Food and water question (water nipples and fermenting went bad)

[IdahoPrepper]

My older birds wont touch the water nipples (peckers). How do I get them to start drinking from the peckers?

Second my ferment food went bad with a real bad smell and gray mold on top. What did I do wrong?

Couple question about fermenting.

Do I keep going or use it up and start over? Do I keep adding feed to the mush and more water or feed all and restart? Do I change water in feed or just add more? How long can you use the fermented food for? Is there a 1-2-3 on this without reading a 69 page thread?

 

[Gallina Sarda]

Hey there IdahoP,
Check out this fermented feed page https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/644300/fermenting-feed-for-meat-birds.
I know it says meat birds, but you will find the info relevant to layers as well. As far as your current moldy batch, I would add it to the compost pile (if you've got one) and start over.

 

[pdirt]

Not sure what the "peckers" watering nipples are, but I suppose it doesn't matter. Older birds do tend to take bit longer to learn to use the nipples, but they do catch on. Just remove ALL other water sources until they've figured out the nipples. Usually they will have it figured out in a few hours. If they haven't figured it out in about 12-18 hours (less if the ambient temp is hot), give them some water and try the nipples again in a few days. But it's rare that I've heard of a chicken that didn't figure it out within hours. Chicks figure it out in minutes. If you don't remove the other water sources, they will not learn because they are entrained in a habit of where they get their water.

x2, compost the fermented feed and start over. Scrub your bucket out with soap and water and final rinse with a splash of vinegar. I forget the link, but google for "tiktok fermented feed" and you should find a pretty decent article about it. Be sure to stir it every day until it starts a sour smell. Sour, like vomit, is a "good" smell. Truly foul, rotten, septic/sewer smells are not okay.

 

[RonP]

With the help of a laser pointer, my older birds figured out where the water was in less than 15 seconds.

 

[AthenaT]

I use fermented feed it the 1 bucket method...once the first batch has fermented (in my case 5 days) I just scoop out and fill the bowls 4 times a day after the last feeding I add crumble and water to refill and stir well...it is ready the next day

 

[homsar]

Mine took to the nipples after "showing" them the water dripping out by "pecking" the nipple with my finger. That made them curious and came over and discovered the water.