By Sue -
Fermenting Feed Series - Part 1 of 3
BENEFITS OF LACTO-FERMENTING FEED FOR CHICKENS
Fermenting or soaking feed for
chickens has gained a lot of popularity in recent years - and for good reason.
Four week old chick eating fermented feed.
Why is
fermenting feed a good idea?
In a previous article, "Easy Ways to Sprout Seeds for Your Chickens" here
on the Natural Chicken Keeping Blog, we
discussed the anti-nutrient roll of phytic acid, enzyme inhibitors, tannins,
and hard-to-digest proteins that are
present in grains (seeds) and legumes (also a seed). We learned that seeds were created with these
items as a protective device to help them survive until conditions are right
for them to sprout and grow into mature plants.
This is GREAT for the seeds and their continued proliferation. However, it's not so great for people or
animals that attempt to use them as a main food source as they deplete our systems of nutrients that are
vital to health. For more
information and documentation, please see Easy Ways to Sprout Seeds for Your Chickens.
While sprouting, fermenting, or even just overnight soaking of
seeds/grains reduces their anti-nutrient properties making them more available
for digestion and use by the body, lacto-fermenting
provides another set of benefits.
In the book, Real Food Fermentation by Alex Lewin, the
author states, "... beyond simply maintaining the vitamin
content of raw foods, the process of fermentation can actually create new vitamins, specifically B
vitamins and Vitamin K2 , as well as some types of enzymes." (Emphasis added) These
additional nutrients are part of the benefit and byproduct of lactic acid bacteria working in the
fermentation process.
Almost everyone who has ever eaten yogurt will recognize the term
"friendly bacteria" or "probiotics". We've learned that these friendly bacteria are ESSENTIAL to maintain a healthy digestive
tract and a properly functioning
immune system. Fermenting feed for
our animals provides these same benefits.
Yogurt anyone?
Photo Courtesy www.lesfarms.weebly.com
According to one study regarding use of lacto-fermented feed for chickens, an
adaptation period of several weeks is required to see benefits in chickens that
were previously given dry feed. After
the initial adaptation period, fermented feed was observed to:
"...improve feed conversion as compared with
the dry mash... increase egg weight... increase shell weight and stiffness...increase
intestinal health by acidification of the upper digestive tract, forming a
natural barrier towards infection with acid sensitive pathogens, e.g. E. coli,
Salmonella and Campylobacter. "
Additional
studies note
that:
- Wet feeding increases the feed intake and growth rate of Chickens.
- Pre-soaking of broiler feeds for 12 and 24 hours significantly increased dry matter digestibility and body weight gain in male broilers (25-40 days of age) compared with dry feed.
- Bacterial fermentation of barley and wheat whole meal flours with b-glucan-degrading LAB (Lactic Acid Bacteria) has improved growth and early feed-to-gain ratio in broiler chickens.
Regarding
Chicks:
- Early access to semi-moist diets for day-old chicks stimulates gastrointestinal (GI) development and prevents dehydration during transport from the hatchery.
- Rapid GI tract development after hatch is essential for optimization of digestive function and underpins efficient growth and development as well as a full expression of the genetic potential for production traits.
- The moisten capacity of the crop of chicks during the first weeks of life is also believed to be a limiting factor for the optimal functioning of the gut when standard solid diets are fed.
- Benefits of wet feeding have been attributed to decreased viscosity of gut contents, greater development of the layer of villi in the digestive segments and reduced crypt cell proliferation.
For a
bibliography and full list of studies, see:
Broody and newly hatched chicks enjoying fermented
feed with a few dried meal-worms added.
To summarize, lacto-fermenting or soaking feed gives "more bang for your buck" by
- Increasing nutrient usability
- Decreasing the overall intake of feed to provide the same -or greater- amount of nutrients (by reducing undigested feed items passing through the digestive tract)
- Increasing nutrient content as a by-product of lacto-fermentation (B Vitamins, Vitamin K2 and Enzymes)
- Strengthening the immune system resulting in increased ability to resist disease and bacterial infection
The benefits go on and on.
And don't forget - producing a
healthier chicken results in healthier meat and eggs for you.
- Sue
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