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by Kristi Stone16 Comments
For years, I have been interested in culturing and fermenting in some capacity. It pretty much started with kombucha, then I tried water kefir (I killed my grains, ugh). I also tried fermenting zucchini pickles and carrot sticks in salt brine, and those were good. Then I tried dilly beans and those were outstanding! I was pretty much hooked.
Within a few months of moving into our new place, I made a new friend, Stacey. She introduced me to making milk kefir. I had experienced kefir as a child and loved it. It wasn’t the homemade kind, but the store-bought already-flavored-with-fruit variety. I had also experienced making my own yogurt in years past but it was too labor intensive for me with the tools I had. So when Stacey shared kefir grains with me and how easy it was to make, I gave it a go.
I Made Milk Kefir, Now What Do I Do?
Making milk kefir was quite easy, even using pasteurized cow’s milk. I had no idea what to do with each batch. I ended up just mixing the whole quart with bird feed and feeding it to the chickens for a snack. Heck, I wasn’t losing anything by giving it to them, really, and I’d heard it was good for them. BUT….
And honestly, I don’t have any real scientific proof that it does help them to lay more, but on the weeks I fed milk kefir to my laying hens, they tended to lay roughly a third more eggs than when they didn’t have it. Like I said—no science, just my own mind blown.
But, I Did Research Milk Kefir for Good Measure
Here’s (in what I hope will be a nutshell) what I’ve learned from the research I have been doing on formulating my own chicken feed: laying hens need somewhere between 16 and 18 percent protein in their feed. According to Dr. Jacquie Jacob of the University of Kentucky, layers need a couple of percent more protein than pullets or any other non-laying chicken. At the time I started feeding them the milk kefir, I was already giving my girls a 16.2% protein feed, so my guess is that the extra protein boost was the reason for the boost in laying power.
Should You Feed Your Chickens Milk Kefir? You Decide.
Now here’s where I need to say to you: THIS IS ONLY WHAT WE DO. I don’t know enough to tell you that you should also do it this way, but this is working for us right now, and it’s just one way that I am supplementing the needed protein that doesn’t get into my homemade whole grain chicken feed. Since I haven’t been able to find out what percent protein milk kefir is (I’m sure it really depends on what type of milk is used amongst other factors), I can really only use it as a protein booster along with my 16% protein feed.
You don’t need to give them the full quart every time–that’s just what I do sometimes. If I were to give it consistently (or have kefir consistently–I don’t), I would do about a Tbsp per day per chicken. There’s no real rule that I know of. I have read around that many others give their chickens kefir to boost their nutrition from places like BackYardChickens.com and blogs that I’ve read, but there’s not really a hard and fast rule or “dosage” that I’ve been able to find.
People Use Milk Kefir in Other Ways, too
My friend Stacey of Mr. Joe’s Farm even treats her livestock with it when they have GI issues–she says it “fixes them right up”. I also ran across this article that talks about how kefir saved someone’s dog. I’m starting to look at my milk kefir as a medicine as well as a great food for myself and my livestock.
If you are interested in trying to make some kefir for yourself and your chickens, here’s how I make mine.
Fill clean mason jar with milk, leaving 1-inch headspace. Stir in kefir grains. Lay paper towel over the top of the jar and secure it to the jar with a canning ring or rubber band. Store jar at room temperature out of direct sunlight, allowing it to ferment until thickened. If it runs around 70 degrees in your house, your kefir should be done in 24 hours. If it’s hotter, it will ferment quicker; cooler, and it will ferment slower. Check it after 24 hours to get a feel for how kefir ferments in your house/in your kitchen. When it’s thickened to your liking, strain kefir into a glass jar, stirring gently in plastic strainer until just the grains remain. Refrigerate your kefir and use within 2 weeks (I keep mine longer, just FYI) and stir your grains into a new jar of milk to make more kefir.
It is concluded that kefir may be used in poultry feed with an inclusion rate of 7.5% without imposing any adverse effect on the measurements of body structures, weights of visceral organs, and gut morphology.
Place a few teaspoons of kefir grains and 1 cup of milk in a glass jar. This is one time where full fat milk is best; it gives the kefir better consistency.
For most people, fermented foods like kefir are considered safe. But when you first take probiotics, you may experience digestive issues like increased gas, bloating, or diarrhea. These usually settle down after a few days as your body adjusts.
According to 2021 research, kefir, whether as a whole or its individual components, can fight against certain harmful bacteria. Indeed, this study compared how well two types of Salmonella bacteria grew in regular milk versus kefir milk, and found that the bacteria's numbers reduced much faster in the kefir milk.
Causes allergies: If you are allergic to milk, you should avoid drinking kefir because it may induce significant, life-threatening allergic reactions. Kefir may be prepared with non-dairy “milk,” such as rice milk, which is safe for consumption if you have a milk allergy.
However, a small bite isn't going to harm a parrot. Kefir is not likely to be any better for a parrot than any type of yogurt. The way most kefir is made, makes it very high in sugar and parrots should not have high sugar content foods. But again, one bite is OK.
We do not recommend mixing maple syrup, agave, or honey with your kefir. Maple syrup and agave have a high GI rating, which disrupts your microbiome. Honey is a natural antibiotic, which interferes with the good probiotics in the kefir.
If you use too much milk, the milk can go off before the kefir grains have a chance to ferment it though, so be sure to understand how much it can do, and gradually increase from there. To get lots of kefir quickly with just a few grains simply keep adding milk without straining.
How long does it take for kefir to work in the body? A. It may take from 2-4 weeks for kefir to improve health. Therefore, one should consume 1-2 cups of kefir every day for best results.
Drinking kefir water every day increases antioxidants, boosts immunity, regulates blood sugar, and confers other benefits. Drinking kefir water daily can add good bacteria to your digestive system, fight inflammation, and boost your overall health.
We found that administration of Kefir proved to prevent steatosis and development of the inflammatory component of NASH. Moreover, Kefir improved liver function and lipid panel.
Out of the 11 people given kefir, 4 of them showed significant improvement in bowel movements. Two of the 4 showed huge improvement almost immediately after drinking kefir.
Salmonella Typhimurium and Enteritidis survived for a 24-hour period in fermenting kefir. Escherichia coli O157:H7, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes were recovered in less than 72 hours after the fermentation process was initiated.
When taken by mouth: Kefir is possibly safe when used for up to 12 weeks. It's usually well-tolerated. Side effects might include bloating, nausea, stomach cramps, diarrhea, and constipation. These symptoms usually go away after continued use.
“When looking for a probiotic for your birds, look for one with Bacillus subtilis, a very hardy strain of beneficial bacteria which populates rapidly. Other probiotics are often mixtures of bacteria such as Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and other unknown strains,” says Olson.
Simply marinate the chicken in Green Valley Lactose-Free Plain Kefir just as you would with buttermilk making the meat tender and flavorful while maintaining a delicious crunch on the outside.
Probiotics, such as those found in yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles and other fermented foods are extremely beneficial to poultry intestinal health - much as they are to humans. Adding some probiotics to your chickens' diet can help keep those butts fluffy!
Chickens love fermented crumble, pellets, whole grains, and seeds, including chicken starter feed. Fermenting grains gives them a new flavor profile, like when you ferment cabbage to make sauerkraut. The best grains to ferment for chickens include whole oats, sunflower seeds, and flax seeds.
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