Bapak Ari – by email
In advance I would like to thank you for the knowledge that Medion has shared so far, it has been very useful for me. I want to ask you a few things: :
- What is the purpose of feed if it is fermented?
- What are the basic raw materials for broiler ducks that can be fermented?
- And how to ferment such raw materials in the right way? I thank you for the information.
Answer :
Thank you Mr. Ari for the question submitted. Feed fermentation is a feed processing technique that converts complex compounds in feed into simpler compounds with the help of microorganisms. The purpose of feed fermentation is to increase crude protein and decrease crude fiber in feed ingredients. In addition, the manufacture of feed fermentation will extend the shelf life of the feed if the storage management is good.
Here are some general feed fermentation steps :
- Prepare the raw materials to be used (usually have high coarse fiber and low protein)
- Add a little microorganism (probiotics, fungi or yeast tempeh)
- Add a little molasses as an energy source for microorganisms
- Stir the whole raw material and let it stand for several days tightly closed
Feed ingredients that can be used as duck feed fermentation as follows :
- Banana sticks
Banana stems are still rarely used as feed due to the presence of cellulose as a complex carbohydrate that cannot be optimally utilized by Ducks. Research conducted by Aminah et al., (2022) showed banana stem fermentation resulted in faster daily body weight growth. The feed formulation used 20% commercial feed, 20% Bran and 60% fermented banana stems yield a harvest weight of 1.11 kg in 5 weeks.
- Dregs of tofu
Tofu dregs are solid waste from tofu industry processing. Tofu pulp has the limitation of high water content and low crude protein. Tofu pulp has the limitation of high water content and low crude protein. Tofu pulp that has been fermented, crude protein increased from 2.91% to 20.70% (Prayitno et al., 2019). The use of 20% tofu pulp fermented using yeast tape (Sacharomyces cerevisiae) in feed, able to increase body weight gain, final weight and reduce the value of feed conversion male Magelang Ducks aged 2-6 weeks (Listyowati et al., 2020).
- Hyacinth
The presence of hyacinths is often considered a weed due to their rapid growth. However, it turns out that hyacinth has the potential as an alternative feed for ducks. Fermentation of water hyacinth using probiotics can increase crude protein from 1% to 14.78% and decrease crude fiber from 20.12% to 16.49%. The provision of fermented hyacinth by 75% in Alabio duck feed has a positive effect on duck growth (Fitriyanti, 2019).
So that the fermented feed can be used optimally by Ducks, check the condition of the fermented feed again before giving it. Characteristics of good fermented feed include :
- Typical fragrant smell of fermentation
- Color is still the same as before fermentation
- Crumb texture, not mushy
- Not moldy
The transition from the previous feed to fermented feed can be stressful for ducks. The transition to fermented feed is carried out gradually so that the digestive tract of ducks can adapt to fermented feed. In order to optimize the health of the digestive tract add Optigrin with the rule of giving 2 grams / kg of feed. In addition, constantly monitor the condition of the Ducks during the feed transition.
