How to Make Fermented Chicken Feed

Learning how to make fermented chicken feed is a great cost effective, nutritious, and easy way to feed your homestead flock! Fermented chicken feed helps you get the most out of your feed bags while still providing nutritious food for your chickens. My flock loves their fermented feed and I loving giving it to them since I know it is nutritious and beneficial for them.

The best part is that fermented feed doesn’t have to a 24/7 commitment! I try to make at least 2 batches of fermented feed per week for my flock, which keeps the task manageable and still beneficial for my flock.

When I first decided to try fermenting chicken feed, I was nervous! I was hesitant to try fermenting and I was worried that I was wasting feed by soaking it in water. I also was not sure if my hens would even want to eat this new food that I was offering them! So, I started off making a very small batch. I served it to my hens, and they devoured it! Now I am making it in big enough batches that, for two days out of the week, all they get to eat is fermented feed. They love it!

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What is fermented chicken feed?

Fermented feed is basically any chicken feed that has been soaked in water over a period of time. This allows a metabolic process, called fermentation, to take place. The fermentation process is started by live cultures of yeast and bacteria.

The fermentation process can be started using pre-gathered natural yeasts or by gathering wild yeasts from the air. A few starters that I recommend include:

• apple cider vinegar– ACV is naturally fermented from apples and it also helps retain some of the amino acids in the feed that may be consumed by bacteria (Bragg’s apple cider vinegar)
• wild yeast– wild yeast is yeast that the brew (chicken feed soaked in water) collects naturally from the air
• brewer’s yeast– another natural yeast (Fresh Eggs Daily Brewer’s yeast supplement)

I allow my fermented chicken feed to collect wild yeast from the air. I have never had an issue with my fermented feed not fermenting and it always ferments right on time. Whether you use a starter or not, fermented feed will attract wild yeast from the air either way. A starter just gives the brew a jump start.

You can also ferment other foods for chickens. I have mixed sunflower seeds in with my fermented feed to add extra protein during my flock’s molt. Other snacks you could try fermenting include whole oats and other healthy grains. Just remember that these should be fed as a snack, not as the main food. Basically, any whole grain or seed can be fermented.

How Fermentation Works

If you are like me, you want to know EVERYTHING about fermented feed before giving it a try. So, this section is for you! Fermenting chicken feed is just like any other fermented process, like making kombucha, sauerkraut, or sourdough. However, for those of you who are new to fermenting (like I was), you may not know what the fermenting process is.

It all starts when beneficial bacteria interact with the food that is being fermented in a controlled environment. The beneficial bacteria that plays the main role in fermentation is lactobacillus. Lactobacillus bacteria is a beneficial bacterium that is found naturally in our environment. It can be found in soil and on the grains that make up chicken feed.

When in the right environment (aka correctly formulated fermented food), lactobacillus begin to do their job. Lactobacillus work at converting starch and sugar into lactic acid bacteria (LAB). The lactic acid bacteria are what provide the main benefits of the fermentation process. Some of those benefits include natural probiotics, lower pH levels of the food, and preventing the growth of harmful bacteria. An added bonus with fermented chicken feed is the additional presence of beneficial yeasts that are in the grains.

When the fermentation process first starts, it is low in lactic bacteria and has high pH levels. The longer the feed ferments, the more lactic bacteria increases and the pH decreases. The more lactic acid bacteria… the more fermented the feed becomes and the more benefits are provided.

That’s the fermentation process in a nutshell.

Benefits of Fermenting Chicken Feed

Easier to Digest

Fermenting chicken feed make the feed easier to digest. Chickens who are fed a whole grain diet will naturally have a strong gizzard. However, the softened grains, seeds, and legumes provided by fermented feed are overall easier on the digestive system. The fermentation process also reduces the levels of phytic acid in grains, seeds, and legumes.

Phytic acid is a natural compound found on many seeds, grains, and legumes that protects them prior to germination. Since it is a protecting agent, it also impairs digestion and nutrient absorption. Thus it is considered an anti-nutrient in livestock feed.

Improves Nutrient Availability

Since the fermentation process stimulates the germination process of grains, seeds, and legumes, the phytic acid levels are greatly reduced. This allows chickens to digest more nutrients from their feed. Protein amino acids and many vitamins become more readily available and easier to digest in fermented feed. Here are a few of the nutritional changes that occur when chicken feed is fermented:

• Phosphorus becomes more available for digestion, which is needed for calcium absorption.
• Sugar content decreases significantly.
• Protein content increases.
• Combats mold spores in the feed.

Provides Natural Probiotics

The lactic acid bacteria present in fermented feed allow beneficial bacteria populations to thrive. Many beneficial bacteria are considered probiotics. Probiotics support good digestive health, boost the immune system, and improves intestinal health. Good digestive health means your chickens can process all the nutrients they need from their feed to stay healthy. A boosted immune system will help chickens ward off disease and parasites.

Good intestinal health is also essential for preventing bad bacteria from becoming an issue. Fermented feed will actually work to lower the pH levels of the intestines. A lower pH level inhibits the growth of acid-sensitive bad bacteria and allows good bacteria to thrive.

Better Eggs

Chickens who are fed fermented feed have been shown to lay bigger, better quality the eggs. A fermented feed diet can result in eggs with thicker shells, bigger yolks, and improved nutrition. Quality eggs means your hens are healthy! Strong eggshells also reduce the risk of problems such as soft-shelled eggs, egg-binding, and egg breakage that can lead to bad egg-eating habits.

Saves You Money

When chicken feed is fermented, the grains and other ingredients in the feed expand. The expanded feed helps fill a chicken up faster. Also, since the nutrition content of the feed is greatly improved, chickens can eat less of the feed while still getting the nutrients they need to stay healthy.

Wet, fermented feed is less conducive to being ‘beaked out’ of the food bowl as well. Chickens often ‘beak out’ dry feed from a feeder as part of a natural foraging behavior, which can lead to some feed waste. Since fermented feed can’t be ‘beaked out’ as easily, you can cut back on feed being wasted on the coop floor!

Fermenting chicken feed is a great way to extend the life of a feed bag without being detrimental to the health of your flock!

Disease Resistance

Thanks to the beneficial bacteria, probiotics, and healthy yeasts contained in fermented feed, chickens who consume fermented feed are less prone to disease and parasites. When beneficial bacteria are present in the gut, it makes for competitive exclusion which eliminates the resources needed for bad bacteria to survive.

The lowered pH levels of fermented feed also makes the intestinal environment less suitable for parasites and bad bacteria.

Less Poop

Another benefit of feeding your flock fermented chicken feed is that fermented feed makes a chicken’s stools more solid and it actually makes a chicken poop less. The reason being that more of the feed can be used for nutritional purposes rather than being expelled as waste.

I have found this particularly true when I clean up the droppings boards the morning after my flock has been fed fermented feed the previous day. There is significantly less droppings to scrape off!

The droppings are also drier, which makes clean-up much nicer. Less moisture in the poop keeps the litter cleaner and is helpful during the winter when you are trying to eliminate excess moisture in the coop to prevent frostbite.

How to Make Fermented Chicken Feed:

Supplies:

• glass jar– needs to be big enough to hold twice the amount of feed you are fermenting (1 gal. wide mouth jar)
• cheesecloth or other breathable cloth– wild yeasts need to be able to penetrate the material and gases need to be exchanged with the air during the fermentation process (cheesecloth)
• rubber band– large enough to fit around the rim of your jar (rubber bands)
• spoon for stirring and serving– I use a slotted, wooden spoon. I do not advice using a metal spoon as the metal could destroy the essential yeast that is growing
• serving dish– I like to use large dog bowls!

Instructions:

Step 1. Measure- Place the amount of feed you are fermenting in the glass jar. Plan on fermenting at least 1/4 cup of feed per chicken if you are feeding fermented feed as the sole ration for a day.

Step 2. Water- Pour water into the jar until the feed is soaked through with water and there is an inch of water above the feed. Stir the feed with your spoon and cover the jar with the cheesecloth, fastening it with a rubber band. Keep the fermented feed stored in a cool, dark place. Wait 8-12 hours.

Step 3. Stir- Stir your fermented feed two to three times a day (I do it in the morning, afternoon, and evening). On the first day you will notice nearly all the water has been soaked up by the feed, so add more water until the feed is covered again. Always make sure your feed is covered with water to prevent mold from growing on the top.

The fermentation process takes 3-4 days, depending on the climate. As a general rule of thumb, I usually stick to three days. Technically, you can use the fermented feed after the first day of fermentation, but it won’t contain as much of the nutritious elements as a three-day ferment does. Bubbles on the top of your brew is a good sign of fermentation. It should also smell tangy and kind of like sourdough. If it smells rancid or looks moldy, throw it all away!  

Continue to stir your brew at least three times a day until it has sufficiently fermented. I don’t recommend fermenting the feed for longer than 5 days though since it will get quite strong.

Step 4. Serve- Strain the excess water from the fermented feed and serve it to your flock!

Tips for Serving Fermented Feed

After your feed has fermented (no longer than five days) you can now serve it to your flock! I use my wooden, slotted spoon to scoop out the feed, drain it of most of the liquid, and place it in a clean dish. Alternatively, some flocks don’t mind eating fermented feed that is not strained. I found that my flock likes fermented feed that is strained of excess moisture and is like a wet mash feed.

You can save some of the liquid to start a second batch, which will ferment faster because the lactic acid bacteria are already present in the cultures. I serve fermented feed twice a week, so I usually just add more feed to the liquid that is left over from the first batch to start a second week. At the end of each week though I dump out all the liquid and clean the jar with warm water and a splash of white vinegar.

Once you have spooned out all of your feed, you can serve the feed to your chickens! Remember, chickens are often hesitant about trying new things, so give them a little bit to get used to the new feed. My flock loved my homemade fermented feed right from the start!

If you are feeding your flock fermented feed as their sole ration for the day, make sure you remove their feeder that contains the dry feed. Your flock should enjoy munching on their fermented feed throughout the day!

Fermented Feed: Troubleshooting

How much feed should I ferment for my flock?

Starting off, measure out about 1/3 cup of feed per chicken in your flock. The more often you ferment your flock’s feed, the better you will get at determining how much dry feed you need to ferment in order to supply them with a day’s supply worth of wet, fermented feed.

If you notice that your flock hasn’t finished all their fermented feed at the end of the day, you will know that you need to decrease the amount of dry feed you started off fermenting.

If you are just fermenting feed as a snack for your flock, do small quantities that you know your flock will consume quickly. Adding healthy feed supplements or herbs to fermented feed snacks is a great way to give your flock natural supplements!

Can I ferment any type of chicken feed?

Technically yes, but certain types of feeds ferment better than others. A whole grain chicken feed or whole grain mash chicken feed will ferment the best. The feed ingredients have not been processed or compressed, leaving the grains, legumes, and other ingredients in an almost natural state.

Feed ingredients that have been processed and compressed into pellets (or pellets that have been mashed into crumbles) won’t ferment as well. The reason being that the grains, legumes, and other ingredients are not in a natural state for germination and fermenting.

You can also ferment feed for any stage of your flock’s life, such as a whole grain starter feed for chicks or a whole grain layer feed for laying hens.

Can I re-serve leftover fermented feed the next day if my flock doesn’t eat it all?

Yes, strained fermented feed can be stored for 24 hours. As long as the feed is stored in a cool, dry place and covered with an air-tight lid, it should be fine. If you see any signs of mold or smell an off smell the next morning, then you will need to throw out the leftovers. Don’t store strained fermented feed for more than 48 hours.

How long does it take for feed to ferment?

On average, it takes about 3 days for enough wild bacteria and yeasts to be gathered from the air and start the metabolic process of fermentation. However, depending on the environmental conditions, this process may be quickened by a day or prolonged for 1-2 days. Once a good ferment has started, I don’t recommend letting the feed ferment for more than a day or two.

Feed that is allowed to ferment for longer periods of time will actually start being converted into alcohol, and you don’t want to put your flock on high! The process of fermenting chicken feed should take about 3-4 days on average.

How do I keep fermented feed from freezing during the winter?

If you serve your flock fermented feed during the winter, and the days never get above freezing, you may have an issue with the wet feed freezing. I like to use heated pet bowls to solve this problem. I do have electricity in the chicken coop enclosure, so it makes it easy to plug the heated bowls in during the day.

If you don’t have electricity to the chicken coop enclosure, you may want to try some tactics similar for keeping water unfrozen.

A Note on Feed Separation:

Many whole grain chicken feeds will separate based on particle size when they are fermented. Smaller particles, such as small seeds and added vitamin/mineral mixes will sink to the bottom of the fermented feed. That is perfectly normal.

Make sure when you are scooping out the feed to serve it to your flock that you include those ingredients as well. You want to make sure your flock is still getting their complete feed with all the necessary ingredients.

Stages of Fermentation:

• Dry- After the first 8-12 hours of starting your fermented feed you may notice that the mixture seems very dry. The feed probably expanded and absorbed all the water. You will need to add more water so that the mixture is wet but not drowned. The mixture should seem like a thick soup with just enough moisture to cover the feed level.
• Rising- You may notice on the second or third day that the feed seems to have risen to the top and there is not a layer of water above the feed. That is a good sign of fermentation! Don’t add more water. Just stir the mixture and you will realize that the feed did indeed rise and that there is still plenty of moisture in the brew.
• Bubbling– Bubbling is a good sign! It means the lactic acid bacteria are hard at work.
• ‘Dead’– Alternatively, you may notice that your fermented feed seems ‘dead’ on the third day. There may only be a few bubbles were previously there were many. You may also notice a distinct separation between the feed and the moisture levels. That is normal too and it just means that the lactic acid bacteria consumed all the available food (sugar and starch in the feed). You can either add more feed or serve up the fermented feed to your flock!

Signs of a Good Ferment:

A good batch of fermented feed will look bubbly and frothy. You may even see bubbles rising and erupting on their own from the fermented feed. Keep in mind that you may not see bubbles until the second or third day of fermenting. A good ferment will have a rich tangy smell. Some may find the smell a little repelling, but I think I have gotten used to it and actually enjoy the smell of a good batch of fermented feed!

Signs of a Bad Ferment:

Throw out your fermented feed if it smells like anything other than a good ferment. Also throw out your fermented feed if you see any signs of mold.

Factors that Affect Fermenting:

• Other Fermented Foods– If you store your fermented feed in a location that is also in close proximity to other fermenting processes (like kombucha or sourdough) the feed will ferment faster because live cultures are already present in the air.
• Weather– Warm weather and cool weather will play a part in how fast your fermented feed ferments. Generally warmer weather results in a faster ferment.
• Starters- If you use a pre-collected starter, like ACV or brewer’s yeast, then your fermented feed will ferment quicker. Wild yeasts need to be collected naturally from the air by the brew and thus require a little longer fermentation time.
• Location- Ideally keep your fermented feed stored in a cool, dry place where natural wild yeasts like to thrive. A pantry works well. Don’t keep your fermented feed in humid places or in direct sunlight which can encourage mold and bad bacteria to form instead of good bacteria.

Fitting Fermented Feed into your Schedule

Making homemade fermented chicken feed is really quite simple and does not take a lot of time. However, in our busy homestead lives, every second counts! So, here is how I fit making two batches of fermented feed for my flock into my week:

~ Every Sunday morning I start my first batch of the week. The whole process of scooping out the right amount of feed, adding water, stirring, and covering the jar takes no longer than 5 minutes. Then I just have to remember to stir the fermented feed two to three times each day for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.

~ On Tuesday evening, I scoop out the fermented feed into the serving dish and save the leftover liquid. I cover the serving dish with a homemade fabric cover and set it in a cool spot in my laundry room. Then I start another batch of fermented feed using the same jar and leftover liquid.

~ Wednesday morning my chickens get a nice big bowl of fermented feed for the day! I decided to start scooping out the fermented feed the night before because I felt like I had more time in the evenings than I do in the mornings. As long as the feed is covered and kept cool, it will stay fine until the next morning. I continue to stir my second batch of fermented feed two to three times a day.

~ The second batch is ready to be scooped out by Friday evening. Then I dump out the extra liquid and clean my jar. My flock gets their second serving of fermented feed Saturday morning!

Fermenting on the Homestead

Making fermented chicken feed on the homestead is a great, easy, and economical way to feed your flock nutritious food! I encourage you to give it a try and see how your flock likes it! Fermenting your flock’s food will increase the nutritional value and provide more benefits for both you and your chickens. Chickens fed a diet of fermented feed, even if it is not on a daily basis, will have stronger immune systems for fighting disease and parasites, improved digestive health for optimal nutrient utilization, and lay better quality eggs!

I love doing all sorts of fermentations on the homestead, including kombucha and sourdough! Don’t miss out on any recipes or other poultry tips when you join our modern pioneer newsletter community!

by Alexa