California - Northern

[ronott1]

Quote: http://www.cahfs.ucdavis.edu/index.cfm

You can send dead birds here for necropsy testing. I hope you don't need it, but Debi/PetRock suggested this addition and it's a good one. Thanks Debi and Ron, for the link.

UC DAVIS FEDEX INFO: Their account # is 364343981. If you use their account number you will get to use UC Davis's discount which is up to 70% off. They said that they will bill you for the shipment after you get the report (or at the same time.) Also, FedEx and UPS both ship to the actual lab every day... the Postal Service doesn't.



CAHFS - Davis Laboratory
University of California
West Health Sciences Drive
Davis, CA 95616
Phone: 530-752-8700
Fax: 530-752-6253
[email protected]
I'm going to update this link because they've changed their website and the link doesn't take you directly to the form. Since these things usually happen when it's inconvenient to ship them out, here's the link to take you directly to the form for submitting "Backyard" http://www.cahfs.ucdavis.edu/local-assets/pdfs/StandardSubmissionFormFeb-2011.pdf

The fedex thing was weird, had to still have a user ID and PW but was able to use their account for billing but it couldn't find the address and I had to click "use address as is" so I hope it makes it. Anyone else have that issue?

Thank you Ron for getting this posted for me so quickly yesterday, I was so busy when I walked in my store that I left the carcas on the counter. It was bagged and in a plastic bag with another bag of ice but I look over and you can see this little dead chick in there! I grabbed it and put it in the back, hopefully no one noticed it!

Everyone already thinks I'm the crazy chicken lady who owns a wine bar!
That is very funny. I left mine in the fridge at home until I could get it to UCD. Only my family saw it, but they already know I am a crazy chicken guy.

I updated the text file for the UCD Necropsy information to include the link to the form.

I hope you hear from them soon!

Ron

 

[PGRanch]

This is messed up. http://aldf.org/article.php?id=2173 A company passing itself off and free ranging and is clearly not. People paying extra for standard chicken eggs?

That BBQ chicken picture is way too funny. I love it!!

I've bought those eggs before. Wasn't really impressed.

I actually have a couple of the cartons saved. The "run scratch and play" is in quotations. They are "cage free" if you don't consider a large building a cage.

 

[MonsterClucker]

I'm glad you guys got a laugh from that picture!

About those free range eggs.... Is it not illegal to falsely advertise?
My chickens really free range! My entire property is open to wherever they want to go. So IF I choose to sell my eating eggs, I can label my eggs "Free Range eggs" and demand a higher premium for them.
(Honestly, they truly free range! Sometimes they eggs under a bush they like that I have to remember to grab)

Ron. I have a friend in Tennessee who raises chickens. He was telling me about this feed he buys locally called "Rooster Booster". Not the vitamin powder. But a real feed. He said the guys secret was red mill. I guess a multi grain. And lots of other stuff.
Have you EVER heard of anyone selling custom mixes or local mixes for chickens?

I can only get 2 kinds of layer feed up here. The Wal-Mart brand. Family Farm Egg Maker and Farmer Best brand out of Keyes California.
I do also buy that brown bag of omega-3 that you mix in their feed from TSC. 5 bales of alfalfa scattered around the property. AND THEY EATS LOTS OF GREEN STUFF!! We have a pretty big garden full of raised planter boxes. The weeds grow around at the base of the boxes, I fill up 2 5 gallon buckets of that to just toss in the chicken yard about every other day.

I bought a dozen of the organic free range eggs from Wal-Mart and made my daily bacon and egg sandwiches. The eggs were crap compared to mine! My yolks are soo yellow almost orange! I never ate real fresh chicken eggs fresh out of the chicken before my own chickens. So i never paid any attention to the yolks. But I know for sure my chickens lay some very good eggs!

 

[zooweemama]

I just dislike false advertising. You should get what they say you are getting. Quotations of a lie shouldn't excuse the company of misleading the consumer. It also makes people mistrust other companies who might ACTUALLY be truly free ranging their chickens. I prefer to buy local where I can and I did find a local person who sells pastured eggs. They are pricey but she is legit at least. But it's still less than $5/doz so I can swing that when my ducks shortchange me lol.

 

[MonsterClucker]

He told me The Bev Davis who raises marans, drives out there to load up on this feed because its the best feed around.

 

[ronott1]

I'm glad you guys got a laugh from that picture!

About those free range eggs.... Is it not illegal to falsely advertise?
My chickens really free range! My entire property is open to wherever they want to go. So IF I choose to sell my eating eggs, I can label my eggs "Free Range eggs" and demand a higher premium for them.
(Honestly, they truly free range! Sometimes they eggs under a bush they like that I have to remember to grab)

Ron. I have a friend in Tennessee who raises chickens. He was telling me about this feed he buys locally called "Rooster Booster". Not the vitamin powder. But a real feed. He said the guys secret was red mill. I guess a multi grain. And lots of other stuff.
Have you EVER heard of anyone selling custom mixes or local mixes for chickens?

I can only get 2 kinds of layer feed up here. The Wal-Mart brand. Family Farm Egg Maker and Farmer Best brand out of Keyes California.
I do also buy that brown bag of omega-3 that you mix in their feed from TSC. 5 bales of alfalfa scattered around the property. AND THEY EATS LOTS OF GREEN STUFF!! We have a pretty big garden full of raised planter boxes. The weeds grow around at the base of the boxes, I fill up 2 5 gallon buckets of that to just toss in the chicken yard about every other day.

I bought a dozen of the organic free range eggs from Wal-Mart and made my daily bacon and egg sandwiches. The eggs were crap compared to mine! My yolks are soo yellow almost orange! I never ate real fresh chicken eggs fresh out of the chicken before my own chickens. So i never paid any attention to the yolks. But I know for sure my chickens lay some very good eggs!

You can get custom feed. You have to purchase a lot of it though. The cascade feed will give you a discount but you have to buy it in tons. They have a truck that will send it down to you. You could contact one of the feed mills and see how much you would need to buy and then maybe co op with the chicken keepers up there. I bet Papa Brooder could use a couple of tons with 400 chickens.

The eggs from your chickens are the best! A lot better than store eggs.

Ron

Ron

 

[MonsterClucker]

You can get custom feed. You have to purchase a lot of it though. The cascade feed will give you a discount but you have to buy it in tons. They have a truck that will send it down to you. You could contact one of the feed mills and see how much you would need to buy and then maybe co op with the chicken keepers up there. I bet Papa Brooder could use a couple of tons with 400 chickens.  

The eggs from your chickens are the best! A lot better than store eggs.

Ron

Ron

Whewww a few tons? Even a half a ton is a lot of feed for me right now.
I really just want to have "better quality feed". I asked Hawes Ranch about any feed mills around. They said they aren't any. Hawes hasn't been much of any help with chickens. One lady told me she dosent even get close to her chickens. So they might not be the right people to be asking anyway.

I'll try google again.

Thanks Ron.

 

[zooweemama]

Whewww a few tons? Even a half a ton is a lot of feed for me right now.
I really just want to have "better quality feed". I asked Hawes Ranch about any feed mills around. They said they aren't any. Hawes hasn't been much of any help with chickens. One lady told me she dosent even get close to her chickens. So they might not be the right people to be asking anyway.
I'll try google again.
Thanks Ron.

Have you tried Palo Cedro feed? They have been the most helpful so far. But honestly around here it seems that is a common attitude. Not that it is bad- I know that some people have a hands off approach to their chickens. I know that most of us are just a little more involved. There are people around here that feed scratch only as the chickens main diet, I know people that really barely ever look at their chickens so it might be hard to find much help in our area. Jones Feed sells an inexpensive Artois feed (i think i spelled that right) and it's considered local feed BUT I have gotten oats from that company and there were bugs in it. Just those little annoying grain beetle things (brain fart name escapes me right now). I have a friend that uses that feed and likes it but after buying the oats with the beetles in it- I am just afraid of buying feed. Also seems like most feed stores have no cooling system around their feeds/foods. It can get pretty warm- way warmer than my garage on a 110 day and I wonder if that is even the best place to buy feed in the Summer because of the heat the feed is sitting in all day? I could be paranoid. I think that is why I like to buy from TSC for a lot of my feed if I can- at least it is kept cool and dry.

I just do the best I can. Redding people do have chickens but I don't think many of them are as obsessed about quality food as many of us are or can be at times. Please share any good scores you encounter!

 

[zooweemama]

Have you tried Palo Cedro feed? They have been the most helpful so far. But honestly around here it seems that is a common attitude. Not that it is bad- I know that some people have a hands off approach to their chickens. I know that most of us are just a little more involved. There are people around here that feed scratch only as the chickens main diet, I know people that really barely ever look at their chickens so it might be hard to find much help in our area. Jones Feed sells an inexpensive Artois feed (i think i spelled that right) and it's considered local feed BUT I have gotten oats from that company and there were bugs in it. Just those little annoying grain beetle things (brain fart name escapes me right now). I have a friend that uses that feed and likes it but after buying the oats with the beetles in it- I am just afraid of buying feed. Also seems like most feed stores have no cooling system around their feeds/foods. It can get pretty warm- way warmer than my garage on a 110 day and I wonder if that is even the best place to buy feed in the Summer because of the heat the feed is sitting in all day? I could be paranoid. I think that is why I like to buy from TSC for a lot of my feed if I can- at least it is kept cool and dry.

I just do the best I can. Redding people do have chickens but I don't think many of them are as obsessed about quality food as many of us are or can be at times. Please share any good scores you encounter!

WEEVILS that's the bug!

 

[zooweemama]

Got a ton of 4-H forms to fill out. when you have never done 4-H the entire process is completely confusing. A lot of the clubs mostly do swine and goats around here. We are not interested in either. There are some other things to do which we are looking into. With 3 kids- it looks like it's going to be madness getting them to meetings though. :| Please tell me I am not going to get overwhelmed letting 3 of my kids do this! I am already up to my eyeballs in homeschooling, running a business and taking care of all our animals and our household. lol