Arizona Chickens

[pastrymama]

Oh man, that stinks! What are you "allowed" to keep? Aren't you hatching more right now?

i am "allowed" to keep whoever is the quietest and to try to stay around the city's maximum number of 20. the basque roo can stay, as the neighbors don't mind him and he has a low crow and doesn't really crow during the day, the blue silkie roo left yesterday as he was a 3am screamer, 8 basque chicks went to beehappy, paint project got derailed and i don't want to talk about it

yes, i have silkies in the bator, but they go to various homes once hatched. so i just have 3 runner ducklings and 2 bantie cochins that need homes. oh, and some of the big ducks

 

[Mahonri]

After I went to the feed stores last week, I had to cancel my Ornamental Layers order with McMurray... for February. Feed has just gotten too expensive and even with the discount that Sharon gives at The Feed Barn, I just can't afford to start feeding a new group... small hatches of less than 10 perhaps or a chick or two from Western Ranchman just so I continue to have new layers coming up, but that's it.. and they've got to start living more on grass clippings, food scraps etc...

I don't know how farmers do it and why eggs have not skyrocketed in price. Many who raise chickens soon won't be able to afford it. I remember a couple of years ago when you could get a 50lb bag of Egg Maker for $11.50 . It's $20 now! Same thing with Layena... and Flock Raiser is now pushing $23!

Those are some expensive eggs we eat!

If I didn't enjoy them as eye candy I'd probably have to give them up.

 

[Di Gibbs]

Do you all follow the blog: Fresh Eggs Daily?
Lisa has a great recipe on there that I feed our girls and they love it, it is a mixture of this and that.

Hugs,
Di

 

[beehappy4ever]

i am "allowed" to keep whoever is the quietest and to try to stay around the city's maximum number of 20. the basque roo can stay, as the neighbors don't mind him and he has a low crow and doesn't really crow during the day, the blue silkie roo left yesterday as he was a 3am screamer, 8 basque chicks went to beehappy, paint project got derailed and i don't want to talk about it

yes, i have silkies in the bator, but they go to various homes once hatched. so i just have 3 runner ducklings and 2 bantie cochins that need homes. oh, and some of the big ducks

I snuck them in and DH didn't even notice, maybe I could have brought home the ducks...I will tell him they are deformed chickens

Just store your birds at my house let the fireman calm down then slowly sneak them back in.

 

[pastrymama]

I snuck them in and DH didn't even notice, maybe I could have brought home the ducks...I will tell him they are deformed chickens

Just store your birds at my house let the fireman calm down then slowly sneak them back in.

do they make muzzles for ducks so they can't quack? and i figured out why one of my muscovy girls was looking like she went thru a war. i had figured the basque roo was mating her, but this morning i caught all 3 drakes holding her down just to make sure the job got done. i was wondering why her eggs were fertile.

 

[parentwarrior]

Do you all follow the blog: Fresh Eggs Daily?
Lisa has a great recipe on there that I feed our girls and they love it, it is a mixture of this and that.

Hugs,
Di

I would love to check that out. How do I find the blog? I am always looking for recipes.

 

[Demosthine]

I would love to check that out. How do I find the blog? I am always looking for recipes.

After a bit of looking around, I found this article on Mixing Your Own Layer Feed. Although it doesn't have the actual recipe, it links to Backyard Poultry's website and an article titled Making Your Own Poultry Feed. This one has specific ingredient percentages and such, but he notes that these are just samples and recommendations. You're results will vary, of course. I also found a New and Improved Breakfast of Champions that is probably what Di was talking about.


I'll be watching that site more. There's some interesting stuff on it. Thanks for the recommendation, Di!

 

[Demosthine]

After I went to the feed stores last week, I had to cancel my Ornamental Layers order with McMurray... for February. Feed has just gotten too expensive and even with the discount that Sharon gives at The Feed Barn, I just can't afford to start feeding a new group... small hatches of less than 10 perhaps or a chick or two from Western Ranchman just so I continue to have new layers coming up, but that's it.. and they've got to start living more on grass clippings, food scraps etc...

I don't know how farmers do it and why eggs have not skyrocketed in price. Many who raise chickens soon won't be able to afford it. I remember a couple of years ago when you could get a 50lb bag of Egg Maker for $11.50 . It's $20 now! Same thing with Layena... and Flock Raiser is now pushing $23!

Those are some expensive eggs we eat!

If I didn't enjoy them as eye candy I'd probably have to give them up.

Have you tried using fermented feed? I was reading that massive thread in the Meat Forum and it sounds really promising. It is supposed to be perfectly fine for layers too. There were a few with great results, saying they had larger eggs, healthier hens and the girls actually eat less because it's easier to digest and naturally healthier for them. I plan on starting that this coming weekend, as a matter of fact. I've been letting my girls out of the coop to free-range for the first hour or two that I'm home from work in the mornings, before my dogs are let out. This is the perfect time to give them the extra feed.


From my reading and understanding, get two buckets. I'd assume 5-gallon buckets for your size flocks! LoL. In the first one, drill a large number of small holes in the bottom to allow the water to drain in and out. Then take your regular feed and put some in the bucket. Put that first bucket inside the second bucket and fill it with water so the feed is covered. Add a few glugs of raw apple cider vinegar to start the fermenting and development of the mother. Cover the bucket and watch it over the next day or two, making sure the feed stays covered with the water, refilling as necessary. After awhile, you should start noticing some bubbles forming on the top. That's the fermentation at work.

Whenever you want to feed your girls, pull the top bucket up out of the bottom one and allow it to drain for a bit. Scoop a day's worth of food in to a suitable dish and feed it to the girls. Simply add more feed periodically as you use it and refill the water as it gets low. Remember to re-use the water that is in the buckets, because that is where the natural probiotics are growing and are essential for the fermentation process.

 

[Mahonri]

So they eat LESS of the 'fermented' feed? and it's healthy?

Worth a try but I'd almost need to see pics as to how it's done! I'm a visual learner.

 

[Demosthine]

So they eat LESS of the 'fermented' feed? and it's healthy?

Worth a try but I'd almost need to see pics as to how it's done! I'm a visual learner.

Yes, they eat less of the dry weight of food. Because the fermented feed swells to between four and eight times it's dry mass, it will appear that they are eating more. It's just like cooking rice. You may start with one cup of dry rice, but when it's done, you have three cups of cooked rice. You'll want to watch your dry food to tell whether you are actually saving money or feed. The other thing to think about is that you are adding all of that water, so they are less likely to drink the living heck out of your water feeder. And since many people already add the ACV to their water feeders, especially during summer, you can skip that step once you ferment feed. They are getting the probiotics every time they eat.

I will take photos of the setup I develop this weekend. Because I only have three pullets, I'll be using two-gallon buckets. Several people have mentioned that for their five-gallon buckets, they attached a pulley to the rafters in their garage/barn and used that to raise the top bucket. They tied off the other end and it allows the bucket to drain without them having to stand their watching them.

The original thread is the Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds and is over 2,700 posts long. If you "Search This Thread" for "layer," you can get to the specific posts that are for our laying hens. You can also check out this article for a good summary on the Natural Chicken Keeping blog that was recently referenced in that FF for Meat Birds.