How to Prepare Lactobacillus (LAB) for Chicken Health

Let’s talk about how to prepare lactobacillus for poultry. Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) also known as lacto-bacillus are probiotics and additives used to boost the immune system and of poultry birds while providing a healthy intestinal environment at the same time. Because of the positive impact on intestinal health, lactic acid bacteria also promotes growth and delivers improved weight gain potential to your chickens. As if that is not enough, lactobacillus also gives better feed conversion ration (FCR). What’s more is that after producing your LAB, it is not only used for chickens but can benefit other livestock as well. So, let’s get into the production of LAB.

Materials Needed to Produce Lactobacillus

1. Rice
2. Milk
3. Water
4. Glass or Plastic Jar
5. Breathable Mesh
6. Rubber band

How to Produce Lactobacillus for Chickens

For several weeks, I was researching how to prepare lactobacillus before I finally hit it. Let me take you through the process.

• Get about 3 cups of rice. Ultimately, the quantity of rice depends on the volume of LAB you want to produce.
• Wash the rice in a bowl, do not throw away the water because that is what we need in this production
• Strain the water. Because the rice itself is not needed for the process, you can cook the rice and eat.
• Now, pour the water into a jar or small plastic bucket.
• Cover the bucket or jar with a breathable mesh and hold with a rubber band.
• Store away for 5 to 7 days
• After 7 days, the content of the jar is expected to have separated into 3 layers; a thin layer of dirt at the top, a somewhat clear water in the middle, and a thick gathering at the bottom
• Use a spoon to scoop away the thin layer at the top. Alternatively, if you have a big syringe, you can insert it, allowing the head to be in the second layer, and draw out the clear liquid in the layer only.
• If you have used the first method, carefully strain the second layer into a bowl. That is the part we need, then throw away the thick layer at the bottom.
• Add 10 parts liquid milk (you can buy 900g of powdered milk and dissolve in water) into the bowl containing the fermented rice wash. The preferred milk is full cream milk.
• For the volume of milk, if your fermented rice wash water is 1 liter, add 10 liters of liquid milk to it.
• Stir vigorously for some seconds
• Use a paint bucket for this and make a little hole at the top of the cover to allow the microbes that will multiply to breathe. The hole should not be more than half an inch. Then you should cover the hole with a mesh. Preferably, make a hole with a biro/pen case, insert it and cover with a breathable mesh.
• Do not allow flies or insects into the contents as they will destroy the process. Also keep away from sunlight
• Allow for another 7 days
• After 7 days you will notice a thick white hard substance called curd, take it out.
• This curd can be mixed with feed and fed to your organic chickens and livestock. Let’s continue with the main target
• Strain the liquid into a bowl
• The liquid at this stage can be used as an odour killer in your pen or septic tank at home
• Now, add an equal amount of molasses to the new liquid
• That is, if you have 1 liter of LAB add 1 liter of molasses to it. This is for preservation, otherwise refrigerate.
• Now to use our LAB for our birds we must activate it.

To activate, dilute 1 liter of LAB in 10 Liters of water. This is all you need to know about how to prepare lactobacillus

Dosage – How to Administer Lactobacillus for Chickens

Add 10 ml of the LAB to 1 liter of water. That is, if your chickens are to take 20 liters of water in a day, you simply multiply 10 ml by 20, which is 200 ml of LAB to 20 liters of water.

You can find this and a lot more in my Complete Guide to Organic Poultry eBook.