Thanks for not sounding overwhelmingly excited about fermenting feed. Too many RU-vidrs are jumping up and down, yelling at the camera, etc to talk about a topic like growing tomatoes or raising chickens. it's fake AF. Anyways. Thanks.
One bucket? Of course! Like sourdough starter, take some out, add some in. I was thinking i had to use up all of one batch before starting the next and was figuring on needing three buckets to cycle through. This is much simpler.
I read that it has its highest nutrient value between 3-4 days. If you have 1 or 2 buckets you rotate you should be able to let it sit long enough to hit that mark in a 3 day cycle pretty easy. Thats what I am debating on doing...
Oh my gosh, I just gave my girls their very first fermented chicken crumble and they were smacking their chicken lips for it!! I am thinking of giving them a small amount every day as I transition them over to it. Thank you for a great video!
Great video and thanks for the clarity. One small point if I may... People get wrapped around the axle these days about "food grade" containers. Remember as of up to a few generations ago buckets were either made of steel with soldered seams, (lead) or galvanized steel, (zinc & aluminum. Very few people grew three heads. Also, Home Depot, Lowes, Bi-Mart, etc, buckets are food grade, (HDPE plastic same as milk jugs). You'll find those four letters under a small triangle, usually on the bottom of the bucket.
Haha I love the way you put it with the three heads lol. Yea I agree. I didn’t realize Home Depot buckets were food grade until after making this video
Thank you for sharing. I agree with the Welch family, I appreciate you getting to the point.."Just the facts"...fermenting food is SIMPLE ...no need for a 30 min intro.
Bro, THANK YOU for being honest about the savings. All these videos with the clickbait title "cut your feed costs in HALF" then say 20-30 percent in the video... because 30 percent of 100 percent is "half".
@@tannerfarmstead we have pigs and chickens but would love to use this for our Cornish crosses as the are decimating food and as are the pigs we currently sprout wheat feed
@@tannerfarmstead this has been a game changer. I have def finitely subscribed we literally have made our feed stretch just since we tried. Do you have a fb
Love your videos-I’m learning so much as a first time chicken mama. My question is, how quickly do you need you use up the feed in the bucket? How long is it safe to use? I have 6 babies but I’m trying to learn so I have this perfected before they go in the run. Thank you for your time!
Thank you!! It needs to be used and maintained pretty much daily. You will know if it has gone rancid because it will be very stinky and very very sour
I think they do fine if you use it all after 24h-48h. in summer maybe less. You just have to pre make them in advance. I think you could add raw milk or milk kefir to get an extra boost to it.
@@ale189251 I don't think it's a good idea to give any dairy product to the chickens, as their digestive system doesn't like it... You can mix boiled eggs instead....
I just start with 14 layer i am so exicited thank you for showing me how to ferment the feed in my country the feed is so expenisive it 3000 dallor a bag for the layer feed so i am doing the fermenting thank you then just start lay three days ago they are eighteen week old
It seems like the water will dissolve lots of nutrients and get more potent reusing. I saw another video where the guy adds dry feed to absorb the nutrient water each feeding. Maybe it'll up the savings more?
When my ladies arrive I'll give this a try (when they're bigger). I do this with mushroom grain spawn, and I also spit in the bucket a few times. The mushrooms love it! 😉
So the way you are doing it, some grain is underfermented and some grain over fermented. Better to use three buckets, each one used in succession, over three days.
Thank you for sharing! Great video! 😁👍👍 I started doing this with lay mash about a week ago & adding about a tsp of molasses to my Mason jars (with the lid cracked, not sealed shut) & stirring once to twice a day. Fermenting about 2-3 days before feeding. From listening to other people's videos. Although, I've heard others say every kind of food, except saying lay mash. I just purchased some wild bird & game feed which is grains, seeds, & corn that I'm excited to ferment today. My question is, does anyone know if lay mash is safe to ferment? It gets bubbly, & with the molasses it gets more bubbly. It smells good the 1st day, kinda fermented the 2nd day, & a bit off (kinda gross) & fermented the 3rd day. It's the same smell every time. It's warm where they are, maybe low to high 70s. I'm thinking about the 1 bucket method, & combining the 2 foods (way easier), but I want to make sure lay mash is ok to ferment. Thank you to anyone with helpful information on this! I've fermented milk kefir, water kefir, yogurt, kombucha, grains & seeds for humans, wine, EMs (efficient microorganisms), & "teas" for growing plants, so I am familiar with fermenting in general. This is a new concept to me, fermenting chicken food, and I love it! It's already saving on feed! I just hope I'm doing the right thing with the lay mash! Thank you in advance to anyone with some good knowledge! And thank you again Tanner for this video! 😁👍
Thanks so much! I'm new to chickens this season. I'm gonna try this. I have 🐇🐰🐇 rabbits and I love to make them sprouts. I bet you could ferment all sorts of grains for both chickens and rabbits. Excited to give it a go.
Would you mind sharing where you get your whole organic scratch grains? I typically feed my birds Tractor Supply All Flock with calcium on the side since I have roosters and I've tried just doing the fermenting for the All Flock but I figured they wouldn't eat it. It was a while back so I can't remember but I am spending SOOOOO much in feed lately that it isn't even funny. I'd love to try this method for my birds. (Also, how much of the fermented feed per chicken would you estimate is needed per day? I ask because I have two roosters in their own area until I can find them a new home, and then I have one flock (9 ladies, 1 male) that are in a coop and run because they can fly over my fence to my neighbors yard, and one flock that free ranges in my backyard so I'd be interested to know the amount per bird so I can plan accordingly. Also, I'm commenting at 2:11 into the video so I apologize if you mention this later on and I forget to edit my comment. You should SOOOO make longer and more videos. 604 subscribers?!?! WAT! You should have a whole lot more if your channel is based on this kind of video. I'm subscribing because I LOVE finding newer RU-vidrs and watching their channels grow. 😉
I buy the Dumor Non GMO grains from tractor supply. It comes in a big bag. You can also by the organic layer crumbles which you can ferment along with the whole grains. I do maybes 10-20% whole grains with the crumble feed. Do not ferment pellets. Fermenting will save you a good amount on feed costs. They eat less of it. It will surprise you. Also thanks for the encouragement! Definitely trying to get more subscribers and continue to build it. I’ll start putting out more and longer content
So, it's similar to making sour mash like they do on Moonshiners!!!! Just don't have a copper still in plain sight Just a little silly humor Thank You for showing me this technique, I'm trying to educate myself on raising chicken for eggs and poultry meat An individual in my city is selling free range eggs for 12 dollars a dozen if you need an egg container he sells them for 14 dollars a dozen Every Saturday people are lined up around the block for his eggs,
Hello, im a new subscriber hoping to learn as much as I could. Please let me know what kind of electric fence you are using? I'm planning to separate my Buff Orpintons and buckeyes. Yes, each have their rooster. Thank you! Also, (sorry) did you build your own coop on wheels? Thank you.
When I start a new batch with fresh water it takes 3-4 days. I have many different breeds of chickens and they all love it around day 3. If you save your water after fermentation you can use it on your next batch and it’ll cut down the fermentation time since the yeast is alive and active
I’m just researching how to do this, so forgive me if this is a dumb question, but how do you know how much to feed them per day? My chicken do free range in the summer, but I always have a free feed feeder accessible to them. And, do you feed them once per day? More often?
You can feed them this as a supplement or as their entire ration. You will have to experiment with the amount per day to see if there is any left over or if they consume it all my midday then you know you need more
Ok...my question is.... I'm only using pellets. My birds don't eat the seeds, they waste it and now I have a flock of feral pigeons that have moved into my coop! So... I'm using a small pellet from a company i get at tractor supply. I put the water in and it turns it to mush.... Just like in your video. My question is.... how much water should i be using? Or does it matter cause I'm just straining it out.... Of course I'm not getting crazy with it... But all the videos I've seen say the water should cover the "feed".... But those people are using grains/seeds.... So they fall to the bottom and you can see that they have a few inches of water covering it. Mine looks different.... cause it stays a slurry.... So, how much water is too much? Thank you for your time! And i appreciate watching a video that i didn't have to fast forward 15 min just to find the answer to what i was looking for! 👍🙏❤️
Just a heads up: As a current chicken owner, and a former Home Depot associate - the Orange Homer buckets are NOT NOT NOT NOT food safe. HD does offer food grade/bpa free buckets, but the ORANGE ones are NOT. Don't poison your flocks.
Great video Tanner, my question is. How long does the fermented feed last until it gets moldy? does it last longer if we keep it in an air-tight plastic drums? Or do you recommend just making enough for each feeding session. Thanks again Tanner. Hello from Malaysia 🤝🇲🇾
Shouldn't the water be unchlorinated? I've read that water with flouride and chlorine kills the fermentation process.....thoughts? If you mentioned the water - I must have missed it
Thank you so much for the great info! Can you tell me how long you wait until it's done and ready to feed? I did my 1st batch 3 days ago, stirred it 2 times a day and today found mold on it. It's been high 90s outside and I'm wondering if it just didn't get to hot?
Yes the heat can be an issue. 24-48hrs it should begin the fermenting process. Is all your feed completed submerged in water? That can help. But also a little mold won’t hurt the chickens. As long as the feed doesn’t smell rancid. You want it to smell nice and sour
You said you just keep adding grain to existing water as you use the feed. Is there a set temperature this mix should be maintained at, or temp it should exceed ? Lastly, how do I know when the fermentation has spoiled, and the feed should not be given to the chickens. Thanks
No set temp but things will happen faster when it’s hot out. You can also do a multi bucket rotation so that you have a new bucket of fermented feed each day. If it’s gone rancid you will know. It will start to just smell bad. Fermented feed should smell sour
I just gave my hens their first fermented feed. They aren’t that nuts about it to be honest. I do use a high quality crumble but it turned out so mushy that they only picked at it a bit. I tried putting some sunflower seeds and greens on top to attract them but so far they aren’t thrilled with it. I did put their regular food out as well bc at first they were very confused about seeing a different food set up. Any suggestions? Also is that chicken scratch that you added to the ferment along with the chick starter or a mixed bag of whole grains? Maybe something whole grain like would look more appetizing to them. Any suggestions would help. Thanks 🐓
Hmm interesting. I’ve fermented a crumble before but also the whole grain scratch. I find the whole grain scratch fermented the birds really love and works better for fermenting
Great video I have few questions can we add leaf mold for fermentation. Please also tell it is anaerobic or aerobic fermentation. Can you please answer one more question how much protein or nutritional value of the feed will increase after fermentation Thanks
As long as it doesn’t smell rancid you are good. It should smell sour. The best system is actually using 2-3 buckets that are in rotation. Add to one bucket each day. By the time the third bucket is filled with feed then the first is fermented and ready to feed to the chickens. Then that one is empty and full it the next day. This keeps your buckets cleaner and system easier in my opinion. I need to do a video on it. Hope that makes sense
Is there a way to ferment feed for a 10k birds on daily basis? One Ton capacity tin made silos were made but stirring the feed is a problem. Second issue is about dispensing. Pouring in buckets and manually filling feeders is cumbersome! What do you suggest?
I leave the grains in the bucket for weeks. The chickens still love them and they are doing great, but how to tell if the process has gone to fare? It smells like a brewery sometimes
Can you start 3 day old chicks on this? I'll be receiving 12 Brahmas in 2 weeks. I would like to get them going on fermented feed asap. Thank you for all the information you provide. 😄
Trying to ferment my chicken food. I’ve been stirring and keeping it covered with water and lid. It’s working and bubbling. Over night I get a white substance on top. I can stir it in. Back the next morning, is this good or bad? I haven’t fed the Chickens yet. Been going for about 5-6 days
Hey, thank you for the video, very interested to try, I guess if I had a question I am wondering if it would reduce meat chicken gains over time? Thanks again!
Hey! So I’m wondering if I can do this with pellets? I only buy flock raiser bc we feed ducks and chicken together, and most of the time I get pellets bc it makes less of a mess! Thank you :)
Thank you for sharing the video, it's very educational! My question is, how does this save money in the long run? We are going to start doing this, as well as leaving out dry feed. Is the purpose of this to extend the time period between needing to refill the dry feed?
Glad to help! When the feed is fermented the nutrients become more readily available and more nutrients are absorbed when the chicken consumes the feed therefore cutting the feed cost due to them eating less feed.
I think I fermented way too much feed. If I keep it submerged in the fermenting water, how long will it last? Can I refrigerate it to make it last longer? Or could I freeze some of it to make it last longer? I'm heartsick if I have to dump and waste all of this. Please advise.
How much did you ferment? It will go rancid at some point even if you refrigerate it since it’s already started the fermentation process. I have no idea how freezing would work out
@@tannerfarmstead thank you. I fermented half of a 5 gallon bucket. How will I tell when it goes rancid? Could it make the chicken sick, or will they just not eat it because they can tell it's rancid?
can the bucket be kept outside near the coop would that be too hot during the summer months? Most people speak of fermenting it inside their house. I was just wondering if this is necessary?
Can you cover the bucket with a lid or will it not ferment? Also, can you keep it in heat or cold? I ask because our malamute gets into any food left open! So we either need to cover or put it in the garage. Great video!
What happen if you soak in water for 10-12 hours instead of fermenting i found it easy to do that as still the food quantity increased with that method. So what is the different between fermenting and soaking? Could you please reply me. I am from sri lanka 🇱🇰 thnks
You can begin fermenting their feed as baby chicks right when they hatch or you buy them. Just make sure to only use start feed because they are too small as babies to handle whole grains
Hey man do you leave the bucket lid on during fermentation? You leave it in bucket till you use all the fermented feed (mixing 1 scoop fermented with 1 scoop feed)? Thanks!
Great question!!! I’ve only ever fermented whole grains or crushed whole grains. I think you should try it though and just experiment and let us know how it goes! It will probably work I’ve just never tried. However I’d go out on a limb and say that whole or crushed grains will work better do to the nature of the way pellets are made vs whole/crushed grains
Hello! Sorry if you are having to repeat. Did you leave the fermented feed bucket outside in the cold/heat? And the lid was sealed shut during fermentation? I want to do this but don’t want to ruin what I have. Thank you!
Yes we leave the lid off in garage in cold/heat. Unless you live in a really cold climate to where the water would freeze. If that’s the case you can put inside
QUESTION...I'm fermenting in a bucket, but after a couple days it starts to mold. Is this normal? OOPS should have watched to the end. So keep lots of water...right
Keep adding but at some point you will need to restart a batch if it starts to get moldy or stinky. As long as you keep that good sour fermenting smell you should be good to go
What do you do with the leftovers. I've got 11 free ranging in my English country garden and when I put them to bed there is always some left over in their bowls which I am now throwing away .I know you'll say don't give them so much but I don't want them going hungry. Could this go into the 3 days to go bucket without going manky or am I asking for trouble. Like your videos thanks
You didn't discuss the benefits of fermented chicken feed. If this is the same process as say beer, then Im going to say its not healthy for chickens because intoxication is not healthy for humans. I have been pouring hot water into my chicken feed for months now. The grains absorb all the water for a days feed. This I believe is good enough for the chickens as it allows the feed to digest longer and I do believe it has increased their laying capacity.
Going into winter, is cold weather a concern? I ferment sourdough starter and kombucha, and both need a fairly warm environment to ferment in a timely manner. Our garage where we keep the feed isn’t heated, so I’m wondering if that will be an issue. Any experience with cold weather and fermentation? Thanks in advance!
