Chicken with beak clipped

[marypcoleman]

I bought a chicken when she was younger. Her beak was clipped and at first, she was fairly strange and standoffish, always feeding. She has integrated better now but I still find her always at the feeder. Normal wt. I just wondered if she has trouble eating with that beak? Today I put the crumble food in water to see if that would help? Well, they all loved it that way. Is that okay to serve like that?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I occasionally feed moistened feed. Generally in the winter time as it can mold pretty quickly in warmer weather.

I'm sure it takes her longer to eat. Maybe you could try switching to a pellet feed to see if she can pick it up easier, otherwise moistened feed is fine just pick it up after a half hour or so.

 

[azygous]

Yes! Yes! Yes!

Chickens, even those with normal beaks, find it much easier to quench their hunger with moist feed. So why not maximize the taste and nutrients while you're at it by fermenting the feed?

It's as easy as mixing water and feed together. Natural wild yeasts floating in the air around us colonize the wet mixture (leave the lid off or slightly askew) and within 48 hours, you have a fermented mixture that is fluffy and much more nutritious than dry feed, complete with natural probiotics, and to my nose, even smells better than dry or just moistened feed.

To jump start the ferment, you can add a splash of ACV and keep it in a warm place (55F to 80F) and you can make it as wet or dry as you want by adding dry feed to it or more water stirring twice a day.

I like mine the consistency of biscuit dough so I mix 12 cups water to 14 cups dry feed. Filtered water will permit the yeasts to colonize more quickly. This feeds a flock of 12 for a couple days at 1/2 cup per chicken per day.