We rely on our livestock to provide us with nutrient-dense food, so giving them the best nutrition possible is high on our list of priorities. Enter fermentation. If you know us at all, you know how highly we esteem the health benefits of traditionally Lacto-fermented vegetables and bread! Those health benefits can be translated directly across to herbivore and omnivore animals, too. Our foray into fermenting feed for the Ranch livestock began while doing research on feeding pigs.
We started by fermenting feed for our laying hens and the milking stand ration of our Alpine dairy goats. The reasons we undertook to do so are manyfold. First, fermenting grains and legumes transforms them into superfoods for our stock as it:
- Destroys enzyme inhibitors
- Neutralizes phytates
- Converts starch to sugar (which is better for ruminants)
- Increases enzymes, protein, vitamin levels, amino acids, and fatty acids
- Adds natural probiotics
- Improves digestion, nutrient absorption, and palatability
- Increases the conversion rate of grain to weight gain
- Weight gain is in muscle, not fat
Second, we go to great lengths to avoid feeding genetically modified (GM) crops such as corn and soy. Third, rolled or cracked grains go rancid very quickly. When that happens, the body treats them as toxins which can adversely affect the health of an animal. Fourth, buying grains and legumes in bulk is more economical than buying pre-mixed feeds, and we have more control over what they eat.
The small amount of time and effort involved in four easy steps is well worth it! It only takes simple everyday items, a few minutes to mix up a batch, and a couple of days to ferment. Not to mention, it makes your animals healthier, eggs, milk, and meat even more nourishing. What’s not to love about that!
What is Lacto-Fermentation?
Fermenting involves a natural chemical process that breaks down a complicated food substance into simpler parts with the help of Lactobacillus bacteria. There are various strains of Lactobacillus bacteria that are present on the surface of all plants and also in the gastrointestinal tract and mouth of humans and animals. Lactobacillus bacteria have the ability to convert sugars into lactic acid through this naturally occurring fermentation process.
The Lactobacillus converts starch and sugar resulting in a feed that is rich in lactic and acetic acids with a reduced pH that encourages the formation of natural probiotics. Fermented food is considered live food.
Lactic acid is a natural preservative that inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria. Historically, this allowed people to preserve foods for extended periods of time before refrigeration or canning. Lactobacillus organisms produce antibiotic and anti-carcinogenic substances. So as lactic acid increases during the fermentation process, the possibility of contamination from harmful bacteria (coliform) is eliminated.
Hydration of grains also results in enzymatic action that reduces enzyme-inhibitors which block the absorption of nutrients.
Enzymes play a major role in breaking down fiber and anti-nutrients. If you can use an enzyme-rich cultured dairy product like kefir, buttermilk, or yogurt (even sourdough starter!) as a starter culture it will accelerate the fermentation process.
Health Benefits
When an animal is under stress, molting, or under the weather the extra nutritional support from the fermented feed is very helpful.
Improves Digestion and Nutrient Absorption
If you know just a little bit about the digestion of grains you know that most animals can’t break them down and utilize the nutrients, often passing through the digestive system still whole. Essentially, all grains, seeds, nuts, beans and other legumes are plant seeds. As such they contain protective elements in their outer seed coat and bran to protect them from insects and environmental threats. These include phytic acid, lectins, enzyme-inhibitors, and fiber in the bran that are difficult to break down in the digestive tract. Phytic acid is referred to as an “anti-nutrient” because it binds with minerals in the grain impairing their absorption in the digestive tract.
However, fermenting grain makes it easier for animals to digest and utilize the nutrients they are consuming! The warm, moist fermentation “brine” mimics the natural germination process wherein anti-nutrients are neutralized. This acidic environment also helps break down the hard-to-digest fibers, basically pre-digesting the grain. Some of the whole grains even sprout.
Fermentation has been shown to enhance the content of vitamins such as B, C, A, and E, as well as to increase the protein, fat, and amino acid composition. It also increases antioxidants and has an alkalinizing effect on all body cells.
The lactic acid bacteria have a stimulating effect on the gut health of the animals which helps keep them healthy. Feed acidity is also hostile to pathogens in the gut, so medications and antibiotics become redundant.
Adds Natural Probiotics
As lactic acid bacteria ferment the grains, beneficial bacteria populations bloom resulting in natural probiotics that are stellar for digestion! And as you know, gut health directly impacts total body health.
Studies show that animals who receive probiotics through fermented feed have more robust health than those on dry feed diets. Another study found that the levels of lactic acid bacteria in fermented chicken feed lower the pH of chickens’ intestines enough to ward off acid-sensitive bacteria like E.coli and Salmonella.
Better Quality Meat, Milk, & Eggs
A study in the Journal of British Poultry science concluded that chickens given fermented feed showed increased egg weight, shell thickness, and shell stiffness. This means chickens are less likely to have soft-shelled eggs or become egg-bound, both of which can be life-threatening.
And remember, livestock are what they eat. So if they receive superior nutrition like fermented feed their meat, milk, and eggs will be supremely nourishing for you in return!
Talking About Feed Costs
As grains soak in water to ferment, they expand in volume. A lot. So your animals get full faster, but this isn’t like filling them up on junk food. Rather, they get more nutrients than ever and stay satisfied longer! On the fermented feed, our chickens eat a minimum of one-third less per day. Your mileage may vary, but so far we are quite impressed!
We all know that chickens rarely clean up all of their dry feed. Well, when it’s fermented they do! Yep, zero wasted feed. When does that ever happen with animals?
Fermenting your livestock feed improves the nutritional value of economical whole grains while they also consume and waste less. That’s a clear win-win in our book!
The whole grain mix below is what we currently use. It’s approximately 14-15% protein:
- 3 parts red winter Wheat- 15% protein
- 2 parts Barley- 14%
- 1 part Oats- 12%
- 1 part black oil sunflower seeds (BOSS)- 13%
- 1/4 part green Peas- 20-25%
How to Use Fermented Feed
To begin, offer slightly less fermented feed than you would their normal dry feed. Remember, because fermented grains expand greatly in volume it tends to keep them satisfied longer. Your animals will eat and may even drink less. Just observe what they consume and adjust.
How often you give your livestock fermented feed is up to you. The more the better, in or opinion! Folks who feed it exclusively start staggered batches. If you just want to give it as a treat a few times each week, simply start one batch at a time. You’ll figure out your own fermentation schedule.
For us, one “batch” of fermented feed is two to four days’ worth. Using some from the current batch as a starter, it takes 2 days to ferment, depending on the temperatures. As we finish one batch, we start the next one.
For complete instructions on how to ferment livestock feed, see this Ranch Letters post.