DIY Fermented Chicken Feed: ‘Cause Flock Feed Ain’t Cheap

If you’ve kept chickens for more than a week, you already know two things:

They eat like feathered pigs with wings.
Chicken layer feed and scratch grain is not getting any cheaper.

Now, I love my hens, but I also love keeping a few dollars in my pocket and a few extra eggs in the nesting boxes. Enter the homesteader’s secret weapon: fermented chicken feed.

Don’t let the fancy word “fermented” scare you. We’re not opening a hipster kombucha bar for your flock. We’re just soaking their feed in fresh water for a few days, letting the good bacteria do their thing, and creating a probiotic powerhouse that makes chickens healthier, eggs stronger, and feed bills a little less painful. That is really all there is too the fermentation process.

I’ve been chicken keeping long enough to have tried just about everything — from fancy organic feed blends to “they’ll be fine on kitchen scraps” (spoiler: they were not fine). Through all the trial and error, fermenting feed has stuck around as one of the easiest, cheapest, and downright smartest things you can to lower feed costs for your laying hens and the rest of your flock.

So grab a bucket, some feed, and maybe a clothespin for your nose (don’t worry, it smells pleasantly sour — unless you mess it up). Let’s talk fermented chicken feed.

What is DIY Fermented Chicken Feed?

At its core, fermented chicken feed is simply chicken feed (pellets, crumbles, grains, or scratch) soaked in water for 2–3 days until natural lactobacillus bacteria go to work. Think sauerkraut or sourdough starter — but for your hens. Once you master how to ferment liquid, you can focus on specific additives to for the mix to enhance the flock’s absorption of nutrients and increase egg weight and produce better quality eggs.. Popular DIY fermented chicken feed mixtures ingredients include: apple cider vinegar, whole grains, meal worms, oyster shells, sunflower seeds, and a chicken dry food like crumble feed.

When you ferment feed, you’re breaking down the hard-to-digest parts of grains and unlocking nutrients your chickens wouldn’t otherwise get. You’re also packing in probiotics that make their guts happier than a hen with a fresh tomato. Making your own chicken feed and keeping it in a gallon mason jar or similar container, is far less expensive than serving up commercially manufactured whole grain feed.

👉 Learn more about fermentation basics here: National Center for Home Food Preservation.

Benefits of DIY Fermented Chicken Feed

Now, why go through the trouble of making chicken feed smell like a brewery? Because the payoff is huge:

Better Digestion & Gut Health

Fermented feed is teeming with probiotics — the same kind of good bacteria you’ll find in yogurt or kefir. These probiotics help balance the flock’s gut microbiome, which translates into healthier birds with stronger immune systems. Studies in the Poultry Science Journal show that probiotics improve digestion and nutrient absorption in poultry.

Stronger Eggs & More Production

The calcium and protein in fermented feed are more bioavailable, meaning hens absorb more of it. The result? increased chicken eggs shell thickness, richer yolks, and more consistent laying. My ladies don’t skip breakfast when I keep the fermented feed flowing. The thicker shells the DIY fermented feed helps create better eggs for turkeys and waterfowl, as well.

Feed Savings

Here’s where the economic part comes in: chickens eat less fermented feed than dry feed because it’s more filling and nutrient-dense. Less waste = less money flying out of the feed bin.

Shinier Feathers & Less Coop Mess

Feathers get glossier, and droppings are firmer (a blessing if you’re the one mucking the coop). Trust me, you’ll notice the difference when you’re not scraping chicken diarrhea off the roosts every other day.

👉 For more backyard poultry resources, visit USDA Poultry Resources.

DIY Fermented Chicken Feed: Step-by-Step Instructions

This is the part where you’ll realize how ridiculously easy this is.

What You’ll Need

Chicken feed (pellets, crumbles, grains, or scratch)
A 5-gallon bucket, large glass jar, or food-safe container
Non-chlorinated water (chlorine kills the good bacteria — if you’re on city water, let it sit out overnight to off-gas)
A wooden spoon or stick for stirring
A loose cover (dish towel, lid set askew, etc.)

Step 1 – Add Feed

Fill your container about halfway with dry feed. Don’t get ambitious and fill it to the top — once water and bubbles get involved, you’ll have a feed volcano.

Step 2 – Add Water

Pour in enough non-chlorinated water to cover the feed by at least 2–3 inches. Chickens aren’t scuba divers — they don’t like dry pockets of feed. Add extra water to your next new batch if the fermentation process is not as robust as you would like. Getting the water level just right involves a little trial and error. Remember, you can always add more water in the next batch if your first try does not turn out perfectly. Ideally the water should be at the top of the feed

Step 3 – Stir & Cover Loosely

Give it a good stir and cover the bucket. Do not screw a lid on tight unless you enjoy cleaning exploded chicken feed off the barn ceiling. The gases need to escape. If the fermented chicken feed outgrows the container, simply use less feed the next time.

Step 4 – Let it Ferment

Let the mixture sit at room temperature (ideally 65–75°F) for 2–3 days. Stir once or twice a day. You should see bubbles and smell a tangy, sourdough-like scent. That’s good fermentation. As the fermented chicken feed soaks, ample probiotics and beneficial bacteria will be produced. You will ultimately have an amply feed supply for an average adult chicken in no time – to sans any potentially toxic compounds in commercial feed.

Step 5 – Serve It Up

Scoop out what you need, drain off excess water, and feed it to your chickens. Refill with fresh feed and water as you go — kind of like a never-ending sourdough starter for poultry.

👉 Check out Backyard Chickens for more feed and flock management tips.

Safety Tips & Common DIY Fermented Chicken Feed Mistakes to Avoid

Like anything in homesteading, there’s a right way and a “whoops, now I know better” way.

Don’t use moldy feed. Mold = sick chickens. If you see fuzz, toss it.
Don’t ferment for too long. Three days is plenty. Any longer and you’ll have sludge no hen should be subjected to.
Know good vs. bad smells. Sour = good. Rotten, putrid, or slimy = bad.
Clean your container. Don’t just keep topping off forever. Give it a good scrub every week or two.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should you ferment chicken feed?
2–3 days is the sweet spot. Longer, and it can go bad.

Can you ferment pellets or crumbles?
Yes! They get a little mushy, but the chickens don’t mind.

Do chickens need grit with fermented feed?
Yes. Fermenting doesn’t replace the need for grit to grind food in their gizzards.

Can chicks eat fermented feed?
Yes, but introduce it slowly so they don’t gorge themselves.

Does it stink?
It should smell like sourdough or yogurt. If it smells like death in a bucket, dump it.

Can I Use Mason Jars to Ferment Chicken Feed and How?

Yes, you can absolutely use mason jars to ferment chicken feed, especially if you have a small flock or want to test fermenting before committing to a big batch. The process is the same as with a bucket:

Fill a wide-mouth mason jar halfway with feed (crumbles, pellets, or scratch).
Add non-chlorinated water until the feed is covered by about 2 inches.
Stir and cover loosely with the jar lid or a cloth to allow gases to escape.
Let it sit at room temperature for 2–3 days, stirring daily.
Once bubbly and sour-smelling, scoop some out to feed your chickens.

👉 Mason jars are perfect for fermenting starter feed for chicks or small trial batches. Just remember to clean jars thoroughly between batches to avoid contamination.

How Often Should I Feed Fermented Feed to My Chickens?

You can feed fermented feed every day as a replacement for regular dry feed. Most chicken keepers offer fermented feed once a day (usually in the morning) and let hens free-range, forage, or peck at scratch and dry feed later in the day.

Small flocks: ½–1 cup of fermented feed per hen per day is usually enough.
Large flocks: Offer it in troughs or shallow pans so all chickens have access.
Tip: Monitor how much they eat. If there’s leftover feed after 30 minutes, reduce the next day’s portion.

👉 Fermented feed is not just a supplement—it can completely replace regular feed if done properly.

Closing Thoughts: Chickens Don’t Care About Fancy, But They’ll Thank You for Fermented Feed

I’ve wasted money on overpriced feed blends, tried supplementing with every kitchen scrap under the sun, and even briefly considered teaching the chickens to forage for themselves (spoiler: they preferred raiding the compost pile).

Fermenting feed is the one simple trick that consistently pays off. Healthier chickens, sturdier eggs, shinier feathers, and a happier feed budget — all from letting a bucket sit for three days.

So go ahead, give it a try. Your hens will cluck their approval, and you’ll feel like you just outsmarted the feed store.