Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Beekissed]

That silkie looks downright gorgeous. :3 You should absolutely keep him! He'd probably turn into a very sweet house chicken for you! (Or he may surprise you by keeping up with your heritage flock!)

LOL Go Team Silkie!

LOL LOL LOL!

I hate feetie tufts and thoroughly despise head-dresses that interfere with vision. But I know someone that as a single person swears by keeping a small Silkie flock for meat. Apparently, if they are bred to their standard, they are supposed to be a meat bird. OK. Worth a thought.

That dollar bought you a heap o trouble, Bee K!

You ain't akiddin'.....

I'll have riots and picketers around my property on processing day with signs and bullhorns, shouting, "Free Mr. Silkie Pants! Silkies are friends, not food!"

I find their feathered feet and that extra toe very repulsive to look upon and even to touch...no way to keep those feet clean in the chicken world. I don't go for birds with top hats either...I like to see an animal's eyeballs.

Meat bird? That thing wouldn't fill my hollow tooth!

That little fluff ball breed, right??? Just making sure because I always thought of silkies as fluff balls and would never want to have to pluck them. Also, all the ones I have ever seen were small to say the least. I just don't see meat birds as a trait, now broodies is another matter, but not meat.

Yeah...me either. Unless one would consider songbirds as meat birds also...I guess they qualify as both have meat on them to some degree and they are both birds...sorta.

 

[Triple Willow]

TW, if there's a way for them to find their way in though the patio door, they will ! They eye me up when I'm eating lunch, just standing there and every once in awhile they peck at the window and stare some more... Almost go into zombie mode until I open the door and let the dog out the they scatter like bugs under a rotten log ! They're plotting against me for sure .. Trying to figure out how they can get that bucket of FF all to themselves !

LOL Sounds like some geese I had one time. They would knock on the front door. I would think somebody was here and open the door then look down to see geese. haha

 

[Kassaundra]

In Asian countries the silkies black skin and meat are prized as both a delicacy, and a medicinal soup. It is an up and coming "healthy food craze" by the proverbial "they", that say it is higher in antioxidants and other good stuff.

 

[RoseMarie1]

Posting a few pics of the Souparoos and their hillbilly rigged up temporary pen. Keep in mind they look WAY better than they did when they arrived, but still pretty scraggly. I've decided to keep the two smallest ones and free range them with the flock until they get much bigger...after I kill the bigger birds and Mr. Silkie Pants.

Now, don't laugh at my jacked up rooster pen!

I had all these materials on hand, so I fashioned them into a pen by throwing them at the hillside and however they stuck, that's where they stayed. The blue tarp was a last minute thought to block the wind from their roosting site...nights are down in the 40s here so I just wanted to block the breeze that rolls down that hill. Under the tarp is a few sheets of tin roofing, the stakes are push in steaks, welded wire fencing topped with green plastic mesh. The roost is an old tomato stake...not an optimal roost but it was the correct size to stick through that welded wire fencing. All of this is held together with zip ties. The tin is strapped on with rope so a stiff wind won't send it flying. The tarp is zip tied as well.

Now..that's how we roll out here in the boonies....

Built them a feeder today out of Dad's old miter box and, thanks to NH Red I dug out the nipple water bucket and, lo and behold~ the stupid birds started using it right away! Put that in yer nest and smoke it, Gnarly Bunch!

That was a great feeling...no more poopy water and I could dose them with some UP/ACV, just for kicks and giggles. The bigger red rooster is the most healthy of the bunch..heavy, well feathered, nice scales, etc. He'll make good eatin'. The big boy is a heavy bird as well, as is the sickly looking hen.



This is a pic of the poor hen that got here by mistake...she is very pale and listless acting. I'm hoping the dusting, the castor oil and the FF, not to mention clean soils, fresh air and sunlight, will help her regain some good health. Even for a hen in molt, she looks like she was placed in a wood chipper.



Annnnndddd....Mr. Silkie Pants.

Who spends his life on the other end of the pen from the rest of the chickens or up on the roost. He is not living a very good life right now but he will soon be placed out of his misery.











This is the roost and they all fit on it perfectly. This is also the biggest, oldest rooster..she said he was 2 yrs. He and Toby have been fighting through the fence, so his comb and wattles are a little beat up. They look and act so much more comfortable, they no longer stink like something dead for 3 days, and their feet and bodies are cleaner looking. They went wild over the leaves I put in the pen today and started acting like normal chickens...scratching and pecking.

GOOD JOB Bee!

I actually think you did very well for a temp pen! Nothing at all wrong with this! From what all you said even with this being a temp pen it's MUCH BETTER than what they had for all this time! And the silkie, give that booger a HAIR CUT! AND shave those legs! LOL

Oh and by the way, I don't like the froo froo chickens either. Don't think they should have feathers on their legs!

BUT now those buff orpingtons I really like, the golden colored ones. Not sure on how well they do though.

 

[Triple Willow]

You guys, this is completely off topic but... Would you believers please say a prayer for the Christians in Pakistan? Especially the Christians in Peshawar, Pakistan. This past Sunday the Taliban did a suicide bombing at a church in Peshawar and about 125 Christians have died. They were bombed as they were leaving church. The Taliban did it because of the US drone attacks on them in the Peshawar area (on the border of Afghanistan). They have promised 300 more attacks on Christians. I asked my friend in Pakistan what he thought should be done, stop drone attacks? He said NO, we should stop the terrorists where ever they are! (He was the one telling me about this just a little while ago.)

 

[Triple Willow]

In Asian countries the silkies black skin and meat are prized as both a delicacy, and a medicinal soup.  It is an up and coming "healthy food craze" by the proverbial "they", that say it is higher in antioxidants and other good stuff.

I have heard something about that.

 

[perchie.girl]

LOL Go Team Silkie!

LOL LOL LOL!

I hate feetie tufts and thoroughly despise head-dresses that interfere with vision. But I know someone that as a single person swears by keeping a small Silkie flock for meat. Apparently, if they are bred to their standard, they are supposed to be a meat bird. OK. Worth a thought.

That dollar bought you a heap o trouble, Bee K!

In Asian Cuisene the black flesh of the Silky is very much prized. For flavor and percieved medicinal qualities. If there is an Asian Community in your area consider raising up Silkys.....

Silky Superfood

I found my little guys to be quite personable.... I dont care for fether footed birds either but these were OK. They had a conformation much like Bee's Silky.... and I would LOVE to have a partridge silky. Another role Silkys do for the flock is they are incredible broodies... Even the boys will warm up a chick if it needs it.

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
For what its worth I believe they have fewer feathers than regular chickens.....

course I havent done research on it yet....

.

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

In Asian countries the silkies black skin and meat are prized as both a delicacy, and a medicinal soup. It is an up and coming "healthy food craze" by the proverbial "they", that say it is higher in antioxidants and other good stuff.

Yep Yep..... What you said.... VBG

deb

 

[crazyaboutchickens]

 

 
I whole heartedly agree on this.  I have banged heads on more than one occasion with people here and on other outside groups.  People who are quick to give them antibiotics or use chemicals.  I dont vaccinate except that which is proven and reliable.  This goes for all my animals including myself.

I say quick to use chemicals but to be honest while I would rather not I will use them to get a handle on a problem that might be getting out of control.  But there are great organic ones out there....  Orange Oil for one.  But I tell people If you eradicate all the bad bugs in your area you also eradicate the beneficial.  

deb

What do you do with orange oil?

Its an insecticide......  A by product of the Orange Juice industry.  also used as a cleaner.  biodegradeable and smells good too.
 
Orange oil link
 
deb

Interesting.... Does it last through rain, unlike DE?