My babies won't eat fermented feed

[thepick4uchicks]

Fermented feed has natural probiotics and the fermentation process releases additional nutrients in the feed. I've been feeding it for around nine years. I can see the long term effects in health and long egg laying years. I have eight-year olds laying regularly.

Someone mentioned warming the feed for cold mornings. I have resisted doing that, not wanting to risk destroying the probiotics and nutrients. Gentle heating on a stove top probably would be safe enough if you don't let it get too hot.

Aha! That was me actually that had read about making warm slurry with fermented feeds but I had only read about it I have never fed any fermented feed yet. However, I had also read that it did waste less and it did provide more nutrients from the food which is number one in my book yet I had also read somewhere else recently something on the contrary that there was no scientific basis to this. I will have to see if I can locate this piece of research as well if it is indeed factual and see where I got it from.

 

[NatJ]

My babies won't eat the chick starter I just finished fermenting. Should I wait or switch back to dry? They're 1 week old and have been on whole grain starter since birth. Thanks!!

I would give them free-choice dry feed, but also put out a small amount of the fermented feed once or twice a day. (Maybe only a teaspoon or so at a time.)

Many animals will try small amounts of new things but won't eat much until they've had it on several occasions. So they might like it better after a few days.

 

[bcorps]

They do love their DRY whole grain chick feed, though. So I thought maybe if I took a little of the fermented feed, and mixed in enough dry feed so that it was crumbly *maybe, just maybe* they would like it.

And it worked! They've been eating a small bowl of it for the last two days. They were five days old when I finally had success. But again, I think it's because I've mixed enough of the dry food into it so that it's no longer too wet and sticky, as someone else mentioned.

Mixing in is what worked for me too. The dry bits also stand out visually, and when they would peck at it, they would invariably get some gloopy stuff too. However, my brats are so spoiled now they insist on me "fluffing" their FF up after they've stomped it into concrete.

 

[Eri_Oak]

Mixing in is what worked for me too. The dry bits also stand out visually, and when they would peck at it, they would invariably get some gloopy stuff too. However, my brats are so spoiled now they insist on me "fluffing" their FF up after they've stomped it into concrete.

Spoiled little brats!

 

[ccnycnc]

I also have week-old baby chicks! This is my first flock, so I can only speak to my experience with these little ones so far.

I did try to feed them fermented whole grain starter beginning on day one, but they HATED it. Would recoil from it and wipe their little beaks furiously after trying it. I tried different things to tempt them - yogurt, scrambled egg, different serving dishes, different places in the brooder. No dice.

They do love their DRY whole grain chick feed, though. So I thought maybe if I took a little of the fermented feed, and mixed in enough dry feed so that it was crumbly *maybe, just maybe* they would like it.

And it worked! They've been eating a small bowl of it for the last two days. They were five days old when I finally had success. But again, I think it's because I've mixed enough of the dry food into it so that it's no longer too wet and sticky, as someone else mentioned.

Keep trying, and hopefully you'll have some luck soon! PS - I've been keeping my ferment in the fridge to slow the fermentation so I don't have to waste it and that's worked great =)

This worked! They devour the dry + fermented mix! Thanks so much!!

 

[Eri_Oak]

This worked! They devour the dry + fermented mix! Thanks so much!!

YAY!!