[Pony]

Saw a video a while back, about mixing water in with bagged layer pellets, letting it sit for a day or two, and then feeding out to the chooks.​

Thought about it, then forgot about it, and then a neighbor mentioned it again today.

Has anyone here tried it? Have you seen an increase in your birds' health and production? Do you think this feeding method will produce a Super Chicken?

​

 

[Alice In TX/MO]

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[BadOregon]

Just curious as to why it would make a difference? All my layer pellets do when wet are turn into a gooey mush that my chickens won't even eat.
I have, however, produced fodder from my 5 grain scratch for them. They love that when you dump the whole tray (roots and all) in the pen.

 

[RJ2019]

I fermented. I added apple cider vinegar to the mash mix when I fermented it. The chickens seemed less smelly but they acted like they were starving half to death whenever I fed them. It can be difficult to keep on top of doing all of the buckets every day (i had a lot of birds at the time, several buckets of fermenting feed in garage). Bugs can get in and invade the feed also.

 

[altair]

I've been feeding it for several years. I don't know if it makes a difference but noticed it does help with fluid intake in hot months.

 

[aart]

Do you think this feeding method will produce a Super Chicken?

No...but it might generate feelings of being a super keeper.

Read lots about it, some with claims of making the feed more nutritious...along with other miracle claims.

The only place fermenting/wetting makes sense if the feed is a cracked grain type, then the fines are more likely to be consumed rather than sinking to the bottom of bags/feeders.

 

[Pony]

Thanks, @aart. 🙂

Now I won't waste time soaking feed that doesn't need to be soaked.

Hmm... I wonder if it would increase digestibility if I soak the goats' grains? Our cow milk guy thinks that the reason brewers grain works so well for his cows is that it increases their fluid intake.

 

[Pony]

Just curious as to why it would make a difference? All my layer pellets do when wet are turn into a gooey mush that my chickens won't even eat.
I have, however, produced fodder from my 5 grain scratch for them. They love that when you dump the whole tray (roots and all) in the pen.

Wasn't there a thread in here a few years back about putting together a fodder setup?

Been meaning to try it out, put it off, and completely forgot about it.

 

[HomeCreek]

The only feed I ferment is oats. I take 3 of the old school metal garbage cans and add 50lbs of oats to each. Put water in it until it covers the oats. And check daily and add water until it wont absorb anymore. The worse they smell the more the chickens love it. But be warned...do not get it on your hands. It will stink up your hands for days. I can mix these oats in with my regular feed and the chickens will eat them first. I use these a lot in the heat for extra moisture and also in the coldest months when the waterers freeze up for extra moisture. I used to have two squirrels that would wait til I opened one can and while I was feeding they would get at the oats and eat til bloated and just lay there fat and happy lol

 

[BadOregon]

Technically, it was an accident that I repeated on purpose. I had a small separate pen for a couple of chickens, they spilled their feed and it grew. So, after they were moved, I sprinkled some more feed and kept the pen covered with a light shade cloth. The grain(s) sprouted and grew even outside with day temps in the 40's and nights in the mid 20's. I was kind of surprised, but pleased. I just grab some handfuls (the soil is very soft when not frozen) and the roots come out as well. Toss it in the chicken run and watch the fun. Raked the soil up, tossed in some more and got sprouts about 2" so far already.
I'm too lazy to set up a fancy system, but this has been working thus far.

 

[JRHill02]

A lot of our feed is fermented right from the farm store

Last week the DW came home with 24 sacks of whole corn. Opened some bags and it was a 50/50 mix of little tiny whole corn kernels and BARLY. Even the giggies turn up their nose to it until they are bored. The farm store is supposed to replace every bag but we have to collect all the tags with lot and date codes and bring two unopened bags for them to verify.

 

[BadOregon]

Seems like Quality Control has gone away in the last couple of years. Lately, every bag of feed opened has been an adventure as to "what's in it this time"

 

[Pony]

Biggest feed issue for the past couple of years in these parts is recleaned oats. My goodness! MFA sells bags that are half fluff, 1/4 chopped straw, and 1/4 oats.

We've complained, we've returned product, and we've found better oats elsewhere - for less $$.

 

[Halfbroke]

Many years ago I worked for a ranch that made what they called a sour mash for the 50 or so laying hens (it was a guest ranch in the summer). It was leftover milk from the milk cows and cob (corn/oats/barley) which would sour right up in the summer heat. The chickens loved it. I think they just did it as a means to use up extra milk but it seemed to suit the chickens well. I also made a lot of sourdough hotcakes at that job (I was the cook) and the smell of both sour mash and sourdough take me down memory lane.

 

[BadOregon]

The milk I can believe. I feed mine excess milk all the time, never thought of fermenting their grains with it. Might try that.
They do love the milk.

 

[JRHill02]

Seems like Quality Control has gone away in the last couple of years. Lately, every bag of feed opened has been an adventure as to "what's in it this time"

I'll add that we have mixed the mouse gene pool with critters that have come home from the feed store. We don't know until we pick up a bag and the feed pours out. We mostly buy half or full pallets so these critters are living in the stack of bags. We've seen paperwork within the pallets that these come from all over the midwest. They are very much like our beloved gov't choosing the lowest bidder to fill the bags. The chain farm store put the COOP store out of business in this town. I could still buy from the COOP if I drove twice as far and paid 1.5x per bag. It's a dilemma.

 

[JRHill02]

Seems like Quality Control has gone away in the last couple of years. Lately, every bag of feed opened has been an adventure as to "what's in it this time"

You and I are reasonably close. This was from Coastal Farm & Ranch - don't know if there is one in Bend. And the whole farm and ranch thing is a joke. They are great for posting and emailing their TODAY ONLY special sales. Who the heck hops into their rig and buzzes an hour away to save 10% on a few pair of jeans or a package of bird seed for the feeder? Dang, shopping days to town are usually on a particular day of the week for old people/vet discounts and NOT when they post the one day sale. If there is anything about them it is that the 10% veteran discount is available all week long and the special sales can not be combined with any other discounts. Or this thing. Or that thing. Or the other thing....

We won't even speak of the lazy boys who are supposed to load your rig. We've seen them throw rodent chewed bags leaking everywhere on to the pickup. Its pretty obvious even with either of us in the pickup stacking the bags while lazy boy is on the ground and feed is going everywhere. What's the problem?!?

I'll add this: A recent post on HT showed a youngster getting his buckle for good work. That kid will probably never see a retail farm and ranch store as he/she is too valuable elsewhere or is already doing the same at home. These retail stores have the same problem as every other store: getting someone to show up and actually DO something.

 

[BadOregon]

Actually, my chicken feed is fine (another thread) but the goat feed seems to be the issue. My dry cob, is about 1/3 dust and has untouched/uncrushed kernels in it. Along with bits and pieces of ? I actually take the time to pick stuff out and usually end up with at least a handful of ? every day. Seems odd given they are the same brand and come from the same place.

 

[JRHill02]

Actually, my chicken feed is fine (another thread) but the goat feed seems to be the issue. My dry cob, is about 1/3 dust and has untouched/uncrushed kernels in it. Along with bits and pieces of ? I actually take the time to pick stuff out and usually end up with at least a handful of ? every day. Seems odd given they are the same brand and come from the same place.

See those ditwads throwing feed bags 6' into your rig and wonder why you have a bag of dust?

 

[BadOregon]

Must be the ditwads at the warehouse because my local guy is old and doesn't throw anything further than from the dolly up into the back of my van. But it galls me to have a couple of lbs. of dust in a bag of feed.