You should have been consuming the mother during the entire bottle usage by shaking each time. That's part of it's potency. Personally, I'd add it to the next bottle rather than toss it to the chickens.
When I clean and refill my chickens' waterer, I just put one tablespoon in the water for each gallon. Seems to work fine for me. I've never seen it develop a "mother"?
I thought that you would "want" it to grow and get bigger..
it is nice and large.. that is why i didnt break it up.. I thought it would "kill" it
as for adding it to the chicken water.. well they drink out of a bucket.. I fill it up when I water the garden.. just shoot the water into the bucket that I have sitting next to their run.. it has been raining TONs her in the last week so they have lots of water.. LOL
I buy ACV from the store and add it to the bottle with the mother in it. Keeps it going without the high cost. When my bottle get about half way down I fill it back up.