed or fermented feed. It must be tossed so it won't sicken and kill your chickens.

 

[Perris]

the yeasty smell is the sign it's starting to ferment. As Azygous said, it's all good.
You could run a little experiment to see if your birds prefer the soaked or the slightly fermented if you are still in this position.

 

[grumpychicken]

thank you! i decided to let it ferment for a few more days since it had already started, they enjoy it!

 

[azygous]

Be aware that fermented feed is at it's peak when it smells yeasty and is light and fluffy. After that, it begins to degrade, loses it's wealth of nutrients as it goes flat and dense. It's sort of the difference between the first slice of bread from a freshly baked loaf and the final few slices. I would estimate that FF is best when you gauge it to be fed out by day three.

I get a fast ferment, 24 hours at warm room temp, 75F, using lukewarm filtered tap water and a little dab of the previous ferment as starter. My turnover is three days, and then the second bucket is ready to feed. It takes a bit of practice and calculating how much your chickens will eat over that three day period. I also make a relatively dry mix. My chickens don't enjoy soupy and sloppy. A wooden spoon stands upright when inserted.