Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[galanie]

Hay fields produce hay....wheat fields produce wheat.......wheat straw is a "by-product" and the "cost" is the baling (wheat has already been harvested so straw is "on the ground" or baled as the wheat is harvested, so less cost)....usually much less cost involved than the cutting/conditioning, raking, baling and, many times, proper storing, of the hay.  Lots of wheat fields in the grain belt....not so many productive hayfields in TX.....supply and demand = cost.

I suppose. But having it trucked nearly 1000 miles doesn't seem to add that much to the cost from my point of view. Coastal Bermuda is grown and baled less than 30 miles from here. But it's around $17.00 bale while straw trucked in from something like 800 miles away is $10. Odd if a large part of the cost is freight.

 

[galanie]

I cook it with low to medium heat in a frying pan with some of the coconut oil that will be put into it anyway so it doesn't stick to the pan. I chop the livers up a bit, not really small, just a bit smaller than whole so they cook faster and more even. Then I scrap it all into a metal bowl, add more oil and the spices, blend until it is smooth and pack into a container.

I will likely be making that. I can't stand chicken livers in any way, shape or form but I love liver sausage. Yeah, makes little sense but oh well. There is one thing this southern girl knows that chicken livers are better for than anything else on this planet though: Catfish bait.

 

[Fred's Hens]

I always hear that is the reason feed is so expensive here in south central Texas. Wheat and corn are not grown anywhere within 500 miles of here. But that still begs the question, so far as freight costs, of why on earth then is wheat straw still half the price of a bale of locally grown coastal bermuda hay?

Straw is only $4 a bale here. Junk straw can be bought for even less. Straw isn't a high priced feed product and is used for bedding. Hay is feed. It is expensive to "make" and truck, but remember, it is a feed. Straw is not. Straw is a kind of by-product. If you're paying $10 for straw, most of that is trucking.

If you're paying a high price for hay, even locally produced hay, it is because it is a feed product. With all the mouths to feed in TX, all feed commands a good price. Beef isn't getting any cheaper and competition for cattle feed is heading upward.

 

[neopolitancrazy]

Hay fields produce hay....wheat fields produce wheat.......wheat straw is a "by-product" and the "cost" is the baling (wheat has already been harvested so straw is "on the ground" or baled as the wheat is harvested, so less cost)....usually much less cost involved than the cutting/conditioning, raking, baling and, many times, proper storing, of the hay. Lots of wheat fields in the grain belt....not so many productive hayfields in TX.....supply and demand = cost.

Actually, according to my memory of childhood wheat harvests and what the current wheat farmers have told me, the "straw" is chopped up into pieces too small to bale when the grain is harvested. Wheat straw is baled with the heads still intact, generally when the farmer expects a poor grain yield. Also, the recent droughts in Texas mean there is a very low feed supply, but still a high demand.

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

For any of y'all in the Southeast, Flint River Mills and Tucker Milling both make an excellent "animal protein based" feed.

I use the Tucker myself. For my grown birds I mix their 16% ration with their 22% ration to yield me a 19% protein feed. Youngsters are fed Tucker medicated chick feed and I supplement (especially the younger birds) with stoneground YELLOW grits cooked with 4-6 eggs and a cup full of Calf Manna.

Not sure how far Tucker shipped feeds, but might be worth a look

 

[cbnovick]

Cindy,

They are positively BLOOMING ! Good job !

Thanks Vickie!!!
I take PRIDE and JOY in caring for my birds

BTW- I went out this afternoon and one of my ringlet barred hens was up in the nest box of the coop portion laying an egg at 2pm this afternoon...IT WAS 113 degrees!!!

 

[aveca]

cindy..love the avatar ...

 

[thedragonlady]

Actually, according to my memory of childhood wheat harvests and what the current wheat farmers have told me, the "straw" is chopped up into pieces too small to bale when the grain is harvested. Wheat straw is baled with the heads still intact, generally when the farmer expects a poor grain yield. Also, the recent droughts in Texas mean there is a very low feed supply, but still a high demand.

Wheat straw is harvested after the wheat heads are combined off. The straw is only chopped if it will be left in the field, other wise it is baled. There is now a tremendous demand for wheat straw, not only for bedding, but for mulch by landscapers and highway departments.There is a good bit of wheat baled here in S.C. The problem comes in drying out the straw after the wheat is combined due to high humidity here.. I have to search for wheat straw that is free of mold. A 50 lb bale runs about $8 here.

 

[Zanna]

Wheat straw is harvested after the wheat heads are combined off. The straw is only chopped if it will be left in the field, other wise it is baled. There is now a tremendous demand for wheat straw, not only for bedding, but for mulch by landscapers and highway departments.There is a good bit of wheat baled here in S.C. The problem comes in drying out the straw after the wheat is combined due to high humidity here.. I have to search for wheat straw that is free of mold. A 50 lb bale runs about $8 here.

That is how it is done here in the Willamette Valley in Oregon, Beautiful 50 Lb straw bales go for $2 - $4 a bale here. The farm where I live grows and harvests their own wheat to sell and bale the straw to use as horse bedding for the horse facility here.

 

[3riverschick]

Quote: Hi Dragonlady and all,
Thanks so much for all your wisdom and sharing,
Ok, back to Purina, worming and supplements. Yes, it was an old book. That's why I brought the knowledge here for ya'll to vet. Sometimes I can't figure the truth of it and then need other eyes to ferret it out. Thank you all! I really appreciate your help. Now I know it was truly horsefeathers and not some hidden secret I could really use.
Best,
Karen