I ferment grains, not pellets or "feed". I keep a plastic trash can (33 gallons) and scoop out of it for a couple of weeks until it gets w/I 3-5 days of being used then start a new one w/ the liquid from the old one. I know you don't have the indoor space for this I mentioned it to show the...
But if the majority of your flock (or hatch) are thriving and healthy, and your food source is reasonably good for what you have available or can afford, do you really want to have all the additives and special needs to support the obviously weak individuals so they can make more weak...
I seriously doubt there is any vitamin or mineral deficiency. I think the much more likely reason is a genetic issue that is in one of your birds (or more) or a combo of a specific pairing that is occurring in a % of the offspring. Something that doesn't pass down 100% but has a genetic...
Have any made any recovery or have they all had to be euthanized?
Are they being hatched from the same genetic lines as the ones several years ago?
Are the parent chickens healthy and vital w/o obvious vitamin deficiency?
No, we had a power outage during winter killed them all, I never re established the colony. I decided to do the bsf larva instead, and hopefully some red wigglers, all outside w/o electricity. But haven't got organized enough to follow through yet, hopefully this year.
I have a brinsea, the octo 20. Love the ease of turning by turning the whole bator, the temps are rock solid. I have a horrible shrink wrap problem w/ mine, but others on the brinsea thread don't seem to.
Don't think it would make a good roadside hedge b/c you harvest basically the whole plant a couple of times a year, if kept harvested it won't get much over knee high and just as it does you'll be cutting in down again. Also on the roadside it might get more pollutants then you would like to...
Not sure on the dosing of the grapefruit seed extract, I looked it up once, but don't remember. I was still deciding which I planned on trying the basic H or the gse.
I think any soap can work to disrupt the exterior of the parasites making them vulnerable to the digestive fluids. I think basic H is mostly used b/c of it being thought of as a more "natural" product.
The other thing I have seen repeated is grapefruit seed extract. The soap will make the...