How To Make Moonshine From Chicken Feed?

Can you make moonshine from chicken feed?

What Type of Corn Should I use in my Moonshine? – Our favorite type of corn to be used in moonshine is cracked, dry yellow corn. This type of corn is considered field corn and it needs to be clean and food-grade. It is recommended to use air dried corn rather than gas dried.

The reason for this is when corn is gas dried the corn can get stripped of its elements that are needed for good fermentation. You may want to take your cracked con one step further and have it ground to make a corn meal. This is fine as long as the corn is a coarse grind. Of course, corn meal can be purchased ready-made, again, just make sure it isn’t too fine.

It is also possible to make moonshine out of animal feed. Check out our You can use chicken feed where the corn is a lot finer or horse feed. Just don’t use hog feed as it contains more than just corn.

What are the disadvantages of mash feed?

Mash Feeds – Baby chick eating chick starter mash The grain ingredients for chicken feeds are first ground up into a powdered form, and then mixed together with protein meal and health supplements. This basic powdered form of feed is called a mash. Mash feeds are suitable for chickens of all ages and sizes.

Feed Dust: The ground grains in this feed produce the most grain dust of any form of feed. Feed dust is a waste of feed the chickens cannot eat, and also poses a respiratory hazard to chickens and humans alike. Feed Separation: Mash quality is evaluated by its uniformity in mash size: so the cheaper the grain, the larger the disparity in grain sizes, and the more feed separation occurs. Feed separation allows chickens to peck through the feed, selectively eating the larger, higher calorie ingredients over the smaller more nutritionally dense ingredients. Feed Waste: While picking through the separated feeds, they use their beak or feet to scatter the mash from the feeder to the ground for a better look at what’s available to them. Once it hits the ground much of this feed is never eaten. It is too small to find in the dirt, and becomes stale or contaminated with chicken feces. More Rodents: The mess of feed on the ground attracts mice and rats, and increases the chance of diseases introduced by rodents, and illnesses associated with moldy feeds.(.)

What is chicken layer mash?

What’s in Laying Mash? – Laying mash is a balanced, complete chicken feed that contains an assortment of cracked grains and seeds that have been cleaned and further processed in our mill — this ensures there are no impurities or other unwanted ingredients.

Laying Mash should include the correct amount of protein, calcium and nutrients to support the nutritional requirements of all chickens. Thompson & Redwood’s Laying Mash contains carefully selected grains, seeds and meat meal for protein. In addition to the 16% protein content, it also contains increased calcium and phosphorus for strong eggshells.

Having an assortment of gristed grains in the Thompson & Redwood formula, means all chickens, no matter what size or breed, are able to scratch and forage as nature intended. Chickens are adept at selecting the ingredients they need the most. Our Laying Mash contains Canola oil, an important source of energy which assists the vitamin and mineral premix to bind to the grains.

Is it safe to ferment chicken feed?

Why ferment? – Fermenting chicken feed makes nutrients more readily available, feed requirements lessen, and less waste since the chickens love it. The nutritional benefits of fermenting chicken feed are great:

It increases beneficial bacteria in their guts It also decreases pathogens in your hens’ digestive systems Makes protein more available Requires less feed per serving (one of my fave reasons) Increases water intake as water is consumed with the feed Improves digestibility of feed and nutrient absorption

Can you ferment chicken feed?

Fermenting chicken feed takes about three to four days. You’ll see tiny bubbles begin to appear on the surface by day two or three. That’s a sign that the fermentation process has started. The mixture should smell slightly sweet, tangy, or sour—like yogurt, yeast, or sourdough bread.

Why is pelleted feed better than mash feed?

The positive effects of pelleting are well documented: higher feed density, no feed ingredient separation, better bacteriological quality, easier ingestion, improved growth and FCR. However, these may vary according to the quality of the raw materials, and that of the grinding and pelleting processes.

Can you feed layers mash dry?

Look after your poultry and give them a balanced, complete, nutritious diet. Marriage’s Layers Mash is formulated using non-GM ingredients to ensure a good yolk colour and strong shell. This feed also contains supplementary vitamins and minerals for overall health.

• The mash is free from chemical pigments and medication.
• The balanced formula promotes consistent laying and is ideal for feeding from point of lay.
• The mash is suitable for laying hens, geese and ducks.
• The birds can also enjoy some treats or greens as well as this feed.
• It is advisable to offer grit with this feed to help your birds to grind down their food and aid digestion.

The mash can be fed dry or with a little water added to it. Place it in a trough, but only put out what the birds will consume in one or two days and replace any unused or old food immediately. You should allow at least 125g per bird per day. Please ensure fresh water is available at all times.

1. It is important that the feeders are cleaned regularly using an appropriate disinfectant that will kill bacteria for a healthier environment for your birds.
2. The feed should be kept dry and in a cool area.
3. Must not be fed to Ruminants.
4. Ration Ingredients: (in descending weight order) Wheat, Wheatfeed, Calcium carbonate, Maize, Peas, Barley, Sunflower seed meal, Maize gluten meal, Beans, Soya (bean) meal, Lucerne extruded, Vegetable oil and fat, Vitamin and mineral premix, Salt, Monocalcium phosphate, Sodium bicarbonate.

Size: 20kg Ingredients: Wheat 36%, Wheatfeed 17.5%, Sunflower 10%, Calcium carbonate 8%, Barley 7.5%, Peas 6%, Prairie meal 5%, Soya bean meal 3.4%, beans 2.5%, lucerne extruded 2%, Vegetable oil and fat 1%. Analysis: Oil 3.9%, Protein 17%, Fibre 7%, Ash 11.7%, Methionine 0.3%, Vit A 8000iu/kg, Vit D3 2400iu/kg, VIt E 12iu/kg, Moisture 14%, Copper 25mg/kg.

What is the difference between chicken mash and pellets?

What’s the difference between Layer Mash and Layer Pellets? The difference between Layer mash and Layer Pellets is how they’re made. A Layer mash is made with cracked grains and either a pelleted or crumbled meat meal. Chickens can be picky eaters and love this mix because they get to pick and choose what they want to eat at that time.

But this can also be a problem as sometimes they don’t like to eat what they need. If your chicken is only eating the corn and leaving the rest of the feed behind, this means your chicken is missing out on some very important dietary needs. This is where the layer pellet can come into play. The Layer pellet is made of everything that a mash is made up of but in pellet form.

This prevents your chickens from only picking out what they want and forces them to eat what they need. The is a great option if you have picky hens at home.

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: What’s the difference between Layer Mash and Layer Pellets?

What is the difference between chicken feed and layer feed?

Making sense of all the different varieties of chicken feed can be very confusing for first time and even semi-experienced chicken keepers. “Mash”, “grower feed”, “medicated or unmedicated”, there is so much jargon on the chicken menu it can genuinely be quite overwhelming. Starter Chicken Feed Starter feed is a protein dense variety of chicken feed designed to meet the dietary requirements of baby chicks. Generally speaking baby chicks can live comfortably on a diet of starter feed and water for the first 6 weeks of their life before progressing onto grower feed.

• The high protein content, usually between 20-24%, helps young chicks grow into playful pullets, however it’s imperative that you phase out the starter feed once they are 6 weeks old, otherwise the excess protein can cause liver damage.
• To complicate matters, there are varieties of feed known as starter/grower feed, which is essentially a type of feed that chickens can eat from 1-20 weeks of age.

But always read the label and consult the nearest poultry guru if you have any doubts. For more information about what to feed baby chicks, simply click here, Grower Chicken Feed Grower feed in many ways is like chicken feed for teenage chooks. The dietary requirements for a chicken between 6 to 20 weeks old is very different from a baby chick.

1. Essentially grower feed contains a protein content that is between 16-18% but has less calcium than regular layer feed.
2. In an egg shell, grower feed supports the continuing growth of your teenage chookies without bombarding them with unnecessary vitamins and minerals that are more suited for fully grown laying hens.

Once your girls start laying eggs that’s a good sign that they are ready for layer feed. To get the lowdown on when you should expect the first eggs from your pullets, make sure you have a sticky beak at this eggcellent article here, Layer Chicken Feed For most of your flock’s life their diet will predominantly consist of scrumptious layer feed.

Layer feed has an ingenious balance of protein, calcium and other vitamins and minerals that encourages top tier egg laying abilities in your flock. Protein wise layer feed contains similar levels of protein to grower feed, around 16-18%, however has extra calcium to ensure that their eggshells are crisp, clean and crunchy.

Feeding layer feed to baby chicks or young pullets however will not meet their unique dietary requirements. Layer feed should only be fed to chickens around 20 weeks of age or once they have started to lay eggs. If you’ve been trying to cook up new strategies to get more eggs from your laying hens then you definitely need to give this handy article a quick read here,

Mash To put it simply mash is a loose and unprocessed version of chicken feed. Similar to the texture of potting soil, mash is the finest variety of chicken feed commonly available. Mash is normally used for baby chickens, as it is easy to digest, however it is not uncommon for fully mature chooks to be fed mash.

Some Chicken Ladies or Lads combine mash with hot water to create a porridge like texture that your flock will love to chow down on. Be mindful however of the fact that this method can cause the feed to expire more quickly. The main issue with mash varieties of chicken feed is that its texture often results in an increase of incidental waste, so bare that in mind.

Crumble In simple terms crumble is a coarse variety of mash but not as compact of pellets. Reminiscent of the texture of oatmeal, crumble is a semi-loose variety of chicken feed that is slightly easier to manage than mash. Some chicken lovers use crumble to bridge the gap between mash and pellets for their flock.

Others claim that their girls just simply prefer the crumbly texture. Whatever your reasons for using crumble instead of mash or pellets at the end of the day it shouldn’t make any significant difference to your flock’s health. Pellets Pellets are perhaps the most common variety of chicken feed available. Just like it sounds pellets are essentially little compact cylinders of chicken feed goodness. One of the benefits of using pellets is that they hold their shape nicle, which means they won’t go to waste if your ladies accidentally knock their feeder over.

Easy to manage, store and serve, pellets often become the first choice for most backyard chicken keepers. Shell Grit Some first time poultry keepers aren’t aware of the importance of shell grit in their flock’s diet. Shell grit essentially serves two key purposes. Firstly, shell grit is a rich source of calcium that helps your ladies form delicious eggs with strong and sturdy shells.

Chooks that don’t get enough shell grit in their diet can end up laying a wide variety of egg oddities that could turn even the most dedicated of chicken lovers off their eggcellent bounty. Secondly, chickens store shell grit in their gizzard, which assists them in pulverising their feed to help them digest their dindins with ease.

All mature chickens need shell grit in their diet and it should be served in a separate dish from their regular laying feed. Chickens are able to regulate their calcium intake so don’t fret about serving sizes too much – most girls will be able to tell when they’ve had enough. To find out more about the advantages of shell grit, just click here,

A lack of shell grit can lead to more serious conditions such as SourCrop, which is just one of many common health issues chickens can face. As chicken keepers, we like to think that we are doing the best we can for our girls, however, there is often more we can do to prevent health issues. Chicken scratch is not the same as chicken feed. Try and imagine chicken scratch as a kind of treat for your flock. Most chicken scratch varieties consist mostly of cracked corn and other grains that chooks love to eat but are unfortunately not very good their waistlines.

Chicken scratch is a great source of energy for your flock and can also help warm their bellies on chilly winter nights. However, always remember that chicken scratch is not the cornerstone of a health diet – it is a delicious treat that every chook should enjoy every now and then. Medicated Vs Unmedicated Medicated chicken feed is common amongst starter and grower varieties as it is an easy way to help prevent coccidiosis and other fowl diseases in your flock.

Simply put, medicated feed contains amprolium which is a chemical that helps protect your girls from dangerous and deadly diseases that they can catch when young. This being said, do not use medicated feed if your chooks have been vaccinated, as the effects of the amprolium are not compatible with the vaccination.

1. Fermented Feed Fermenting your chicken feed is an easy way to improve its vitamin and enzyme content of their food, as well as making the feed easier to digest for your chooks, while also neutralizing toxicity.
2. Another benefit of fermented feed is that due to its density it helps your chickens feel fuller for longer.

That means the weekly cost of chicken feed will decrease and your chickens will also do fewer droppings – EGGCELLENT! If you want to find out more about fermenting your own chicken feed, simply click here, Broiler Varieties Broiler varieties of chicken feed are available for people who are raising chickens for consumption.

• Without dwelling on the specifics too much there are 3 key varieties: starter, grower and finisher.
• Essentially, broiler varieties of chicken feed are denser in protein, which encourages the flock to grow bigger, faster.
• It is definitely not encouraged to feed your laying hens broiler varieties of chicken feed, as the excess protein is not always beneficial to your flock’s health.

Discover more natural ways to boost the protein in your flock’s diet by clicking here, Make sure you print this page off or save it to your phone before you next head into your local poultry store to help make sense of all the different varieties of chicken feeds on offer.

What is the best chicken feed to ferment?

How to Make Fermented Chicken Feed – All those benefits sound great, so how do you g et started? It’s easy! 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, which adds nutrition to the fermented feed too! An all-natural, whole grain-based layer feed, such as Grubbly Fresh Pecks 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 your flock on a daily basis, then simply cut that amount in half in order to know how much to ferment. If you are unsure how much your flock eats in one day, start off by roughly estimating that an average size backyard chicken (think Rhode Island Red or Plymouth Rock) will eat about ½ cup of feed per day.

What is the white stuff on fermented chicken feed?

Your ferment can be contaminated in a number of ways. One of the most common visible contaminations is a white, cloudy substance called Kahm Yeast. While Kahm yeast isn’t harmful it can indicate that there is a problem with your ferment. Kahm yeast is actually safe to eat as long as there are no molds present and the ferment tests at a pH of 4 or lower, Kahm yeast however can cause a disagreeable flavor or aroma. If your ferment does not smell pleasing to you it will most likely not get eaten so disposing of it in the compost might be the best bet. The ferment on the left is healthy while the ferment on the right is contaminated with Kahm Yeast.

Does fermented chicken feed smell?

How do I know if the fermented feed has gone bad? – Properly fermented feed will be bubbly and smell tangy and slightly sour (similar to yogurt). It should NOT smell rotten. Fermented feed that smells rotten has bad bacteria or possibly mold growing in it.

How do you ferment chicken waste?

Turning Trash into Treasure–a Revolution to Chicken Manure » Turning Trash into Treasure–a Revolution to Chicken Manure Turning Trash into Treasure–a Revolution to Chicken Manure Chicken manure is a high-grade organic fertilizer. Feed are not being fully absorbed by chickens, 40%-70% nutrients being excreted to the outside of the body, so the nutrient content of chicken manure is the highest in all poultry manure.

The content of N,P,K is separately 4.1 times, 5.1 times, and 1.8 times of pig excrement. Sounds Interesting, right? However, there is lots of harm and risks if chicken manure is directly applied to crops without being processed or fully-fermented, as it will ferment under suitable conditions in the soil, creating a massive source of heat, which will burn the crop roots. Meanwhile, chicken manure itself is with lots of bacteria, bringing great risks to crops.

Therefore, it is quite necessary to sufficiently ferment chicken manure, to wipe out parasite, parasite ova, and some infectivity bacteria in the high-temperature maturity process. Those bio fertilizer is rich in both organic matters and NPK elements, and micro-element such as molybdenum, boron, zinc, iron etc., which promotes the growth and reproduction of soil microorganism, loosens the soil, improves soil texture, soil moisture and fertilizer preservation.

Chicken Manure Family Fermentation Methods Households always face with problems to properly deal with household refuse, such as peels, leftovers, bones, cut flowers, filters, tea bags etc. For those who owns a small chicken farm, due to the small-scale production, it is not economic to specially purchase composting equipment for organic waste fermenting, so chicken waste management is also a big problem.

With the introduction of advanced decomposition and fermentation technology, households are willing to compost and ferment daily waste themselves. Some of them adopt Plastic-Bags Fermentation Method: placing the plastic bag with a circumference of 7-8m on the ground, one side being tied tightly with a piece of string, then bagging 150-200kg chicken manure on the other side (appropriate gap should be left in the bag).

Adding water to the chicken manure till swamp them. Tighten bag, and after 5-6 days, chicken manure will be fully decomposed. It is suitable for farmers. While others prefer to use earthworm as their “leavening agent”. Placing specially-bred earthworms inside the chicken manure, without fermentation. For many vegetable growers in China, they always build a big pond with 2m³volume. putting chicken manure in the pond, then adding fermentabilitymicrobe. After being fully decomposed and fermented, they can be directly applied to vegetables. During the decomposition of chicken manure, it will release heat and carbon dioxide, which is beneficial to vegetables.

• But growers have to be noticed of ammonia produced in the manure fermentation process.
• Large-scale Chicken Manure Fermentation Process As for the large chicken farms, there will be tons of chicken manure and chicken litter every day.
• For large-scale and large-amount chicken manure management, it is not efficiency and practical to adopt the above several methods.

We should have the aid of composting equipment, such as, for quickly and sufficiently fermenting the chicken waste. According to the local temperature, chicken manure will become thoroughly decomposed within 7-12 days. Well-composted chicken manure could be sifted by screening machine to sieve tiny materials out, with bulk ones left. Technological process for fermentation-flatland type 1.Piling chicken manure, house refuse, sludge and other organic materials on the flat ground. The width of the chicken manure pile should be same with the composting width of (composting width differing with different compost turners), while there is no limit to the height and length of the manure pile, for example, the length could be 50m or 100m.

Composting every 10,000 tons raw materials requires 5-6 acres lands ( occupies a little smaller area, comparing with hydraulic compost turner).2.Turning all the organic raw materials (chicken manure, sludge, organic solid waste etc.) with composting equipment, such as hydraulic compost turner or auger type fertilizer turner.

The moisture content of the compost pile should be between 50%-70%. Adding the pile with evenly-blended fermentabilitymicrobe to deodorize in 3-5 hours.16 hours later, the temperature of the compost pile will up to 50°. Turn the organic pile again when the temperature increases to 55°.

The most important function of compost windrow turners is to adjust the temperature and moisture of raw material pile by means of injecting more oxygen into the compost pile, for the purpose of sufficiently-decomposition. This is also called Aerobic Fermentation. Every time when the temperature up to 55°, turning the pile, to uniformly ferment the chicken manure pile, till it is thoroughly matured.3.If the moisture content of the chicken manure or other organic materials is too high, you can add the manure pile with some dry accessories rich in organic matters to absorb water.4.Generally, the chicken manure fermentation process takes 7-10 days.

Due to various climate conditions, the fermentation time may be 10-15 days. The organic chicken manure fertilizer is odorless, non-germ, and with high humus content.5.Powder manure fertilizer also could be granulated into granule bio fertilizers by organic fertilizer granulator, such as disc pan granulator, organic fertilizer dedicated granulator, or flat die fertilizer pellet mill. Technological process for fermentation-groove type 1.Drying the fresh chicken manure to control its moisture content ≤ 50%. Filling the fermenting pool with plenty of chicken manure. Adjuvant organic materials, such as wood shavings, Zeolite powder, rice husks, also could be added.

Thickness of the manure pile should be 1.5-1.6m. Notice: the moisture content of all organic materials should be kept below 50%. Using forklift to evenly mix the organic raw materials.2.Turning the chicken manure everyday with groove type compost turner or, Simultaneously, evenly spraying bacterial liquid on the manure pile to make them fully composted, sterilized, deodorized, and dewatered.

Moisture content of mature organic materials is always between 30－35%. The whole process will lasts for 10-15 days. If a chicken farm has 100,000 chickens, the manure fermentation will need 3-4 fermentation tank (depending on the length of fermentation tank).

Each tank should be equipped with one set of composting equipment for daily materials-turning work-twice a day. Benefits of Organic Chicken Manure Fertilizer Main substance of chicken manure is organic matter. It can increase soil organic matter content to apply organic chicken manure fertilizer. As we all know, organic matter can improve soil physical, chemical and biological properties, improve agricultural ecological environment, so chicken manure benefits the soil a lot.

Chicken manure fertilizer suits to kinds of crops and cash crops, such as watermelons, vegetables, orange, citrus, tea, tobacco, nursery stock, ginger and garlic, bamboo shoots, strawberry, litchi, longan, banana, grapes, wheat, corn, sorghum, soybeans, rice.

Can you ferment chicken feed in a plastic bucket?

When it comes to doing anything on the homestead, there is always a cost to consider. And when feeding animals, there comes into question not only the cost, but how to do it in a way that is most healthy for both you and the animal. I had been researching fermented feed for quite some time before I finally just went ahead and did it.

• The primary motivator at the time was finding a way to cut my feed costs.
• Eeping fifty-some chickens and more than a dozen ducks really racks up the feed bill- especially during the winter months when free ranged edibles are all but nonexistent.
• I’d read that most people were able to cut their feed cost by 50-75%.

That’s a lot! That alone made me take the dive into the messy, sloppy world that is fermented feed. Head first. But it’s the incredible benefits- outside of feed cost savings- that truly make this option a smart one. Add to that some trial and error, I’ve found a way to make the fermented feed process so much easier- only adding to the long list of reasons why you should be fermenting your chicken feed too. Why fermented feed? Fermenting chicken feed involves soaking your feed in water for 24 hours- 4 days (more on that later). This process creates lacto-fermentation which does wonders for your feed: increases digestibility & nutrient usability (therefore more of the feed they eat actually gets used rather than passed through- thus decreasing overall feed intake), provides probiotics, and increases nutrient content.

Additionally, feeding fermented feed to your chickens can strengthen their immune system, increase bowel health, increase egg production, increase egg size, strengthen egg shells, and because more of what you feed them is getting used- you will find that your chickens produce less waste (yes, I’m talking poop!)- and it will be much more formed and not so wet.

AND you will find a huge decrease in the amount of water they consume from your waterer because they get so much water from the fermented feed itself. Sounds great! What do I need to get started? Just some chicken feed- whatever it is that you feed them.

1. Mash, pellets, grains- whatever type of feed you offer to your flock, you can ferment.
2. In addition to that, you just need water and a container to put it in (food grade plastic or glass- no metal).
3. You really absolutely don’t need anything else.
4. Oh, except a little bit of warmth will help speed up the process; 65-80 degrees is a great temperature range for your feed to sit at.

The warmer it is, the faster your feed will ferment. So tell mewhat is the easiest way to do this fermented feed thing? I thought you’d never ask. I’ve done my research on this one. I’ve been through a lot of trial and error, let me tell you. And I think it can be discouraging for someone who is just starting out and getting used to the fermented feed process to have to deal with multiple buckets and a wet, sloppy mess.

It doesn’t need to be all that bad. Since fermenting feed usually takes 3-4 days to reach the desired stage of fermentation, many people suggest a rotating bucket system- one for each day- so you can continually have a chain of buckets going with a new one ready every day. It’s also often suggested that you keep your feed covered by water- which means straining out your feed or drilling holes in the bottom of the bucket and setting it inside of another bucket that so you can lift it up and let the liquid drain out.

Yes, you can do all this. Yes, I HAVE done all of this. But I discovered it was very messy, took up a lot of room in my laundry room (which is my winter time fermented feed area), and it was all just so unnecessary. So here is what I do. Truly, you can choose whichever route you are most comfortable with.

But to save you some research time, I will share with you the most simple way I have tried to date. I use food grade 5-gallon buckets, For the very first time that you are fermenting your feed, you will need to soak your feed for 3-4 days. I use equal parts food and water; give it a good stir and cover it loosely (as in, just set the cover for the bucket on top but don’t seal it).

Stir it a couple of times a day- or at least once please. You will notice a sour smell, but not a rotten smell. You will also notice some bubbling action going on and a white filmy layer on the top of the feed. That is good sign that you have lacto-fermentation going on. So- what I do is keep 2 buckets running at all times. Bucket #1 is what feeds my flock in the morning. I always leave a good few inches of fermented feed at the bottom of the bucket to start my next batch. Just portion out equal parts fresh food and water into that bucket, stir it, and it’s ready to go for the next morning.

• Bucket #2 feeds my flock in the evening.
• The same process is followed and again, it is ready for the next night.
• How much to feed? This was tough at first.
• What I did was take half of what I used to feed them and portioned that into my bucket.
• Then I matched that same amount with water.
• Eep in mind that the feed will soak up that water and expand- so don’t fill your bucket any more than half full.

The consistency that you will end up with is a lot like oatmeal. It is not covered by water. It doesn’t require straining- just stirring. I’ve never had mold issues (yet)- which is the primary the reason so many suggest covering your fermented feed with 1-2 inches of water. It took a bit of experimentation to figure out how much my animals needed to eat as there doesn’t seem to be a tried-and-true “formula” out there. I once read that you should feed enough that it takes them half an hour to finish. I don’t really agree with that- instead, I like to feed enough for them to pick at for the majority of the day.

And that worked really great for me- by the time I go out to feed in the evening, their morning feed is gone but they are not ravenous. In fact, they are somewhat patient, which is odd for chickens. Over half of them hang back while the more dominant birds get first dibs. There’s no fighting or aggression- but that’s not to say they don’t love their fermented feed.

They do. They LOVE it. What to put that slop in? Whatever you have on hand- rubber feed pans work great, shallow buckets, an old casserole dish, anything that has some depth to it but not so much that the chicken have to knock it over to get their food.

I feed exactly half of what I used to, so a 50% reduction in feed cost. My eggs are noticeably larger! Not only on a small scale increase, but I’ve also had multiple eggs that are larger than my duck eggs. What I’ve noticed even more so is the size of my bantam eggs; they are now more the size of what a young pullet lays. They use about 1/3 of the water that they used to. I still replace their water daily, but I honestly don’t really even have to. In the winter, we provide a 2-gallon bucket for water which used to be gone in a day. Now it’s only 1/4- 1/3 gone by the next morning. And yes, their poop- it’s more firm and there’s undoubtedly less of it! When first switching to fermented feed, I did notice an almost immediate drop in egg production. I don’t know if this was due to switching their feed (even though you’re feeding the same food technically, the fermented product is nutritionally different and therefore “new”), or if it was because I was new to the process and wasn’t portioning out enough at first, or if it was just the changes in the weather- but it is worth noting that you might notice that to start with. It picked back up about 2 weeks later and has been more productive now than it was then.

The downsides? Are there any? Well, yes. It does take more work than dumping dry feed into a feeder. I’d say I spend about 5-8 additional minutes daily dealing with my fermented feed. That includes portioning out what I am feeding and replacing it. Also, feeding wet feed is messier.

Chickens will get it on their face/heads/backs- you name it. There’s just no avoiding that. Ducks are even worse. So if your flock is entering a beauty contest, don’t expect to win. But if you’re a common sense homesteader like me and want what’s best for your pocket book, for the health of your animals, and the health of your family- you can manage to overlook the messy faces.

Want to learn more? There are SO many great articles out there on the health benefits and research on the scientific background associated with lacto-fermented feed. So if you really feel like doing some digging in, give these links a look: http://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajb/article/viewFile/60378/48610 http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com/2013/03/benefits-of-fermenting-feed-for.html How about you? Have you tried fermented feed for your chickensduckspigs? Tell me about it! Shared at: Clever Chicks Blog Hop #122 Old Fashioned Friday #103 Friday Favorites This post contains affiliate links.

How long is chicken feed good for?

Chicken feed that is stored in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight has a shelf-life of approximately 6 months from the date of manufacturing. Feed should never be stored directly on the ground, concrete, or metal as those surfaces draw moisture and may cause mold growth.

Wooden pallets are preferred. If you desire the longest shelf-life possible, you can consider some of the small packages (12 lbs bags or less). Those typically have a shelf-life of 9-12 months because the packages are solid plastic and have less oxygen in them. And, if electricity-usage is not a concern, you always have the option of freezing your feed to greatly prolong shelf-life.

If you choose this method, just try to thaw only what you need for a few days to help keep the feed fresh,

Can you use horse feed for moonshine?

You can actually use horse feed to make sweet feed moonshine. This is great news. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. However if the horse leads you to it’s stall, you can make moonshine. This makes sense since to make moonshine you really just need anything with starches or sugars in order to ferment into alcohol.

• In fact, moonshine’s origins in the United States were in Pennsylvania and other grain-producing states.
• The term actually refers to ‘the light of the moon’ since early moonshiners had to work by the light of the moon to avoid detection from the local authorities.
• Nowadays anyone with a horse and a quality distillery kit can make their own high quality spirits at home.

Don’t own a horse? Make friends with a local farmer. You are sure to soon become a favorite around the farm. Even if you are not living in the country, accessing sweet feed is easily done online. Using sweet feed to make moonshine is a great recipe for beginners. This is because the horse mash is fairly straightforward to make and ferment when compared with other recipes. This easy recipe is fun to make and produces great results!

Can chicken mash be fermented?

Benefits to You and Your Flock – Along with the nutritional changes that occur to chicken feed when it is fermented, the fermentation process also provides many other practical benefits to the flock and to the backyard chicken keeper. We’ve already seen how fermenting changes the nutritional value of feed ingredients, but it also changes how the feed is utilized by the chicken’s body when it is digested.

• Fermenting chicken feed makes the feed easier to digest, which improves the feed consumption to production ratio of your flock.
• C an increase the feed’s protein content, allowing your flock to get more beneficial protein without consuming more feed.
• The probiotics contained in fermented chicken feed promotes good gut health and beneficial microbes that help fight off disease causing microorganisms.
• Fermented feed can help hens lay bigger and better-quality eggs.
• The beneficial bacteria, yeasts, and probiotics in fermented feed help your flock build up a strong immune system for fighting off disease.
• When chickens consume fermented feed, more of the feed can be utilized for energy and nutrition, which decreases the amount of waste produced.

One of the best benefits that fermented chicken feed provides for the chicken keeper is the fact that it can help you save money on chicken feed! The fermentation process e ssentially doubles your feed content, If your flock consumes a pound of feed in a day, you would only have to ferment a half a pound of feed and your flock could still consume their normal amount of food for the day.

Between the whole grains expanding when they are ferment ed and the increased nutritional value of fermented feed, chickens can consume less fermented feed and still receive the nutrients they need to stay healthy and productive. Also, since more of the nutrients in the feed are available for use by the body, there is less waste, which means less poop to deal with in the coop ! Fermented feed can make chicken droppings drier, which makes them easier to clean up and decreases the amount of moisture produced by chicken poop.

Drier poop makes for a healthier environment, Since fermented feed is usually more appealing to chickens, there can be less feed waste as well. The damp fermented feed is less conducive to being ” beaked out “, a behavior that chickens often do when eating dry feed from a feeder.

Can chickens process alcohol?

It may sound like a bizarre question, but it’s one I’ve been asked several times. The answer to one is “probably not”, and the other a definite “no”. So what can chickens safely drink? – Chickens should never be given any form of alcohol to drink. Never, I wouldn’t have thought this was even an issue, but I’ve received emails and seen posts on forums by people thinking it funny to give chickens beer – and even neat vodka – and watch them start to stagger about.

• Here’s the thing.
• Alcohol has been studied as a way to treat various ailments in chickens ( 1 ) and found not only to be ineffective but to cause damage, particularly to the liver.
• It’s tantamount to abuse.
• You will kill your chickens – and quickly.
• It’s the same as giving them poison.
• No animal should ever be given alcohol.

End of story. So just don’t do it. Having got that out of the way.