I’ve read about it for a while… and just started trying it with my chickens. Fermenting their chicken feed.
Translate that to just soaking their chicken feed, and you’ll take the scariness out of it.
They tell you that fermenting your feed will increase the protein, or rather, let them get the full protein out of it. If you increase the protein, you should be able to feed less. What do you have to lose??? Nothing. And maybe you can save something (like money).
It’s simple. Take a quart jar… I only have 9 hens, who get dry feed and free range, as well, so this is a good amount… fill it halfway with your feed. Cover it well with water. Now I have well water… (haha…) so I don’t have to worry about chlorine or any other nastiness, but you can use distilled or just let your water set uncovered for a day before using.
Let the feed set on your countertop for thee days. You’re seeing days three, two, one, and dry feed in this photo. I’m using one daily, and creating one… so it’s a constant process. Stir on occasion. Cover with paper towel or cheesecloth, NOT JAR LIDS. There’s gases being released and tight covering lids would be a disaster.
In the morning, I drain one jar, reserving the water. The water has the fermenting process started, so long as there’s no mold, reuse it! Add more water if necessary to the next batch, and put it in line.
You don’t want to let these set to where you’ve fermented alcohol. While the idea of drunk chickens is slightly humorous, chickens and alcohol shouldn’t be mixed… Make sure you feed after three days!!!
Do my chickens like this fermented feed? Oh, yes!
Thank you for this post. Having a smaller flock of 5, this jar method sounds just right.
Mom always had a bucket of barley that she cooked up for our chickens in the winter time – chicken cereal!! Yes, they loved it – but the fermenting sounds multi-fold beneficial!!
My chickens go nuts over this stuff! But chicken cereal sounds yummy too.
I have to try this! It sounds like the benefits are multi-fold.
That’s what people say…
We always did this with hog feed, by the barrel.
That’s a lot of weight! How did you feed it then?
Dad always soaked oats in the skim milk left over after separating the cream off, sold the cream along with eggs our hens laid, the soaked oats were then fed to the bred sows, they loved it-
Milk would have the sugars to really kickstart the fermentation… I’m sure it was a treat!