About How to Ferment Chicken Feed for chicken
How to ferment chicken feed for healthier hens… it can sound kind of scary at first. Is it easy to make? Will my chickens even eat fermented feed? Fermenting chicken feed is about the easiest natural concoction you can make for your flock! Not only does it provide countless benefits, but having your flock consume fermented feed also benefits the chicken keeper. With just a basic understanding, what it does, and how it works.
What is Fermenting?
Fermenting is the process of naturally gathering wild cultures and yeasts from the air and combining them with an organic substance.These wild yeasts and cultures then go about creating a metabolic process that causes chemical changes to occur to the chicken feed. Sugars and starches contained in the feed ingredients are broken down into lactic acid bacteria. During the fermentation process, these friendly bacteria proliferate and many beneficial changes are made to the food.
In order for this whole process to take place, a few key elements need to be present. Fermenting feed starts off much like you would soak seeds or grains to generate germination. The feed must be covered with water in order for the wild yeast to be captured and start growing. Wild yeasts are present in the air and can be present on the actual feed . As the feed soaks in the water and wild yeasts are gathered, the fermentation process begins.
Nutritional Benefits of Fermented Feed
The presence of wild yeasts and cultures, along with the accumulation of beneficial bacterium made to the feed ingredients, all provide countless benefits for your flock! Here’s some of the main nutritional benefits you can expect:
- The lactic acid bacteria produced during fermentation promote the growth of beneficial microbes called probiotics. These improve the digestive system health and boost the immune system.
- The protein contained in the feed ingredients becomes more readily available for digestion.
- Phosphorus becomes more digestible which is essential for the proper utilization of calcium.
- Fermenting chicken feed naturally reduces its sugar content.
- The wild yeasts and cultures contained in fermented feed combat the presence of harmful mold spores in the feed.
- Enhances the overall nutritional value of the feed ingredients by breaking them down into simpler substances, process, and making the nutrients more readily available for digestion.
How to Make Fermented Chicken Feed
First, you need to choose the right feed to ferment. Chicken feeds that contain whole grains will ferment the easiest and provide the most benefits. Whole grains naturally contain some of the wild yeasts needed to kick start the fermentation process. Also, the less processed the grains are, the more they are naturally able to be broken down into beneficial substances. When using a whole grain feed, the grains in the feed will soak and start the germination process. An all-natural, whole grain-based layer feed,is the best feed to ferment for your flock!
To start fermenting your flock’s chicken feed, you need to figure out how much feed you need. If you already know how much food you feed flock on cut that amount in half. If you are unsure how much your flock eats in one day, estimating size backyard chicken will eat about ½ cup of feed per day. Figure out how many cups of feed your entire flock will eat and then cut that amount in half, that’s how much feed ferment for one day’s worth . Now for the fermenting process!
Fermented Feed for Happy Hens!
Learning how to ferment your flock’s food can benefit both you and your chickens. The beneficial probiotics and bacteria in fermented feed boost gut health and improve the immune system. When fermented, the nutrients in chicken feed become more readily digestible,more beneficial for your chickens! It can help you save on chicken feed costs.Fermented chicken feed makes for happy hens and happy chicken keepers!
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