My neighbor swore by fermented feed and I laughed until my hens started laying bigger eggs

I thought fermenting chicken feed sounded like some crunchy granola nonsense, mostly because I figured the birds would just turn their beaks up at anything that wasn't dry pellets. But my neighbor Linda up the street kept going on about how her girls were laying 30% more after she started doing it, so I finally caved and tried a small batch with some old pickle jars. Three weeks in, the eggs are definitely heavier and the shells feel thicker, plus the hens go nuts for that sour smell when I pour it out. Has anyone else tried fermenting and noticed a real difference in egg production or just me?

2 comments

2 Comments

ivan821mo ago

Fight the urge to overcomplicate things honestly. I tried fermenting for a few months and all I got was a mess of sour smelling sludge that my hens picked at but never fully ate. They went back to regular feed every single time and the egg production stayed exactly the same, like maybe one ounce heavier per dozen if I squinted. Bacteria growing in a jar isn't some magic bullet for egg laying, it's just wet food that can get moldy if you don't stay on top of it. Linda probably just started feeding a better quality supplement at the same time and gives the fermentation way too much credit.

williams.amy1mo ago

@ivan82 that's fair, but sour smell usually means too much air got in, not a failed ferment.