Why ferment feed?

[Molpet]

https://tikktok-wordpress-com.cdn.a....wordpress.com/2014/04/13/fermented-feed-faq/

 

[Cooba]

The main reason I ferment is that it seems to save on feed. The chickens don't waste any, plus the nutrients (vitamins, minerals, amino acids) added at milling are added as powders.
Fermenting, or just wetting the feed binds up those nutrients so they aren't lost as powders in the bottom of the feeder. The result of that is a higher nutritional intake.
If you are adding any other supplement, whether that be more vitamins, fishmeal, herbal wormers, etc., they can be mixed into the feed better than just mixing with dry feed.


It is time consuming and why I don't always do it.
As others do, I have dry feed available all the time and only provide an amount of fermented or just wetted feed that they will clean up by the end of the day. I use black rubber feed bowls. I'm always surprised at how completely they clean the bowl. I just need to hit it with a hose and it is clean.
The cellulose fibers in plant materials can't be digested by vertebrates without microbes. Just like with the microbes in the rumen/hindgut of some animals help to break down and digest
http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/digestion/herbivores/ferment.htmlWhen microbes digest the cellulose the nutrition can pass on and be absorbed by the host animal.


I don't think the fat soluble vitamins are enhanced by fermentation. Just the B vitamins. And some proteins become more bioavailable with fermentation.
I've been tracking the fat soluble vitamin levels in all the feeds I buy and in more than half the cases, they are too low for good hatchability and are marginal for healthy chicks.

The downside with buying on sale is that those products are often older and at the end of useful life.

You have a point about nutrition being lower in sale items....never thought of that. I’m finding it difficult to obtain nutritional values in the feeds. One store keeps stuff in their warehouse so that you can’t read the labels. And try to get organic feeds to compare one to another and I haven’t found two to compare. Just one by Jones feeds. do you have any organic chick starter names. And yes I see your point of wetting the fines......then they aren’t wasted.

 

[Molpet]

You have a point about nutrition being lower in sale items....never thought of that. I’m finding it difficult to obtain nutritional values in the feeds. One store keeps stuff in their warehouse so that you can’t read the labels. And try to get organic feeds to compare one to another and I haven’t found two to compare. Just one by Jones feeds. do you have any organic chick starter names. And yes I see your point of wetting the fines......then they aren’t wasted.

There's a spreadsheet will all the feeds around here

 

[Cooba]

what about fermenting the grains in Whey from organic milk? i make my own greek yogurt, i.e. you have to strain the whey out of regular yogurt. Can chickens tolerate milk sugars?

I just read by Gail Damerow that chickens love whey! Just don’t spoil them by giving them too much and making them fat lol

 

[ColoradoPip]

There's a spreadsheet will all the feeds around here

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...nd-names-needed.1243483/page-71#post-22175305

 

[ErnieBerley]

Does anyones chickens ever get drunk off the fermentation? that possibly could be an issue in some instances, especially high heat and humidity, i'd assume....

 

[Molpet]

Does anyones chickens ever get drunk off the fermentation? that possibly could be an issue in some instances, especially high heat and humidity, i'd assume....

If I could make alcohol in a couple days I would be Rich

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I haven't had any drunk chickens. I think my fermentation process isn't producing alcohol.
I have seen lots of drunken butterflies. They are provided plates of fruits in butterfly farms. The fruit ferments and after lapping up the juice, they start staggering and falling off the platforms.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

You have a point about nutrition being lower in sale items....never thought of that. I’m finding it difficult to obtain nutritional values in the feeds. One store keeps stuff in their warehouse so that you can’t read the labels. And try to get organic feeds to compare one to another and I haven’t found two to compare. Just one by Jones feeds. do you have any organic chick starter names. And yes I see your point of wetting the fines......then they aren’t wasted.

I find that the higher quality feed companies like Purina will list the vitamin A, D and E concentrations. On guaranteed analysis tags, poultry feed is only required to list the levels of crude protein, lysine, methionine, crude fat, crude fiber, calcium, phosphorus, salt and sodium. A, D, E levels are always left off of the tags of cheaper feeds.
Any feed manufacturer should be able to provide a detailed calculated nutrient profile if you ask for it.