Fermented feed smells like...pickles??

[Sack9963]

Hey all!
We have baby chicks coming tomorrow, and I just pulled my first batch of fermented feed out of the cupboard. It is on day 3 of fermentation.
The water level got a little low; there were a few grains breaking the surface, but I see no evidence of sliminess or mold. (I have made pickles, sauerkraut, and sourdough in the past, so am familiar with the process.)
Question though...all of the guides I am reading say it should smell pleasantly like sourdough. Mine smells STRONGLY like fermented pickles. Is that too much for day old chicks? Should I start over?
Thanks for any advice!

 

[Perris]

can you taste it? or test for ph?
is it bubbling?

 

[Sack9963]

I filtered the water out before I looked for bubbling. Oops. It tastes like pickles, but a little sharper.

 

[Sack9963]

I'm going to compost this batch and start over. If it were adult chickens I'd offer it to them and see, but not babies. Thanks!

 

[Perris]

I have included a guide for home made chick feed in this article if you are interested
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...eat-tears-a-calculator-or-deep-pockets.78655/

 

[Sack9963]

Thank you!

 

[Perris]

you're welcome. Enjoy your chicks when they come!

 

[Sack9963]

I have included a guide for home made chick feed in this article if you are interested
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...eat-tears-a-calculator-or-deep-pockets.78655/

I am VERY interested. What an amazing resource. Thank you!
We've struggled with flock health. Lately we have had lingering issues with salpingitis, failure to thrive, vent gleet, etc., though they all seem to be doing better right now.
We had been feeding a commercial whole-grain feed and found that they cherry picked it extensively, one possibly to the point of deficiency? They weren't touching the green split peas, which I thought may be because their protein needs were met by free ranging. We switched back to a commercial pellet just to make sure nutritional bases were covered, but it's SOY!
Not sure if we can keep up with fermenting long term, but I'd love to get these chicks off to a good start. (Great tips about fish and meat. Do you ever feed raw meats?)

 

[Perris]

Do you ever feed raw meats?

Currently it is illegal here to feed chickens meat (see https://www.gov.uk/guidance/supplyi...products-as-farm-animal-feed#abps-you-can-use if you're interested; the legislation is being reviewed and may be revised soon) which is why I have a mealworm farm as well as giving sardines.

Fresh mealworms are legal and are as nutritious and free from chemicals as the substrate they feed on, which I control because I'm growing them.

Of course, if they're lucky, they find live meat while free ranging, and that's all good .

I'm glad you found the article useful. Your birds might have been cherry-picking the whole grain feed because it supplied something that was lacking in the commercial feed. Chickens are perfectly capable of selecting what they need if they have a variety of real food to choose from; an animal's appetite has been honed by millions of years of evolution to ensure that the body gets what it detects it needs, when it needs it. Diverse real foods, and forage, will supply all they need, probably.