IMO AS FEED

Feed IMO to Animals

IMO AS FEED

In Korean Natural Farming (KNF), Indigenous Microorganisms (IMO) are not only essential for soil health but also beneficial when added to animals as the inoculant for the Inoculated Deep Litter System (IDLS).

In addition to using Indigenous Micro-Organisms on the outside of animals, it can be used on the inside as well. Introducing IMO into the digestive system of animals promotes gut health by populating their microbiomes with locally adapted, beneficial microbes. This supports improved digestion, nutrient absorption, immune function, and overall animal vitality.

IMO-fed animals produce less odor, show more resilience to disease, and yield higher-quality manure that is better suited for composting or direct field application. Due to these benefits, if the animal is raised for meat, the quality will be significantly improved.

Typically, IMO is added in small amounts to feed, often mixed into grain, forage, or kitchen scraps, ensuring even distribution without overwhelming the feed or altering its palatability.

In chickens, for example, the general rule of thumb is to give a third each of protein-rich food, carbohydrate-rich food, and fresh greens. With IMO, the basic recipe becomes 30% protein, 30% carbohydrate, 30% greens, and 10% IMO.

IMO-4 is the preferred form of IMO to use in feed because it has a soil component, which benefits animals in many ways, including the addition of minerals. It can be added directly to the feed.

I found an alternative method, which served me well for years and kept me from needing to cultivate IMO just for feed.

I used a feed bucket, which I would fill every day with farm processing by-products, kitchen scraps, pulled weeds (with roots and soil intact), and other farm and garden waste. Some items were grown specifically to feed the animals. I did not buy any feed.

I would place a layer of clean, IMO-inoculated bedding at the bottom of the feed bucket. As I collected overripe or unsaleable produce during the day’s work and added it to the bucket, it would get inoculated by the IMO at the bottom. Anything that could feed the animals was added to the bucket.

At the end of the day, I would feed the animals from the bucket. Then I would wipe out the bucket with the straw in the barn, and leave another layer of clean, inoculated bedding for the next day.

I could let the bucket sit for a day or two to allow for better inoculation, but I found that waiting an extra day was not really necessary.

When I had larger amounts of farm waste, such as sweet potato culls, I would treat them the same way. I might let these large batches sit for a day or two before feeding. If they were full of bugs, I didn’t want to let them sit long. I wanted to ensure the chickens ate the bugs rather than letting them move into my field.

As a side note, I would make silage for those times when I didn’t have enough farm and kitchen produce and waste to use as feed. However, these were inoculated with Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB), not IMO.