I use scratch grain and ferment 5 to 7 day. I also sprout whole oats and corn for fodder. You don’t have to buy expensive feed. It’s tedious at first but it settles in to your any routine pretty nicely. I get about 60% to 75% more feed. I don’t stir it and I dump the water in yard and all the animals drink it before it soaks in the ground.I stopped using grower feed. Ferment scratch puts more weight on faster with strong chicks and less random deaths. I would give my goats grains and sweet in the evening and they would have a couple stif poops every morning. No more. change my whole perspective on how to feed my animals. Cheap and easy.
I would have never thought to use scratch as I have always been under the impression that it is more calorie dense than nutritionally dense, did you have any issues with fat on the chickens?
Lamacha is a dairy breed so they typically don’t get very beefy I wish I could see a picture of them because they may be good that Is a lot of stuff to give goats and they not gain weight without a picture I can’t see if they really even need to gain too much more weight have you reached out to any goat groups on Facebook or any forums to post a picture and get others thoughts? Because aside from beet pulp you’re giving me them everything they could need do you have any grazing pastures they can have access to?
I was looking up some info I saw on another channel and yours popped up so I clicked on it. I’m SO GLAD I did! This is my first time watching it. You have the cutest kids. It’s great that they pitch right in to help instead of looking like ginormous couch potatoes! I live in a subdivision that’s kind of on the edge of town. I got my chickens 5 years ago and last summer I could hear roosters all over the place! Neighbors a couple houses down from me got their chickens last summer. Then I could hear a rooster down the other way and there was already a family with chickens and roosters on another street. It’s just busting with chicken families around here and I couldn’t be happier! I have a lawn chair and a little plastic table behind my chickens yard. I love to hear them talking to each other..... and me too! I’m so in love! Keep your videos coming. I’m hooked!
Awe! Thank you so much! ^_^ there are a lot of videos on the way we are actually going to start posting twice a week soon! Maybe even build up to three times a week once we start construction on our farm house :) it’s about to be baby season we have chicks set to hatch our fainting goat is due any day now and our jersey cow annabelle is due at the earliest April so you will be seeing a lot of babies soon! And we love to get our subscribers in on voting for names :)
So cute and such a great way for kids to grow up! I’m so glad my kids were raised with a little “farming”, raising chickens and goats. It’s so good for them!
I wouldn’t want to raise mine any other way! He knows where his food comes from and I hope he goes on to grow and raise his own food for his family in the future! ❤️
Back when I started fermenting my chickens feed (2012), I tried looking for a commercial grain mixture, but at $45 a bag, it was just entirely too expensive. So I started mixing my own. I do rolled oats, barley, scratch grains, BOSS and catfish feed - mix it all together. I had about 20 hens back then and now I have 100, so we mix our feed in a large rubber feed can. Every 3-4 days, when it starts getting low, I'll add more dry feed, top it off with water and stir (with a long narrow shovel). I've pretty much kept it going non-stop since I started, with the exception of last August. We're in a new place and it was just beyond too hot to be mixing up the feeds, so I switched to the layer pellets for about 6 weeks. SO MUCH WASTE! Sheesh - I'm used to not seeing any feed anywhere by night time, but those 6 week, we had pellets all over the ground. And the smell in the coop got bad too. I won't be doing that again!
@@OurOrganicLife I needed something to bump up the protein and couldn't find any fishmeal or beefmeal, or even flaxseed around. I did find roasted soybeans, but the hens did not like it at all.
If you want to see something done or how to do some thing leave a comment down below! Maybe will make a video to help teach or share any knowledge that we can! ❤️ Be sure to hit that subscribe button as big things are coming and we will be posting 1-2 times a week!
I use a light cloth (maybe head scrap) and press the fermented food to remove the excess water and add some calcium in it to feed hens (which then lay a beautiful egg lol)
Yes! Most commercial feeds for layer hens have calcium for them I provide free choice oyster shell on the side for them if they need it they will eat that :)
Well when this isn’t my job I don’t have time to sit and watch the channel and wait for comments there are lots of channels that never respond... I’m doing my best but I have multiple jobs I’m just happy I am able to share videos that teach for free
Thank you! I just got a flock of 20 hens and the feed is very expensive. I read that since fermented grain is more digestible, egg output will increase. My hens are 30-35 weeks old, and right now the production is pretty low...7 or 8 eggs a day which means they are only paying for their feed. So. I am going to give this a go. If production picks up, I will double my flock.
I definitely noticed my hens production increased, there was also a period with my older fllock where I had them on fermented feed from chicks to 2 years of age and they never went through the horrible molts that I hear about where they stop laying for a few weeks, yet their feathers were always shiny and healthy.
Bigger longer feeder would be nice. And also you can use the water from the fermented feed it’s also full of nutrients. I put ours in a heavy duty black pan and pour it out on A piece of corrugated tin. It’s gone everyday so far🍀
I personally just fill a 5 gallon bucket about half full of wheat, and fill it the rest of the way with water. And add water as needed for about a week, then scoop the grain out and drain until most of the water is done dripping. Then feed it to my chickens
How can you keep your birds ONLY on fermented wheat? In my country, Poland, even wild birds are better fed with grain mixtures. Try to imagine yourself eating all your life only home made bread and greens!
I’ve had chickens growing up, but now I’m an adult and about to start a rather small backyard flock and have been super interested in good nutrition for hens. I have been struggling between pellets and scratch mix, since I’m going into vet nursing school and have always been weary of super refined and processed pet foods. This is such a great video and I’ll be definitely going ahead and doing plenty of research. Thank you for the video!
I’m so happy to hear that! Be wary of scratch as it is meant to be used as extra calories or entertainment it’s great in the winter but does not give them the essential nutrients they need nor the calcium for forming good shells ^_^
@@OurOrganicLife...Hi, thanks for your above video. Reading your comment here...do you supplement there food with any calcium for egg shells, or do they get enough from the Fermentation and foraging? Thanks for any feedback.
@@norman-gregory if your giving a chicken feed that has oyster shells you should be fine but if they free range then they can get vitamins and other stuff from the environment. But you can also buy crushed oyster shell or use dried eggshells grind it up and mix it in their food to help with calcium
@@organixgirl...Hi from Australia - since my comment, I feal more comfortable with how I'm feeding these Hens. Any and ALL egg shells are given to them (either ground/crushed by hand/ also Boiled eggs when there's excess, they love them). They do not eat there eggs or try to peck at them. I also ferment there Scratch for app 3 days. They can be noisy sometimes, and I just have to accept there is ALWAYS a pecking order in who usually eats first. No one goes without...Thanks for replying. I also give them some rice, with the residue of coconut oil that was used for other cooking, and also raw onions and bread. The hens soon let me know it they don't like something. Cheers.
@@organixgirl It was my understanding, never mix oyster shell in with food. Keep oyster shell/calcium in separate feed dish. When mixed in with feed they may get too much calcium ☹️ Too much calcium affects the growth and bones and all around unhealthy for chickens. Same for humans.
Love your video 💜 your boy sounds very sweet. I like fermenting feed because it digests better so there isn’t any feed undigested on the other side and it makes the poo smell much less!
Now there's a real farm girl! Hands right in there......none of the prissy stirring with other contraptions and wearing gloves! Awesome! Thank you for this video. Chicken feed at our local farm supply stores just went up $5 a bag! I am going to start doing this with our chicken feed today!
our organic life, if any grocery store you go to has a bakery department check with the cake maker and they will sell you 5 gallon food grade empty icing buckets. cheaper then what you are using. sometimes free!
Question: If you feed your hens say 4 cups of feed per day and decide to ferment that 4 cups, do you feed them all of it when it's done or do measure out 4 cups of the fermented feed and have some left over?
I actually found them on Amazon! :D They come in a tall and short option, here is a link for each ^_^ Tall Boots: amzn.to/3fwfK9N Short Boots: amzn.to/3fwbB5O
Wendy Moran -- My hubs & I are getting 12 chickens soon & after watching videos (especially organic feed fermentation featured), all of the presenters mention to not close the lid, leave on top loosely. One presenter doesn't even cover the 5-gallon bucket with a lid. 😊
I just cracked up when your “babies” thought you were bringing their food! Then you walked away because you had to show us something else. “Mommy, come back....I’m starving here!” When you were filling their feed trough they just went NUTS! Jumping all over the top of each other and slamming their little faces up against the mesh of their coop thing. You obviously have them very well trained to know who their “mommy” is. Just too cute!
Thats a tough one, we don't have snow here so we don't have to worry about it freezing. I would say just try to find a area where it wont freeze, it will take a bit longer to reach peek fermentation when it's cold, but it can still ferment. Maybe use one of those chicken water heater plates?
I started just making fresh oatmeal with scratch and mixing in some shredded cabbage as it cools. While it is still hot I add some mealworms and there is no leftovers. They are pets though I'm sure it isn't "sustainable" in the sense that I can buy eggs cheaper. In the winter they get used to eating hot food and I think it warms them up. They do still lay some in the winter and hot oatmeal is something I think helps. Does anyone add salt to their ferment like you would have 2 to 3% by weight in sauerkraut?
Thank you so much for watching I am happy to share any knowledge that I can if you have anything that you’re unsure ever want to know even if it doesn’t pertain to fermenting Chicken Feed if there’s something you want to see done or how it’s done feel free to leave a comment :-)
Boy I sure hope your birds have another area tone in besides that small pen? Wow they sure are hungry for it I am going to try this and I hope my duck and chicken are that excited to eat it
You can reuse some of the water to start the fermentation on the next batch as the culture is alive and thriving and will grow faster, it's like starting yogurt with a culture. :) If you start to notice any issues with mold dump all the water and don't reuse it.
This is where it gets difficult. So they say rule of thumb is 1/3 lb of grain per chicken per day. Because the nutrients become more available and the food is expanded and easier to digest they are more prone to eat less, so you may try feeding 1/4 lb of grain per head (before fermentation) so 1/4 lb of grain per head dry added to the bucket then ferment and see if they eat it all and from there add just a little bit more to see if they still eat it all ^_^
Great video!! Your boy is so sweet; I call allll my girls Momma and my daughter is constantly asking why hahaha!!! How long can you keep the feed after the 3/4 day fermentation process? (Just trying to get an idea of how much i can make up at a once and the time frame in which I should use it)
Because as the food is fermenting it is releasing gases and it can get caught in the lower side under the Feed stirring agitates it releases the gas bubbles so that the food remained void of oxygen
As long as you are stirring it regularly and making sure it is under water I would us it within 5-6 days personally but as long as it doesn’t smell rancid it should be good :) smell is always a good indicator. Good fermentation will smell sour though :)
Do you keep the bucket covered? If so, what? I’m going to get more hardware cloth and make mine so air can get in but critters don’t accidentally fall in and drown.
My question is how much do you feed them? I’ve heard a quarter pound per chicken however, that’s dry food. I got 12 layers and I wanted to try this. What’s your input?
When I am feeding fermented feed I really just eyeball, I would love to be more organized, but systems just aren't in place, I tend to test and see how much my chickens are eating, if there is food left over then I cut back till I am seeing that they are eating all of their food in one sitting and not leaving any to waste :)
From day one! :D will do nothing but benefit them. They will develop a healthy gut with beneficial bacteria a stronger immune system and will be healthier than ever!
Not really, You can use some of it to start new batches and get them fermenting faster (like when you use cultures to start yogurt), other than that, just dump the water into the ground
Im going to give it ago thanks for the video, one question can you give the left over liquid as a drink to the chickens? Or is it anygood for the garden etc?
How would you go about fermenting the feed during colder weather? I just started with my flock and im really interested in doing this but we've already had frost on the ground with a little ice.
Thankfully we don't get snow here so we don't have to worry about the mixture freezing, if you have a barn where it is warmed I would recommend that, somewhere where it won't freeze, that would be the only issue.
Hi Tiffany, can you share a table of how much feed per chick at different age is given or in other words how much fermented feed against chicken weight or age. I am talking about broiler chicken. Thank you.
I do not have that handy, but If you googled it I know there are diagrams all over the internet, but for fully grown chicken the rule of thumb is 1/4 lb per hen.
No need to add yeast, the feed will ferment naturally. Yes, I use fermented feed for all of my poultry :) Even Broilers I feel that it actually benefitted them the most!
The reason why I added yeast was to reduce the gossypol levels in cotton seed cake which can be a danger to the animals.thanks for the reply. I am a broiler farmer but I've been researching on ways to reduce on the cost of feeds.
What about the water left behind in the bucket? There is still much nutrition, minerals, probiotics, etc., in that. Seems it could be used, too. Thanks.
Long video .so you didn’t say what you do with the rest?you only feed them some and let the rest ferment more or you strain and store? I always ferment small batches to be safe.
I ferment enough for two days worth I don’t ferment for really longer than that but I do about fermentation for about 2 to 3 days and then I feed that batch over the course of two days
@@OurOrganicLife When you do the fermented feed, is it really OK to measure how much youre giving the chickens with the water absorbed in the feed as part of that weight, or is that not good? (Do you count the weight before or after the water is added?)
David the good! You’re sorta Famous 😊 I enjoy you and feel proud of what you’ve accomplished - family, farm etc… Do you ferment your feed? Did you make any videos on this topic? Thanks and Best Wishes to you and your family.
Could you use the liquid maybe as a water supplement? It seems like it would have a lot of nutrition in it. If it can't be fed to livestock, then maybe put it in a compost?
I use scratch grain and ferment 5 to 7 day. I also sprout whole oats and corn for fodder. You don’t have to buy expensive feed. It’s tedious at first but it settles in to your any routine pretty nicely. I get about 60% to 75% more feed. I don’t stir it and I dump the water in yard and all the animals drink it before it soaks in the ground.I stopped using grower feed. Ferment scratch puts more weight on faster with strong chicks and less random deaths. I would give my goats grains and sweet in the evening and they would have a couple stif poops every morning. No more. change my whole perspective on how to feed my animals. Cheap and easy.
I would have never thought to use scratch as I have always been under the impression that it is more calorie dense than nutritionally dense, did you have any issues with fat on the chickens?
No, they are healthy weight. Started doing a couple years ago it’s like a miracle.
I would try and alfalfa blend Hay and add beat bulp in the mix have you dewormed your goats at all recently?
Instead of straight alfalfa I would do a alfalfa timothy or alfalfa orchard
Lamacha is a dairy breed so they typically don’t get very beefy I wish I could see a picture of them because they may be good that Is a lot of stuff to give goats and they not gain weight without a picture I can’t see if they really even need to gain too much more weight have you reached out to any goat groups on Facebook or any forums to post a picture and get others thoughts? Because aside from beet pulp you’re giving me them everything they could need do you have any grazing pastures they can have access to?
Great video, good to see a real woman doing great things with her life in today's world
Thank you!
Spending 160 a month on feed and grain, this will help out alot and a healthy idea. Thank you and thank you from all my critters.God Bless
Oh yeah this will be a huge help to you! Thank you so much for stopping in Always a pleasure to share if it can help someone! :-)
Did you try it? I have the same problem
Did it work!>??
I pay nothing for my feed, just trade eggs to the elevator employees for spilled grain after they load a train
I was looking up some info I saw on another channel and yours popped up so I clicked on it. I’m SO GLAD I did! This is my first time watching it. You have the cutest kids. It’s great that they pitch right in to help instead of looking like ginormous couch potatoes! I live in a subdivision that’s kind of on the edge of town. I got my chickens 5 years ago and last summer I could hear roosters all over the place! Neighbors a couple houses down from me got their chickens last summer. Then I could hear a rooster down the other way and there was already a family with chickens and roosters on another street. It’s just busting with chicken families around here and I couldn’t be happier! I have a lawn chair and a little plastic table behind my chickens yard. I love to hear them talking to each other..... and me too! I’m so in love! Keep your videos coming. I’m hooked!
Awe! Thank you so much! ^_^ there are a lot of videos on the way we are actually going to start posting twice a week soon! Maybe even build up to three times a week once we start construction on our farm house :) it’s about to be baby season we have chicks set to hatch our fainting goat is due any day now and our jersey cow annabelle is due at the earliest April so you will be seeing a lot of babies soon! And we love to get our subscribers in on voting for names :)
So cute and such a great way for kids to grow up! I’m so glad my kids were raised with a little “farming”, raising chickens and goats. It’s so good for them!
I wouldn’t want to raise mine any other way! He knows where his food comes from and I hope he goes on to grow and raise his own food for his family in the future! ❤️
Back when I started fermenting my chickens feed (2012), I tried looking for a commercial grain mixture, but at $45 a bag, it was just entirely too expensive. So I started mixing my own. I do rolled oats, barley, scratch grains, BOSS and catfish feed - mix it all together. I had about 20 hens back then and now I have 100, so we mix our feed in a large rubber feed can. Every 3-4 days, when it starts getting low, I'll add more dry feed, top it off with water and stir (with a long narrow shovel). I've pretty much kept it going non-stop since I started, with the exception of last August. We're in a new place and it was just beyond too hot to be mixing up the feeds, so I switched to the layer pellets for about 6 weeks. SO MUCH WASTE! Sheesh - I'm used to not seeing any feed anywhere by night time, but those 6 week, we had pellets all over the ground. And the smell in the coop got bad too. I won't be doing that again!
I would have never thought I using catfish feed to feed chickens 🤔
@@OurOrganicLife I needed something to bump up the protein and couldn't find any fishmeal or beefmeal, or even flaxseed around. I did find roasted soybeans, but the hens did not like it at all.
What’s BOSS?
Black oil sunflower seeds :)
@@cf8959 Black Oil Sunflower Seed
Great idea! Thanks😀One thought I had is If you added some water from the last batch it might speed up the fermentation process.
Yes! I thought I mentioned that sorry!
And all the nutrients that are left behind in the water are getting into the animals!!!
If you want to see something done or how to do some thing leave a comment down below! Maybe will make a video to help teach or share any knowledge that we can! ❤️
Be sure to hit that subscribe button as big things are coming and we will be posting 1-2 times a week!
I use a light cloth (maybe head scrap) and press the fermented food to remove the excess water and add some calcium in it to feed hens (which then lay a beautiful egg lol)
Yes! Most commercial feeds for layer hens have calcium for them I provide free choice oyster shell on the side for them if they need it they will eat that :)
Don’t have to add calcium.
I don't have to add calcium but I do wash, dry and crush my used egg shells and add to their feed and they don't mind it at all!
Thanks God you give answer after 2 month.
Well when this isn’t my job I don’t have time to sit and watch the channel and wait for comments there are lots of channels that never respond... I’m doing my best but I have multiple jobs I’m just happy I am able to share videos that teach for free
But I’m not seeing where you asked a question for me to answer so I don’t see where you are getting this...
My family would soak ground corn with the extra milk our goats provided. Let it sit and ferment and they would go nuts for it.
This is the first time I’ve seen your channel and I love it! New subscriber!
Thank you!
Thank you! I just got a flock of 20 hens and the feed is very expensive. I read that since fermented grain is more digestible, egg output will increase. My hens are 30-35 weeks old, and right now the production is pretty low...7 or 8 eggs a day which means they are only paying for their feed. So. I am going to give this a go. If production picks up, I will double my flock.
I definitely noticed my hens production increased, there was also a period with my older fllock where I had them on fermented feed from chicks to 2 years of age and they never went through the horrible molts that I hear about where they stop laying for a few weeks, yet their feathers were always shiny and healthy.
Bigger longer feeder would be nice. And also you can use the water from the fermented feed it’s also full of nutrients. I put ours in a heavy duty black pan and pour it out on A piece of corrugated tin. It’s gone everyday so far🍀
I tried it, but my 6 week chickens had running tummy. They are not used to fermented feed. They lost wait.
@@lindenidaphnemseleku7026 I only used fermented on adult hens and roosters. Sorry, I would only recommend adult over 18 weeks old.
Thank you so much for this helpful video. I am new to chickens and I want to do everything I can to keep them as healthy as possible.
Thank you! ^_^
Pop om o
Those chickens and duck in the back so hilarious🤣
Best way to cut expenses on feed. Thanks
Thank you so much for watching!
Your knowledge is beautiful ❤️
I personally just fill a 5 gallon bucket about half full of wheat, and fill it the rest of the way with water. And add water as needed for about a week, then scoop the grain out and drain until most of the water is done dripping. Then feed it to my chickens
Yep! That’s the same concept ^_^
Wheat?
Is it wheat berries or actual wheat?
I may try this method.
Thanks
How can you keep your birds ONLY on fermented wheat? In my country, Poland, even wild birds are better fed with grain mixtures. Try to imagine yourself eating all your life only home made bread and greens!
Very helpful. That is the feed I will be using also. Looking at the feed I wondered how it would work. Looks great. TY
I’ve had chickens growing up, but now I’m an adult and about to start a rather small backyard flock and have been super interested in good nutrition for hens. I have been struggling between pellets and scratch mix, since I’m going into vet nursing school and have always been weary of super refined and processed pet foods. This is such a great video and I’ll be definitely going ahead and doing plenty of research. Thank you for the video!
I’m so happy to hear that! Be wary of scratch as it is meant to be used as extra calories or entertainment it’s great in the winter but does not give them the essential nutrients they need nor the calcium for forming good shells ^_^
@@OurOrganicLife...Hi, thanks for your above video. Reading your comment here...do you supplement there food with any calcium for egg shells, or do they get enough from the Fermentation and foraging? Thanks for any feedback.
@@norman-gregory if your giving a chicken feed that has oyster shells you should be fine but if they free range then they can get vitamins and other stuff from the environment. But you can also buy crushed oyster shell or use dried eggshells grind it up and mix it in their food to help with calcium
@@organixgirl...Hi from Australia - since my comment, I feal more comfortable with how I'm feeding these Hens. Any and ALL egg shells are given to them (either ground/crushed by hand/ also Boiled eggs when there's excess, they love them). They do not eat there eggs or try to peck at them. I also ferment there Scratch for app 3 days. They can be noisy sometimes, and I just have to accept there is ALWAYS a pecking order in who usually eats first. No one goes without...Thanks for replying. I also give them some rice, with the residue of coconut oil that was used for other cooking, and also raw onions and bread. The hens soon let me know it they don't like something. Cheers.
@@organixgirl
It was my understanding, never mix oyster shell in with food. Keep oyster shell/calcium in separate feed dish.
When mixed in with feed they may get too much calcium ☹️
Too much calcium affects the growth and bones and all around unhealthy for chickens.
Same for humans.
New subscriber!
Great video
Thank you so much! And welcome!! ^_^
Love your video 💜 your boy sounds very sweet. I like fermenting feed because it digests better so there isn’t any feed undigested on the other side and it makes the poo smell much less!
Thank you! ^_^ He is a good boy. I fully agree on the digest-ability! ^_^
I know those meat birds looked like they were going to bust down the wire and mail you along with that food !
Those birds love that food !
They do!!!!
Fermented grain is good for humans and animals. Thank you for such a great vlog
Thank you for your time on this video. I'm just now gonna start this formatting feed myself
Thank you for this info going to do this for my egg layers and Cornish cross
You are so very welcome! :D They are going to love it ^_^
Wow this is so helpful. Thanks. God Bless!!!
You're very welcome! Glad I could help! ^_^
Thanks Tiffany, appreciate you sharing this with us. Take care stay safe, God bless you
Thank you so much for watching and supporting you take care and stay safe as well ^_^
Now there's a real farm girl! Hands right in there......none of the prissy stirring with other contraptions and wearing gloves! Awesome!
Thank you for this video. Chicken feed at our local farm supply stores just went up $5 a bag! I am going to start doing this with our chicken feed today!
our organic life, if any grocery store you go to has a bakery department check with the cake maker and they will sell you 5 gallon food grade empty icing buckets. cheaper then what you are using. sometimes free!
beautiful way of demonstrating
Very good info for me. Thanks (india)
Thank you!
Question: If you feed your hens say 4 cups of feed per day and decide to ferment that 4 cups, do you feed them all of it when it's done or do measure out 4 cups of the fermented feed and have some left over?
I would imagine you feed them the same amount of scoops or cups as you were doing because it swells and goes a lot further.
That is a good question don’t know why she did not reply?
The answer is in comme ts below under the vid
Where did you find those adorable boots?
I actually found them on Amazon! :D They come in a tall and short option, here is a link for each ^_^
Tall Boots: amzn.to/3fwfK9N
Short Boots: amzn.to/3fwbB5O
Thanks for sharing this information with us!
I am thinking about adding chickens to our homestead!
Do it!! You won't regret it they have so much to offer on a homestead! :D They are the gateway farm animal, lol.
Great information and instructions! Thank you!!!
Great video! Can the bucket be covered?
Wendy Moran -- My hubs & I are getting 12 chickens soon & after watching videos (especially organic feed fermentation featured), all of the presenters mention to not close the lid, leave on top loosely. One presenter doesn't even cover the 5-gallon bucket with a lid. 😊
You are a great women
Very hard working
how much dry mix should i measure out for 3 hens per day? I would be making it in jars instead of a bucket.
1/3lb per chicken so 1lb of soaked grain you could probably get away with fermenting 3/4lb of dry feed as it will expand
Thank you for that information we will definitely do that my brother is doing a chickens on his homestead. Mama Z on Dad's profile
I just cracked up when your “babies” thought you were bringing their food! Then you walked away because you had to show us something else. “Mommy, come back....I’m starving here!” When you were filling their feed trough they just went NUTS! Jumping all over the top of each other and slamming their little faces up against the mesh of their coop thing. You obviously have them very well trained to know who their “mommy” is. Just too cute!
🤣
Can we use this method to feed quails
Yes my friend! I tried and they liked it as much as chickens!
You can use this for pretty much any poultry. ^_^
I think i have to give it try. Thanks for sharing
You are so very welcome! Thank you for watching! :D
Love you and your work. Thanks for sharing.
How do you ferment in the winter without bringing it into the house? My family would not be impressed with a bucket of fermenting grain in our home!
Thats a tough one, we don't have snow here so we don't have to worry about it freezing. I would say just try to find a area where it wont freeze, it will take a bit longer to reach peek fermentation when it's cold, but it can still ferment. Maybe use one of those chicken water heater plates?
we happen to have a sack of buckwheat, can I mix that in too??
I don’t see why not :)
This works for any grain that is safe for chickens really and chickens can have buckwheat so I would say go for it!
I started just making fresh oatmeal with scratch and mixing in some shredded cabbage as it cools. While it is still hot I add some mealworms and there is no leftovers. They are pets though I'm sure it isn't "sustainable" in the sense that I can buy eggs cheaper. In the winter they get used to eating hot food and I think it warms them up. They do still lay some in the winter and hot oatmeal is something I think helps.
Does anyone add salt to their ferment like you would have 2 to 3% by weight in sauerkraut?
Thank you so much for sharing your skills with me
Thank you so much for watching I am happy to share any knowledge that I can if you have anything that you’re unsure ever want to know even if it doesn’t pertain to fermenting Chicken Feed if there’s something you want to see done or how it’s done feel free to leave a comment :-)
Boy I sure hope your birds have another area tone in besides that small pen? Wow they sure are hungry for it I am going to try this and I hope my duck and chicken are that excited to eat it
Thank you for the Information.I have two hen's to feed.
I love those boots!
Really you did Fantastic but what about the remaining fermented water. How to deal it with lol
Yeah, can you reuse it?
Pour it on the ground
You can reuse some of the water to start the fermentation on the next batch as the culture is alive and thriving and will grow faster, it's like starting yogurt with a culture. :) If you start to notice any issues with mold dump all the water and don't reuse it.
Do you feel them any other food a part of that?
Just anything they find when they are free ranging
I love birds; this is awesome 👌🏻 👏
Great video thank you. ? I have food for them all the time.
Is this good or bad?
Thanks for this information. I would take your ring off because I lost my antique diamond and Ruby engagement ring in my horses feed doing that!
What kind of water did you use?
Well water, just make sure it isn't chlorinated.
How do you determine the amount to feed/ferment? I have 6 hens
This is where it gets difficult. So they say rule of thumb is 1/3 lb of grain per chicken per day. Because the nutrients become more available and the food is expanded and easier to digest they are more prone to eat less, so you may try feeding 1/4 lb of grain per head (before fermentation) so 1/4 lb of grain per head dry added to the bucket then ferment and see if they eat it all and from there add just a little bit more to see if they still eat it all ^_^
How much feed would you give two dozen chickens? Thank you
The general rule of thumb is 1/3lb of feed per head each day so for two dozen chickens I would give 8lbs a day :)
@@OurOrganicLife thank you soooo much!
You’re very welcome!! ^_^
Thank for a nice video presentation,.
great video . I have 13 chicks. do you know how to ferment food for chicks thank you
The same way for chickens :) just use the chick food you are providing them ^_^
Must be good stuff, they got real quite after you put it in there
Right?!? They tore it up every time. left nothing behind ever, lol.
Great video!! Your boy is so sweet; I call allll my girls Momma and my daughter is constantly asking why hahaha!!!
How long can you keep the feed after the 3/4 day fermentation process? (Just trying to get an idea of how much i can make up at a once and the time frame in which I should use it)
I try to use it within 2-3 days after the fermentation period and keep adding water and stirring as needed to make sure the grain is fully submerged.
great video I will try it!
Thank you!!
Great video! I definitely need to do this
Thank you so much! Definitely worth the little extra effort! I can't tell you how much money we have saved in feed.
Do we keep the water in the bucket? How long it takes b4 can go bad?
If you are not stirring it at least once a day and adding some fresh water to counteract the absorption into the grains it can go bad pretty quickly
Because as the food is fermenting it is releasing gases and it can get caught in the lower side under the Feed stirring agitates it releases the gas bubbles so that the food remained void of oxygen
Was watching your video how long does this last without going bad
As long as you are stirring it regularly and making sure it is under water I would us it within 5-6 days personally but as long as it doesn’t smell rancid it should be good :) smell is always a good indicator. Good fermentation will smell sour though :)
Do you keep the bucket covered? If so, what? I’m going to get more hardware cloth and make mine so air can get in but critters don’t accidentally fall in and drown.
My question is how much do you feed them? I’ve heard a quarter pound per chicken however, that’s dry food. I got 12 layers and I wanted to try this. What’s your input?
When I am feeding fermented feed I really just eyeball, I would love to be more organized, but systems just aren't in place, I tend to test and see how much my chickens are eating, if there is food left over then I cut back till I am seeing that they are eating all of their food in one sitting and not leaving any to waste :)
At what age would you start giving this to broiler chickens?
You can start from day one! It will do nothing but benefit them :D
Thanks for the information 👍
How old are these broilers
They were about 6 weeks in this video I believe :)
At what age is most suitable to feed broiler with fermented feed?
Olaniyan Sunday right from the get go.
From day one! :D will do nothing but benefit them. They will develop a healthy gut with beneficial bacteria a stronger immune system and will be healthier than ever!
Is it safe for broilers ?
Yes! :)
beautiful farm queen
Is the fermented water( after the feed is seperated) useful in any way?
Not really, You can use some of it to start new batches and get them fermenting faster (like when you use cultures to start yogurt), other than that, just dump the water into the ground
Are you to throw away the fermentation water or to feed the chicken
I use some of the water to start the next batch, but yes, excess water is dumped.
@@OurOrganicLife can we use that excess water for plants ?
@@sandhya4879 I'd like to know this also!
Im going to give it ago thanks for the video, one question can you give the left over liquid as a drink to the chickens? Or is it anygood for the garden etc?
I would pour it into the garden :)
What about crumble ?
I had crumble when I started and it worked fine and my chickens fell in love with it.
Crumble works just as well! I just don't do crumble because it becomes a mash, but can definitely be done with any feed type :D
How would you go about fermenting the feed during colder weather? I just started with my flock and im really interested in doing this but we've already had frost on the ground with a little ice.
Thankfully we don't get snow here so we don't have to worry about the mixture freezing, if you have a barn where it is warmed I would recommend that, somewhere where it won't freeze, that would be the only issue.
I know this is super late, but I live in the north east. Heated water bowls are a life saver! They will keep water and feed from freezing
What and all kinds of feed to use to to ferment ? What kinds of grains can I ferment ?
Hi Tiffany, can you share a table of how much feed per chick at different age is given or in other words how much fermented feed against chicken weight or age. I am talking about broiler chicken. Thank you.
I do not have that handy, but If you googled it I know there are diagrams all over the internet, but for fully grown chicken the rule of thumb is 1/4 lb per hen.
Do you need to have a lid or store it in a dark place or do anything in particular other than add water and let it sit for 2-3 days?
Can I also use fermentation for my broilers ? If so should I also add yeast to it for faster fermentation process?
No need to add yeast, the feed will ferment naturally. Yes, I use fermented feed for all of my poultry :) Even Broilers I feel that it actually benefitted them the most!
The reason why I added yeast was to reduce the gossypol levels in cotton seed cake which can be a danger to the animals.thanks for the reply. I am a broiler farmer but I've been researching on ways to reduce on the cost of feeds.
What about the water left behind in the bucket? There is still much nutrition, minerals, probiotics, etc., in that. Seems it could be used, too. Thanks.
Does a commercial feeds possible on fermentation
can we feed it to red gold pheasants
I do not see why not, fermenting feed is beneficial to many animals. I have fermented feed for my cows and horses before.
Long video .so you didn’t say what you do with the rest?you only feed them some and let the rest ferment more or you strain and store?
I always ferment small batches to be safe.
I ferment enough for two days worth I don’t ferment for really longer than that but I do about fermentation for about 2 to 3 days and then I feed that batch over the course of two days
@@OurOrganicLife When you do the fermented feed, is it really OK to measure how much youre giving the chickens with the water absorbed in the feed as part of that weight, or is that not good? (Do you count the weight before or after the water is added?)
Good explanation - thank you.
David the good!
You’re sorta Famous 😊
I enjoy you and feel proud of what you’ve accomplished - family, farm etc…
Do you ferment your feed?
Did you make any videos on this topic?
Thanks and Best Wishes to you and your family.
Do you cover it at all?
I don’t but you can cover it with a towel it needs air circulation or you can create mold
I need know where to get the feed & type it is! Some I bought was pellets! Tractor supply feed they stopped laying.
What you do with a liquid.Do you feed it as their drinking water or?
I dump it I don’t give it to them as yeast can grow over time in the water
How many times this fermentation feed should be given to hens in a week, up to what it should be dipped in water ,please, reply me
I give it as daily feed, but it can be given as a treat if you like, but This can be given as regular feed.
I have Ducks and Chickens my concern is your Ducks don't have water to put their heads into or splash about. I will be trying your food idea
question ? after u fermented the grains, do you leave it in the bucket with the water? and for how long wil it hold ?
I leave it completely submerged until it is completely used up but I try to use it within a couple days once it has reached that fermented peak
@@OurOrganicLife how long does the feed last once taken out of the bucket? Should you only give them a days worth of food? Thanks!
Strain the liquid and ....... reuse it to ferment more!
Good stuff! Thanks for sharing.
Can i ferment pellet finisher feed???
Thank you
You're very welcome!
Could you use the liquid maybe as a water supplement? It seems like it would have a lot of nutrition in it. If it can't be fed to livestock, then maybe put it in a compost?