Confused about what to feed

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

Who knows? Somehow making dry feed wet makes them a lot more excited, maybe it's like cold fries vs piping hot from the fryer fries to humans?

My opinion is anything i carry to the run is five star. Or, thats the chickens opinion!

 

[Alagirl]

Not to hijack the OP's conversation, but creating a mash, at least where you let it sit out for a day or more, starts a microbiome growth in the mash. It will smell, sometimes sour, sometimes like cheese, once in a while, stanky, as the different cultures in the mash change proportions. My dogs are always interested in the mash, and could care less about the dry feed. They are reacting to that mash culture. The chickens must be liking it, too. I think it's part of why it often gets cited as a good thing for chicken health. It seeds the chicks' immune system, and helps balance it through their lives.

I run warm water into the dish with the feed and put it out. The next day I retrieve it. Mostly because one or more of the silly chicks have been in it with both feet and done 'their thing' in it.
fermenting might take place at a later time, when they have outgrown the medicated starter feed....

 

[Shezadandy]

That’s a good idea, I’ve only been eating local eggs from a farm up the road so maybe I’ll get a carton from the store and see if I notice a difference physically

Or if you can find someone reasonably local that has the soy-free option - though that might be a bit of a tall order. Probably easier to find at the store.