Jan./Feb. 2014 hatch a long

[lismarc]

Day 1 for me here. Can I join in the fun? 10 Lavendar Americauna Eggs are set in my new Brinsea Octagon 20 incubator.

Welcome Renee, Glad your here and GOOD LUCK with your hatch. So eggciting!

 

[DeannaA]

BOSS what is it and where do I get this. My babies can't free range. I am concerned that just the laying food is not enough

Sunflower seeds are expensive where I live. I add alfalfa pellets to my fermented feed in the winter. I also use 3 way scratch because it doesn't have as much corn. Antthing to keep them warm in the winter. I only add about 15% so they don't get chubby. They would eat it all day long if I let them. They are terrible foragers. Way to spoiled to work for their food. They do love playing in the wheat straw and snacking as they play.

 

[jan12]

I'm on day 14 and 6. The older eggs were shipped during the polar vortex, and I had 3 clears and I chucked one really dirty egg, and right now I have 8 going strong. Lockdown next week!!! Woohoo!!
The other batch I'm incubating is wheaten/blue wheaten AMs, and 14 out of 15 are looking great - one was clear. Hope all 14 hatch!!!
I hope everyone has a great hatch!! I will post pics next week - hopefully of the fuzzy butts!

 

[Heidisgran]

Quote: duck eggs humidity 55 to 65 lock down 85

 

[Heidisgran]

Quote: I feed mine oatmeal with cayenne pepper, garlic, acv and vitamins in it and I get the turnip green or any of those root tops that they sell...you can use rabbit food too

 

[Heidisgran]

Quote: if your babies can't free range you should use the medicated chick starter...it has a little of the organisms in it that they would be exposed to if they were free ranging so when and if they ever are exposed they'll have immunity against them

 

[lismarc]

I feed mine oatmeal with cayenne pepper, garlic, acv and vitamins in it and I get the turnip green or any of those root tops that they sell...you can use rabbit food too

All these rabbits I have here and never once have I thought of feeding my peeps rabbit food. Guess what they are getting today....

THANKS for the idea!

 

[dolfi]

[Quuote name="lismarc" url="/t/846539/jan-feb-2014-hatch-a-long/1350#post_12693444"]Your lucky. Mine looks for the first 2 minutes then says.... "here we go again. its the chick band." Even my little human babies are disinterested anymore.

I have one. She's 10 years old. She is a little loco about animals . She's mine listener and companion with my hobby.

Exactly. Mine wouldn't help with the incubator. So I bought a few.  He wouldn't help me with the coop either so I converted the kids old play house and added a 10 x 20 dog kennel to the side. I think he thought it was a phase. We moved last month and I had a tow truck move my coop. He couldn't believe it. I guess he thought I was gonna sell my babies.  HA  Last weekend, I bought a new playhouse....only problem is...... it has to be assembled. Gonna be fun asking for his help. 
[/quote]
Mine gave up. He had a problem with space in the yard. Lol but with the polish, people come to look at them, he gets attention. So he's a little better with them.

Sunflower seeds are expensive where I live.  I add alfalfa pellets to my fermented feed in the winter.  I also use 3 way scratch because it doesn't have as much corn.  Antthing to keep them warm in the winter.  I only add about 15% so they don't get chubby.  They would eat it all day long if I let them.  They are terrible foragers.  Way to spoiled to work for their food.  They do love playing in the wheat straw and snacking as they play.  

I was reading about fermented food but didn't understand how to do it. Or with what. Will love to learn.

All these rabbits I have here and never once have I thought of feeding my peeps rabbit food. Guess what they are getting today....

    THANKS for the idea!

I have rabbits in the run. So my chickens get the food that falls from the cages.

 

[DeannaA]

Dolfi- When a chicken eats, only part of the food is digested and only part of the nutrients are absorbed. The rest is pooped out. Fermenting, starts to break down the food before they eat it so more of it can be digested and absorbed. The longer it's fermented, the more it is absorbed. (Too long and it will sour.) This means less food is needed and less is pooped out. The poop is not as smelly.

Fermenting also adds good bacteria and probiotics that help the health of the chicken. My chickens love it, too. You can put so many different things in it. There are a lot of websites with sugestions. Some of the sites will tell you, you have to put in about 15 different things. That is if you aren't putting chicken pellets or crumble in it. I put layer pellets in mine. That way I know I have the basic nutrition covered. Some of that stuff is expensive and only comes in 50 lb bags. I don't have room for 8- 50 lb bags. I can't even get most of it where I live.

During the summer I only use layer pellets (corn can make them hot). I use pellets instead of crumble because they seem to absorb a lot more water. I forgot to mention your chickens will drink way less water, so you won't have to refill and clean the water dishes as often.

In the winter I use layer pellets, 3 way scratch (I like 3 way because it has less corn, corn can be fattening) and half of my food I add the alfalfa pellets to give them some greens. Alfalfa has a lot of protien. I made 2 butter churns at a ceramic place here. I keep both full. One has the layer and scratch and the other has that plus the alfalfa. I add 14 cups pellets, 4 cups scratch and a gallon of water. I stir and add 1/2 cup buttermilk. I only add the buttermilk once every couple of weeks. The buttermilk helps the fermentation. You don't have to use it but it will take much longer. Some people use sauerkraut juice, my chickens hated it. I have read some people add ACV but I have also read that can kill some of the good bacteria and probiotics. I add it to my water instead of the food just in case. Some pellets work better than others. I have only found one that didn't. The way I do it, it doesn't have to be drained. SOme of the sites make it really complicated, it can be as easy or complicated as you want. You could do just water and pellets. It's up to you.

Why I do it- my chickens love it, I went from refilling their water 4 times a day to once, less stinky poos (my neighbors can't smell anything), healthier chickens and cut my feed bill almost in half. I have been doing it for 6 months. I love it.

 

[lismarc]

THANKS FOR THAT!! I didn't understand it at all either. I didn't understand why or how. It was only on this thread that I had even heard of it. Tried doing some research and, your right, it sounded complicated so I gave up. You just put it in terms I completely understand and feel confident enough to try.

A few questions. I've read we are suppose to add to it and stir it. Can you tell us how that is done (in what I call Lisa Lingo = Lingo I can undersand. lol)? Are we suppose to have it in a warm place for fermentation to take place or is a cold shed fine?