Venting with Fermenting Fail

[lissalischicks]

Is the cosistancy on the wet or dry side? Mine like it drier, like biscuit dough, thick mashed potatoes...

Mine is not dry but not well. Not any different when I give them their feed with water.

 

[lissalischicks]

As for the birds not liking it, if they are already used to soaked feed, give them about half of their normal ration of soaked feed and some fermented feed. They will eat when they get hungry but by giving them half a ration they won't STARVE while they figure it out. If they leave the FF, just dump it out of the container back into the main bucket and give it a stir and give them "fresh" FF the next day.

I'll try the half and half and see how that works. They also have dry feed which is what all of them were eating.

 

[Kusanar]

I'll try the half and half and see how that works. They also have dry feed which is what all of them were eating.

If they have dry food free choice they likely won't try the FF to see if they like it or not. Chickens are well.... chickens when it comes to trying new foods. Take the dry food away or give them a small portion to make them eat the FF, it won't hurt them to go a little hungry for a few days until they try it.

 

[lissalischicks]

It's weird.... they eat the wet food. I wonder if the fermented feed tastes different

 

[rosemarythyme]

Try sprinkling a tiny bit of the same feed, dry, on top. We call it "adding streusel" because they seem to like a taste of it dry before digging into the wetter stuff.

And as noted above chickens hate change but also won't starve themselves. It will probably take them a few days to acclimate to it.

 

[lazy gardener]

Agreed with rosemarythyme: take away the dry, give them a small serving of FF, and sprinkle some dry on top. They will eat it, and once they get a taste for it, they will perfer it. This winter, with many days of sub zero and single digits, I stopped fermenting for a while, then went to a single bucket. (instead of alternating 2 buckets like I do in the summer) Depending on the age of the ferment, or the high temps for the day, I might put out some dry and some ferment. I found it interesting to see how they reacted to the choice. When the dry was a "new and novel event" they chowed into it like it was candy. But when they routinely had a choice, they would eat all of the FF by the end of the day, and leave the dry in the trough.