Venting with Fermenting Fail

[lissalischicks]

So you may ask.... how do you fail fermenting?

Well I did... so I am here to vent. I don't know where I went wrong but I failed.

I did one to one ratio of feed and water. Added a little bit of apple cider vinegar.

Stirred it dutifully day and night.

Barely saw any bubbling. Didn't see any excess water to make next batch....

Only thing was I left it in the garage so it was quite cold. I am not sure if you need it at a certain temperature to be a success...

So I feel like I failed. sigh... any suggestions?????

 

[lazy gardener]

Yes, you need a certain amount of heat. How long did you leave it? What was the temp? What were you fermenting? Was it covered? What makes you think it failed? Can you show a photo?

 

[lissalischicks]

I left it for 3.5 days. I didn't take the temp but my garage was probably in the 40s. I was fermenting my crumble. It was covered. Don't have any pictures because I feed them this morning as I was running out to work. I got to work and thought ... damn should have taken a picture.

I guess I feel like it failed because didn't ever see it bubbling. No excess water. It just looked like my wet crumble that I was feeding them. Unless that's how it's supposed to work.

But if it needs some heat, then I think I found the problem... it was probably too cold

 

[rosemarythyme]

It doesn't always visibly bubble (mine is usually so thick, the only air expelled is when I get the ladle in there and it "burps"). And I rarely have excess water, as my chickens only want it super thick. But yes I'm thinking the garage temperature could be your issue... I keep mine inside the house.

No reason to toss it out though, as long as it isn't moldy... the chickens might like it as wet feed.

 

[EB2351]

I am by no means an expert, but I have found that when my ferment is getting too strong and I put it in the fridge, it stops the process in its tracks. So you probably need more warmth. It should be really bubbling and possibly even have a white yeasty film on it by 3.5 days if all is going right.

I am not sure about keeping it covered. I have read that it is helpful to agitate the mixture periodically to keep the ferment going, but I'm not sure if having air holes helps in that process at all.

 

[blackdog043]

The temp when fermenting is best about 70 degrees. Colder will take longer and hotter will turn it quicker. Mine doesn't bubble, but rises because I make it thicker. When I mix it, it falls like a rising dough would, when punched down. Here's a pic of what mine looks like.

 

[lissalischicks]

Ok so I don't feel so bad. I think I must have been halfway there but it wasn't all the way because it was so cold where I was fermenting.

The only reason I thought I needed excess water/fluid after was because I was reading how some people scoop the excess water to jump start their next batch. So does that mean you have 3 buckets so you can give them fermented feed everyday?

 

[Smuvers Farm]

Ok so I don't feel so bad. I think I must have been halfway there but it wasn't all the way because it was so cold where I was fermenting.

The only reason I thought I needed excess water/fluid after was because I was reading how some people scoop the excess water to jump start their next batch. So does that mean you have 3 buckets so you can give them fermented feed everyday?

Backslopping is when you use about a scoop or so of the fermented mixture (call a scoop about 1/4 c to 1 full cup, depending on how big your bucket is), not the excess liquid.

And, for ANYTHING to ferment, it needs warmth. We currently ferment 4, 5 gallon buckets of feed in our 2nd bathroom, with the door closed. We keep our house at 69°F during the day, and 60°F at night... but the small, closed bathroom stays toasty. As our buckets are well *seasoned* (the interior of all 4 are coated in backslop), we only have to ferment them overnight. We can then *stop* the fermenting process by moving the buckets into the garage.

Now, during the summer, we'll more than likely only use 2 buckets for fermenting, as it will be VERY warm anywhere we can put the buckets, and anything over 2 days of fermenting will cause issues.

 

[blackdog043]

So does that mean you have 3 buckets so you can give them fermented feed everyday?

I usually only have one container going. When I don't have enough to feed out the next day, I add more dry and water, after I fill their container for the day. After 24 hrs with what was left over, it will all be fermented again. Some people use 2 containers. Also If you find it to wet or dry before feeding, just add water or feed to make the consistency they like and give it to them.

 

[lissalischicks]

Lol so if you haven't figured it out I don't cook much.

A question just popped into my mind. Can you tell by just looking if the feed is fermented well?