How much-fermented feed per chicken is a topic we often get questions about. A chicken needs 2-3 pounds of fermenting feed per day, or 1 quart to 2 quarts per day. This is a question that many backyard chicken keepers ask themselves. There are many ways to feed your chickens for them to be healthy.
One way of feeding is with what is called “chicken mash.” Another way of feeding is by adding a type of bird food, typically bird-safe pellets, to their food bowl and chicken scratch. A third method is by giving the chickens a type of homemade fermented feed called chicken grit. I have seen many different numbers on how much-fermented feed per chicken can be made per day or week.
Contents
What is chicken fermented?
This is a process of making the bird food more digestible and has many benefits for the health of your backyard chickens. What are some things you can do to get ready to make your chicken feed? This should be done by placing your grains in a container such as a 5-gallon bucket or garbage pail, adding water to the dry grain, and letting it sit for 2-3 days until it ferments.
This will allow time for the good bacteria to grow. As you can see, there are many different methods to feed your chickens and each one can be beneficial for the health of your backyard chickens. Fermented feed will last up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
The shelf life of fermented food, such as chicken mash, is 2-3 weeks unrefrigerated. When feeding your chickens, always make sure to keep their water fresh and clean daily. This will help prevent coccidiosis and other diseases from spreading through the flock.
Best 9 Advantages of fermented feed
- Highly nutritional value and balanced amino acid requirement of poultry.
- Increase the immune system to enhance the chickens’ health and resistance to disease.
- Improve energy utilization and decrease weight loss caused by poor digestion.
- Stimulate growth performance and improve the reproductive efficiency of broiler chickens in the high-density breeding system under heat stress conditions.
- Enhance the feed conversion ratio by increasing the feed intake and reducing the feed cost.
- Shortens the time of slaughter and reduces the disposal cost of a chicken’s carcass.
- Enhances water consumption, water absorption, and excretion, hence improving their weight gain.
- Reduce total tract infection-related mortality in broiler chickens by improving intestinal microflora of broilers under heat stress conditions
- Increase the population of beneficial bacteria in rumen Digesta in broiler chickens under heat stress conditions
Ingredients of fermented feed
Corn Meal, Soybean Meal, Rice or other seed flour, Alfalfa Meal, Ground Oats (Oat Bran), Cane Molasses, Ground Brown Rice, Chicken Broth Dried Chicken
How do I feed my chicken fermented feed?
Our chickens eat fermented feed in the morning and before they go to roost at night. My morning routine is to go outside, collect the eggs, then fill up the food/water bowls. Then I fill each chicken’s feeding bowl with a cup of chicken scratch (1 cup per 6-8 lbs of chicken) and top off their water bowl. I add 2 scoops of fermented feed to each chicken’s food bowl.
How much-fermented feed per chicken?
How much feed should you feed your chickens daily? This is an important question to answer. I’m often asked this question. The amount of chicken feed that you need to purchase depends on the size of the flock and their activity level.
A single chicken will eat 2-3 pounds of mash per day, that is about 1 quart to 2 quarts. To each his or her own, but I give my chickens a quart of chicken feed in the morning and another quart at night. A single chicken should get 2-3 pounds of mash per day or 1 quart to 2 quarts per day.
| 5 Chickens | 1.25 cups |
| 9 Chickens | 2.25 cups |
| 10 Chickens | 2.5 cups |
| 11 Chickens | 2.75 cups |
| 12 Chickens | 3 cups |
Is fermenting chicken feed worth it?
I do not doubt that fermenting chicken feed is worth it! I like to make my chicken feed. For the very smallest flocks, $50-$75 per month can be saved if you learn how to ferment your feed. As long as the chickens have access to fresh water, they will be fine with less than one cup of chicken feed.
How long will fermented chicken feed last?
When chicken feed gets too old and begins to mold, we recommend that you throw it out and start over. The problem with letting chicken feed age is that it will lose some of its nutrients. The fermented feed can last for up to 3 hours in the refrigerator.
Does fermenting chicken feed increase protein?
I have heard many people say that fermenting chicken feed increases protein. I have not found anything to back up this claim, but I do say that it is a good way to get rid of the “gaminess” of the chicken feed and make it more palatable.
How to store fermented chicken feed?
You should store your fermenting chicken feed in a cool, dry place. I have stored mine in my closet for up to 3 weeks and it was fine, however, I would recommend storing it in the refrigerator if you plan to keep it for more than a month.
Fermenting chicken feed in winter
You can ferment chicken feed in the winter if you have a heated garage. The garage must be around 55 degrees Fahrenheit. As long as you keep the temperature above freezing, you can ferment your chicken feed in the winter.
fermenting chicken feed with molasses
You can feed your chickens molasses in their chicken feed to make the molasses last longer. Fermenting chicken feed with molasses will make the molasses last up to 2-3 weeks longer than it would without fermenting it.
Conclusion
You can ferment your chicken feed and make it last longer. This is a great way to save money, just make sure that you start the process over when it goes bad. I recommend storing your chicken feed in the refrigerator and aging it for no more than 3 weeks.
