Fermenting probiotics in animal husbandry

(Baonghean) - Through an introduction from the leaders of Thanh Ngoc commune (Thanh Chuong district), we visited the family of Mr. Nguyen Huu Luong in Ngoc Dinh hamlet, one of the households applying the method of fermenting probiotics to process feed for livestock.

During the conversation, Mr. Luong confided: "Before knowing about this new method, my family didn't fully utilize the readily available agricultural by-products from corn and cassava plants to feed our livestock. For example, during the corn harvest, we only took the cobs and a few green leaves for the buffaloes and cows to eat, while the stalks were cut down, dried, and used for cooking. The same was true with cassava; we only took the tubers, and threw away the leaves, which was very wasteful. Now, using the microbial fermentation technique, my family utilizes all of them to process into feed for our livestock."

Nguyen Huu Luong's family uses fermented feed with probiotics to raise pigs.

According to Mr. Luong, the technique for fermenting animal feed using probiotics is very simple and easy to do. First, readily available ingredients such as corn and cassava are put into a grinding machine to crush them, then the feed mixture is thoroughly mixed with an appropriate amount of probiotics. Afterward, the mixture is placed in a container or sack lined with plastic, tightly sealed, and fermented in a dry, cool, and well-ventilated place. Fermentation only needs to continue until the feed has a pleasant aroma and a slightly sour taste. The fermented feed should be used within 1-2 days; leaving it longer will make it too sour and affect its quality.

As if to prove his point, Mr. Luong happily led us down to visit his family's pig farm. There were nearly 40 pigs, but it was easy to see that the use of fermented feed with probiotics ensured better environmental hygiene and less odor. Mr. Luong added that since using fermented feed with probiotics, the pigs have grown and developed well, gaining weight quickly. Furthermore, feed costs have been reduced by utilizing readily available, inexpensive local feed sources, and feed consumption has decreased significantly due to improved digestion and absorption. In addition, it helps increase the animals' resistance to disease, reducing the incidence of illness, especially intestinal diseases.

Thanks to this success, many households in Ngoc Dinh hamlet are now applying this technique. Ms. Nguyen Thi Quyen, a resident of the hamlet, shared: “Seeing that Mr. Luong's pig farming using feed processed from microbial fermentation techniques brought high economic value and required less effort, my family followed suit. Currently, our pig farm has about 60 pigs, and when supplemented with this feed, they grow quickly, are healthy, and the meat quality is guaranteed, making them easy to sell.” People in Minh Nhuan, Ngoc Xuan, Ngoc Quang hamlets, etc., also process feed from microorganisms to fatten their buffalo, cattle, and goat herds, bringing high economic efficiency.

Mr. Nguyen Cong Nong, Chairman of the People's Committee of Thanh Ngoc commune, said: The project "Building a model for applying microbial technology to process animal feed in Nghe An" was contracted by the Department of Science and Technology with Green Nghe An Company and implemented in the locality since December 2013. To date, this technique has proven effective and brought many benefits to livestock farmers. From only a few households participating initially, the number of families applying this technique in the commune has increased significantly. To further expand this, people hope that the State will have mechanisms and policies to support part of the cost to help them purchase raw material grinding machines and organize training courses to help livestock farming achieve higher efficiency...

Text and photos:Van Dang