I’ve been wanting to try and ferment chicken feed for ages so I decided to finally give it a go. There’s no science behind this experiment I simply wanted to see if my poultry would actually like eating grain that had been fermented for a short period of time.
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Great experiment Mark !
Next try to feed em some beer, might improve the taste ;o)
very interesting will try this
Well that's given me something to think about. I might have a crack as well.
The ferment looks like an outstanding success Mark. It really does make a lot sense that it would be good for the chickens and ducks.
First time I see this Mark! I've seen cooked grains, sprouted grains but this makes so much sens!!! Fermentation always increase the nutritional value of food, plus all those probiotics, as you said if it's good for us it must be good for them! Cheers mate 😉
I reckon it might have more to do with the soaking of the grain (another experiment?). My chooks sometimes get over ripe milk kefir that I mix with grain to absorb. They love it, but I don't really allow the grains to ferment. I'd probably not ferment a big batch to avoid moulds and nasties developing (that might not be so good). If you used an innoculant like kefir or even the liquid from your kraut then you will minimise the nasty microbes (I'm not sure if you used an innoculant). I also remember a Korean natural farmer who used EM (effective microorganisms) to inoculate grains and she said the chickens stopped laying (so they stopped feeding it to them). They also used the EM with a heigh carbon material (I think it was wood shavings) to help break down the chicken manure and also provide beneficial microbes. I bit like a bokashi for the chicken coop. Check it out mate – very interesting.
Here is some more proof. I was given a bag of wheat (the old style big hession ones) and I couldn't get my chickens to eat it. I starved them, mixed it with their normal feed etc no luck. I think it was Rob Bob who put me onto it but I got rid of it quick smart by fermenting it. One to two days fermentation was fine. The girls loved it.
I've heard about this as well, but, have yet to try it. You've given me inspiration to jump into it! Have you done this for your quail, and if so, what did you use for their feed and how did you go about doing it? Thanks for sharing this.
I'm glad to see this video, thank you. I soak my feed and my chickens love it. I put the wet feed into the base saucer of a potted plant to feed it to my chickens. It also has the added benefit of getting more water into them in hot weather. I belong to a public fermented feed Facebook group. If you are interested, https://www.facebook.com/groups/809758232387115/
During our snowy Michigan winter (approx. 6 months of the year) when there is no greens about, I sprout mung bean sprouts everyday as well. I bought a 50 lb. bag of untreated mung beans and sprout them in my kitchen. This gives my chickens (and our Labrador retriever as well) live greens all year long. I personally believe that live green are critical to keeping my animals healthy. I also dehydrate kale, chard and air dry many summer herbs (mint, sage, basil and so on) and feed this all to my chickens in the winter time. Their all time favorite is dehydrated kale!! I also grow fodder greens inside my home in the winter months so they get the live green grass as well. My chickens give me wonderful, organic eggs and my chickens have NEVER been sick. Lots of chicken info. on my blog…http://smallhousebigskyhomestead.wordpress.com
how often should i feed my chickens fermenting feed.
I feed our girls fermented oats and when I do the eggs are always much cleaner, there is never any poop on them when they are eating fermented food.
can you do a fermented update?
Hey, get your feet out of your food, silly rooster 😀
I have tried giving my 10 week old hens fermented feed but they won't eat it. Any advice? Thanks
Isn't fermenting preferable to do out of sunlight? I'm curious why you did it out in the open with being exposed to sun.
I tried fermenting my chickens feed, like these ones, they LOVE it – and they eat a lot less!
Which is better fermented gtains or fodder?
I have 2 continuous containers that i ferment my grain in and only ferment for 48 hours.. using starter from todays food to add to next batch. My chooks eat nothing but fermented grain. Cuts down on the amount of grain and they get a lot more goodness from it.
Wonderful Video I must say. Please help. I'm in South Africa and the only chicken feed we have is GMO. It works great fermented but I'd like to know if fermenting GMO for long enough time, takes it back to organic? Does it destroy the GMO?
HI Mark, I am a bit clueless, i have started to ferment chicken feed, I give them the amount I think they should have but it seem not to be enough and they are still very hungry… what am I doing wrong as doing this was suppose to reduce the feed cost a little bit? Any tips would help please. Regards Mariette
My chickens love fermented feed. I had to dump one of my buckets that was that was for that day's food rations cause it smells sooo bad. Needless to say I had to give them dry feed….they refused to eat it. So when they were able to get fermented feed, they swarmed the food dish
I have 4 rescue caged chickens with no feathers and I am new to chicken keeping…….I was advised to give them as much food as they want and I have high protein pellets to grow good feathers before our winter ….and chickens are greedy…then I discovered that soaking their grain feed made it go further and they loved it…so after research on channels such as this one I now ferment their mixed grains and the chicks love it….no runny poo and everything is eaten minimising the likelihood of rats as I am in a small town with nervous neighbours….obviously I give them lovely orange yoked eggs. It’s great to see them enjoying their freedom and different food.