A few questions about fermented feed...

[chanamarie]

So, after reading some good thins about fermented chicken feed, I decided to jump in and try it.

My chicken are going on 7 weeks old and still on chick crumble. So last night, as per instructions in the article I was referencing, I put some in a glass jar, covered it with watered, stirred, covered it with a breathable top and left it. Stirred it again this morning and gave them some for breakfast (the article said it was fine to feed straight away, though actual fermentation would take a few days). They ran to it as usual. But when I went to check on them later, it looked like it hadn't really been touched.

So, did I do something wrong? It takes some getting used to? Or they don't eat as much?

Also, when I offered dry crumb, I'd leave it for the day and take it away at night. But the wet stuff looked kind of grim by the end of the day.

 

[lazy gardener]

Chickens are creatures of habit. New stuff????? They'll wait till Mikey tries it. Then, it will be a free for all. When it sits out all day, it will get a bit crusty. Just give it a stir. Keep it in the shade if you can. It should be good to go in the morning. You might try sprinkling a bit of their crumble on top of it. That way, they'll go for the familiar dry crumble, and will get into the FF. Or you could sprinkle a favorite other food on top of it. But if you leave it, they will eventually try it, and discover how good it is.

 

[chanamarie]

Chickens are creatures of habit. New stuff????? They'll wait till Mikey tries it. Then, it will be a free for all. When it sits out all day, it will get a bit crusty. Just give it a stir. Keep it in the shade if you can. It should be good to go in the morning. You might try sprinkling a bit of their crumble on top of it. That way, they'll go for the familiar dry crumble, and will get into the FF. Or you could sprinkle a favorite other food on top of it. But if you leave it, they will eventually try it, and discover how good it is.

Thanks for the reply!
I tried again as you recommended with a pinch of dry sprinkled over. They ran to it, pecked it, and then ate no more. This is the only food they've ever turned their beaks up at! And it smells ok to me, slight sauerkraut smell, but not unpleasant. So...

Could it be a texture thing (though they eat yogurt and cottage cheese)? If it wasn't with chick crumble which goes so mushy, but with regular feed, do you think it would work better? And could they have regular feed yet (Nearly 8 weeks old)? Or better just to stick with the dry crumble until they transition to adult feed?

I have chicks due to hatch (fingers crossed) at the end of this week. Can I try feeding this to them from the get-go?

 

[lazy gardener]

Yes, you can start hatchlings on it. Though, I usually get them eating some crumble first and then switch to FF. If they get hungry enough, they will eat the FF. Just don't give them a choice. Once Mikey starts eating it, they will all be chowing down. No chicken will starve to death when any kind of food is available. BTW, my dog goes absolutely ape over FF.