Fermenting feed for newborn chicks

[Rethia]

Just hatched my first ever chicks and I'm in love! Trying to figure out what would be best for them in terms of nutrition. I have chick crumble (20% protein) I got for them and I'm wondering if it would make it easier for them to eat if I fermented the food? It's not as relevant right this second for first foods, but for my next batch, I'd like to know if there are benefits to fermenting their food when they're this small?

Is it really just as simple as soaking their feed in three buckets? Also, can you over-ferment their food? How do you decide how much to ferment? Do you offer dry along with fermented so you make sure they have as much as they want or need?

 

[Debbie292d]

We ferment grains for the older chicks, chickens, but the young ones don't get that until they're around a month old, then get grit at that time too.

Daily the little ones get wet crumbles though, and act like that's a treat.


Here's how I ferment grains. And when you see flax listed, that is sparingly. It gums it up otherwise.

I make a batch of around 20# dry to put in my quart jars.

1/2 part Kalmbach's Henhouse Reserve (get from Chewy) to 1/4 part hard red winter wheat and 1/4 part whole oats (get from our local feed mill in 50# bags), a tblsp each of chia seeds and flax.

Day 1: I fill one jar half full of the grain mix, then add non-chlorinated water almost to the top. I stir that and cover it with screened lids I bought on Amazon or can rubberband cheesecloth around the top. It has to breathe but keep out gnats or flies. Set out of the sun. I mark my jars with the day of the month I prepared them with a perm magic marker. That scrubs off with a scrunchy.

Day 2: I fill the second jar the same way as above. I stir the first jar and add water to cover it so it won't mold.

Day 3: I fill the third jar same as above, Stir the 1st and 2nd jar.

Day 4: I drain the first jar and serve in silicone loaf pans. (They usually can't tip those over.)

If you don't want it every day, just start it any day you want and know that on the 4th day, you'll be serving it.

You can use other grains and change this up to suit yourself or your chickens.

 

[Rethia]

We ferment grains for the older chicks, chickens, but the young ones don't get that until they're around a month old, then get grit at that time too.

Daily the little ones get wet crumbles though, and act like that's a treat.


Here's how I ferment grains. And when you see flax listed, that is sparingly. It gums it up otherwise.

I make a batch of around 20# dry to put in my quart jars.

1/2 part Kalmbach's Henhouse Reserve (get from Chewy) to 1/4 part hard red winter wheat and 1/4 part whole oats (get from our local feed mill in 50# bags), a tblsp each of chia seeds and flax.

Day 1: I fill one jar half full of the grain mix, then add non-chlorinated water almost to the top. I stir that and cover it with screened lids I bought on Amazon or can rubberband cheesecloth around the top. It has to breathe but keep out gnats or flies. Set out of the sun. I mark my jars with the day of the month I prepared them with a perm magic marker. That scrubs off with a scrunchy.

Day 2: I fill the second jar the same way as above. I stir the first jar and add water to cover it so it won't mold.

Day 3: I fill the third jar same as above, Stir the 1st and 2nd jar.

Day 4: I drain the first jar and serve in silicone loaf pans. (They usually can't tip those over.)

If you don't want it every day, just start it any day you want and know that on the 4th day, you'll be serving it.

You can use other grains and change this up to suit yourself or your chickens.

Thanks for the rundown! I can't have flax or chia seeds in the house--I'm severely allergic to them. I'll definitely try wetting down some of their crumbles with water and see how they like those! They were only just getting a handle on drinking from the waterer today, so that will help boost their hydration too. Thank you!

 

[Debbie292d]

Thanks for the rundown! I can't have flax or chia seeds in the house--I'm severely allergic to them. I'll definitely try wetting down some of their crumbles with water and see how they like those! They were only just getting a handle on drinking from the waterer today, so that will help boost their hydration too. Thank you!

Yes, just wet crumbles will be a big hit! I do that for the older ones too and most love it that way. I have a crossbeak hen I have to make it for anyway, so they all get some daily.

The chia and flax is just my own thing. You can make it your own mix of whatever you chose. I fermented their feed once and never did that again as it's just mush, so went to grains.

 

[Altairsky]

It's kind of pointless to wet chick feed. You'll most likely just spoil them in a way that will make very hard later to have them eat dry food.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I don't specifically ferment for chicks only because they tend to make a mess walking all over it. However as I brood outdoors and the chicks begin integration early, they'll eventually get into the adult's fermented feed (FF) (which is starter mash so safe for chicks) and learn to eat it that way.

Is it really just as simple as soaking their feed in three buckets? Also, can you over-ferment their food? How do you decide how much to ferment? Do you offer dry along with fermented so you make sure they have as much as they want or need?

You don't need 3 buckets. Just start a batch and refill the next in the same unwashed container, the remnants of the prior batch will help start up the next. As far as the amount that's going to be up to experimentation to see what works for you.

New batch:

And ready to serve the next day:

I do offer dry feed all day as well as they'll usually finish off the FF by midday.

 

[Debbie292d]

It's kind of pointless to wet chick feed. You'll most likely just spoil them in a way that will make very hard later to have them eat dry food.

They all eat their dry food, including the crossbeak. I do this so I'm sure she's eating enough as most dry stuff falls right back out.

This isn't a whole meal's worth and it's once a day. Chickens eat off and on all day long.

 

[ChaosMom]

I don't specifically ferment for chicks only because they tend to make a mess walking all over it. However as I brood outdoors and the chicks begin integration early, they'll eventually get into the adult's fermented feed (FF) (which is starter mash so safe for chicks) and learn to eat it that way.

You don't need 3 buckets. Just start a batch and refill the next in the same unwashed container, the remnants of the prior batch will help start up the next. As far as the amount that's going to be up to experimentation to see what works for you.

New batch:
View attachment 4079317

And ready to serve the next day:
View attachment 4079318

I do offer dry feed all day as well as they'll usually finish off the FF by midday.

I do something similar (I’m still trying to figure out how much they actually eat per day.)

I use 2 one-quart Mason jars for a 24-hour period. I take most out of one for breakfast, leaving some as a starter, and add whatever my guess is of dry feed. Then I do the same with the afternoon feed jar.

I’m currently using Kalmbach Chickhouse Reserve for ~10-week-old pullets. I really like it (and so do the girls), other than the fact that cracked corn is the first-listed ingredient.

I ferment because the Kalmbach Reserve feeds are whole-grain, and the mini-pellets with the supplemental vitamins and minerals get ignored when offered dry.