100 Broilers and Fermented Feed Project

[kuntrygirl]

You will love the turkeys. I have been raising them for many years and I love them. I'm so used to using sand, I'm afraid to use anything else but I guess I"ll try the shavings.

I was thinking about turkeys as well, what breed do you prefer? I thought they were all the same (stupid me) then when I started looking them up I found more.

I love the Bourbon Reds. Only breed that I have ever had and I LOVE LOVE LOVE THEM.

 

[kuntrygirl]

We feed unmedicated the entire time. The ff is really beneficial and all natural its better for us.
We restrict feed and they grow a bit slower and last longer than the 7-9 weeks (by similar comparisons but that's the average size chicken for processing. So most if ours we are doin the 18th this month. We are trying to have a few go past the 8/9 week to the 12 week mark and see how much of a difference in size we obtain. See if its worth it overall or just to do one batch for our customers that want a larger bird.

This is a copy and paste from another thread about feed consumption for broilers. I have been looking for this for months.

Does anyone ever feed "broiler feed" to their meat birds?

http://www.meyerhatchery.com/produc...D=WBRS&grd_prodone_filter=PRODUCT_ID = 'WBRS'

Feed Recommendations:
Recommend feeding your babies 12 hours ON and 12 hours OFF starting at 3 weeks of age. This helps minimize the risk of heart attacks that can result from their rapid growth.

Feed Medicated 20% Chick Starter for the first 3 weeks.
Then un-Medicated 18% Broiler feed until butcher, suggested at 7 - 9 weeks of age.

(To minimize mortality and health issues, we strongly suggest processing at 7-9 weeks of age.)

Someone once gave me 6 broilers by accident many years ago and they lived to be 4 years old. They were all hens and all of their names were Hilda.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I don't think it stinks worse, I think there is a ton more poop than other chicks so the same cleaning schedule would cause buildup. I had to clean broilers brooders twice as much as layers to keep up.

Do you think that because they are broilers that their poop stinks worst than regular chickens?\\

How often did you change the pine shavings out and how much is needed to put down?

MORE WORK!!!!!!! lol

 

[aoxa]

All of the broilers are doing good. No losses. They are greedy as ever. All feeders were bone dry this morning, so I had to re-fill. I have opened the 2nd batch of FF and starting on that. I think I will start a third batch today. I think this batch will last me a LONG time. Looks like A LOT in there.



I talked to the lady about the hatch day of the broilers and she said that hey were hatched on the 3rd. They picked them up on the same day they were hatch.

Has anyone used pine shavings for bedding with the broilers? If so, how did you like it? Did it keep the mess down? I have not been able to find the other shavings that were mentioned a few posts back, so it looks like pine shavings will be my choice . I'm not a fan of shavings but for the broilers, I will try them. Someone said that sand is not good but I still want to try sand as well. That may not be until next year.

Here is a pic of the feeder that I designed a few years ago for my other animals. This feeder is AWESOME! I will have this same feeder made on a smaller scale for the broilers with a few minor adjustments that I have been thinking about. I love this feeder for my animals because I can pick it up and move it ANYWHERE I want to. It's not attached to anything. I have several "pick up and go" feeders that I LOVE having in the chicken yard. I can move it and put it under my raise coops on the rainy days and pick it up and move it back to the chicken yard. The plastic makes it for easy cleaning . And the chickens can't get in to scratch the feed out . I'm the only one that may spill from time to time because I'm clumsy and not paying attention when I pour it in. Other than that, I have ZERO waste with these feeders. I know that the FF will work great.

I like those feeders

The shavings are pine I use. It's called Kiln Dried Pine. It's the only option we have for shavings in bulk. It's $5.99 a bag and one bag does a 4x16 pen two inches deep.

 

[kuntrygirl]

My hubby wants turkey bad!
I was on the fence until we went to get some bunnies from Celie. She has a beautiful place. We were walking to the rabbitry and walked past a meeting. Sounded so serious! One turkey spread tail, standing tall and gobbling at I swear it looked like 20 other Turkeys! I smiled and followed along to the rabbitry when all of the sudden there was a huge massive collaboration of gobbling from the dictators crowd I could NOT stop laughing. The turkeys cheered and cheered in their funniest, gobbling voices all in unison and I had to leave. I had to take a walk with a dog and the giggles start just remembering. So we will definitely be getting Turkey's soon. Hubby has breeding plans and I hear they take awhile! So chicks will be needed soon lol

You will love the turkeys. I have been raising them for many years and I love them. I'm so used to using sand, I'm afraid to use anything else but I guess I"ll try the shavings.

If I had to chose between turkeys and chickens, it would be turkeys. I have a great bunch of gobblers and their girlfriends. Raising the poults can be VERY difficult if a person doesn't know what they are doing. I get a lot of calls during breeding, incubating and hatching season on what to do and many people lose a lot of chicks by thinking a poult can be raised like a baby chick. Wrong answer. It's not the same.

 

[aoxa]

We feed unmedicated the entire time. The ff is really beneficial and all natural its better for us.
We restrict feed and they grow a bit slower and last longer than the 7-9 weeks (by similar comparisons but that's the average size chicken for processing. So most if ours we are doin the 18th this month. We are trying to have a few go past the 8/9 week to the 12 week mark and see how much of a difference in size we obtain. See if its worth it overall or just to do one batch for our customers that want a larger bird.

Same here. I never feed medicated.

I don't want anything like that in my meat. They say it never leaves the gut, but I don't trust it. I'd rather them develop immunities from deep litter

 

[kuntrygirl]

I use wire now because shavings smelled great but were EVERYWHERE. still are lol.

If we had planned ahead I would try sand. The coop floors are sand with riversilt bases. But brooders didn't go that route :/

NO wire hangers for me. And when you get turkey poults, please do not use wire. Their bodies are too heavy for wire and they will have crooked toes. Been there done that and won't do it again.

 

[kuntrygirl]

All of the broilers are doing good. No losses. They are greedy as ever. All feeders were bone dry this morning, so I had to re-fill. I have opened the 2nd batch of FF and starting on that. I think I will start a third batch today. I think this batch will last me a LONG time. Looks like A LOT in there.




I talked to the lady about the hatch day of the broilers and she said that hey were hatched on the 3rd. They picked them up on the same day they were hatch.


Has anyone used pine shavings for bedding with the broilers? If so, how did you like it? Did it keep the mess down? I have not been able to find the other shavings that were mentioned a few posts back, so it looks like pine shavings will be my choice . I'm not a fan of shavings but for the broilers, I will try them. Someone said that sand is not good but I still want to try sand as well. That may not be until next year.


Here is a pic of the feeder that I designed a few years ago for my other animals. This feeder is AWESOME! I will have this same feeder made on a smaller scale for the broilers with a few minor adjustments that I have been thinking about. I love this feeder for my animals because I can pick it up and move it ANYWHERE I want to. It's not attached to anything. I have several "pick up and go" feeders that I LOVE having in the chicken yard. I can move it and put it under my raise coops on the rainy days and pick it up and move it back to the chicken yard. The plastic makes it for easy cleaning . And the chickens can't get in to scratch the feed out . I'm the only one that may spill from time to time because I'm clumsy and not paying attention when I pour it in. Other than that, I have ZERO waste with these feeders. I know that the FF will work great.



 

I like those feeders

The shavings are pine I use. It's called Kiln Dried Pine. It's the only option we have for shavings in bulk. It's $5.99 a bag and one bag does a 4x16 pen two inches deep. 

Thanks.

I look all around my area for the kind you mentioned but I can't find them. I will go online and see if I can order them. I like that price and amount.

What are the other types of shavings that are dangerous to chicks?

 

[kuntrygirl]

We feed unmedicated the entire time. The ff is really beneficial and all natural its better for us.

We restrict feed and they grow a bit slower and last longer than the 7-9 weeks (by similar comparisons but that's the average size chicken for processing. So most if ours we are doin the 18th this month. We are trying to have a few go past the 8/9 week to the 12 week mark and see how much of a difference in size we obtain. See if its worth it overall or just to do one batch for our customers that want a larger bird.

Same here. I never feed medicated.

I don't want anything like that in my meat. They say it never leaves the gut, but I don't trust it. I'd rather them develop immunities from deep litter

I don't medicated feed here. Hate the stuff.

I'm going the organic route this time.

 

[foreverlearning]

MORE WORK!!!!!!!

lol

You were warned!

Thanks.

I look all around my area for the kind you mentioned but I can't find them. I will go online and see if I can order them. I like that price and amount.

What are the other types of shavings that are dangerous to chicks?

Ceder is bad for them.