Cold Weather Feeding

[crubner]

How do you make yogurt in your crookpot?

 

[momofdrew]

my 4 birds are still free ranging the yard... they hardly eat their grower feed... I have 2 quart jar feeders and only refill them once a week...this summer before I let them free range they would empty half a feeder a day....I dont know what they are finding but they don't seem to be hungry...They are getting scratch corn and sunflower seeds and meal worms...they like the yogert but wont touch any cooked Corn oats or wheat mash...I guess I have fussy eaters...they only taste the bread I throw for them which my dogs clean up whats left when I let them out into the yard...They don't like pumpkin or yellow squash...but still loves tomatoes and cukes...MOst night time temps are in the 20's and it only warms up to around 40 by noon I dont see them eating more now...

 

[Chicken Woman]

8 cups whole milk and 1 carton of store bought natural live/active culture plain yogurt. (this will be your starter) Once you have made your own you can use last container to start a new batch.

1) Put milk in crock pot
Cook on LOW for 2 1/2 hours

2) UNPLUG- and let sit with lid on for 3 hours

3) Scoop out about 2 cups of milk and mix in yogurt with
wire whip.Return this mixture to crock pot and stir a little.

4) Keep unplugged ! Wrap a heavy bath or beach towel
around entire pot and leave it sit on counter for 8 hours or overnight.

You can now put into containers and refrigerate If you want to add fruit or frozen berries you can but I only do that if we are eating it.

I like to add about 1 teaspoon of plain gelitan powder just before I
wrap towel around it as it will be a little thicker and geitan adds protien as well.

It will last 7 to 10 days. Save about 1/2 cup to start your next batch.

I take it out in 2 1 cup plastic containers so they don't fight to get around it. I have 7 banties and 4 RIR big girls. They go crazy for it. I add one teaspoon of DE (which is all natural) once a week.

My son really likes it when I add frozen mixed berries from costco !

 

[Harriet]

My girls are still free-ranging and seem not to be hungry. I'm not sure what they're finding, but they seem to be full. They have access to mash, but don't eat much of it. I also give them some scratch around 4:30 or 5:00 right before they go to roost.
On really cold mornings I give them some warm mash with alfalfa hay mixed in and they gobble that right up. It seems to be the only time that they enjoy eating their laying mash.

I'm planning on giving them some meal worms this weekend and I'm going to let them try some yogurt and see if they like it. I want to make sure that they're getting enough protein, since I can't imagine they're finding many bugs to munch.

 

[digitS']

Quote:
These ideas - yogurt and alfalfa bring 2 memories to mind:

First off, a book I read by James Dryden from 100 years ago called "Feeding for Eggs." Dryden talks about farmers collecting loose alfalfa leaves into buckets after moving hay. The dry alfalfa is then scalded with boiling water and fed to laying hens. Sounds like a good idea to me

.

The 2nd idea is a memory from about 35 years ago when I had access to lots of milk. I would make "animal cheese" for the critters. I used rennet tablets, crushed in a little water and added to the milk. The milk was poured into a shallow pan and allowed to "set" thru the day. Then, the curds were broken up a little and the whey was poured off. The "cheese" was then given to the critters. Lots to the chickens, who loved it and who made lots of eggs

!

You can make wonderful things using rennet tablets. I can remember deserts that my mother made for me when I was a kid. Here are some recipes. I'm not sure how much easier, or anything, this is than Lori's yogurt - which is obviously good enuf for people. The way I did it was good enuf for chickens

.

Steve

 

[iajewel]

I have fed alphalfa by the flake, never thought of scalding it.. I also get a bucket of oats and fill it with water, then let it set on a heater for a few days.. its warm.. doubles in size and sprouts.. there is a higher sugar level is sprouted feed vs "grain"

I also used to milk and would pour the bad or extra milk in a barrol full of oats to basically fermint.. they swell and so on and the same thought with the higher sugar applies..

The yogart brought that to mind.

 

[digitS']

I've looked at this book before but find it darn hard to read, especially when they turn a table sideways

Effect of Environment on Nutrient Requirements of Domestic Animals (1981)

What it looks like to me is that the literature isn't altogether conclusive . . . oh, you don't want to hear that

.

Anywho . . . Apparently Jones and Barnett found that at 4°C to 5°C (about 40°F) and without upping the feed's calorie content, laying hens ate 26.8% more feed than they did at 18°C to 25°C (65°F to 77°F).

That sorta, kinda reinforces what that Danish free-ranging study showed but the research was in a controlled environment. It looks to me like feed consumption goes up by about one-third as the ambient temperature approaches freezing.

I don't suppose we can expect any studies on how much the birds are eating as temperatures drop much colder than 40°F. But, you and I both know - it's gotta go up.

I fed my birds only their commercial feed yesterday (average temperature 35°F) and they consumed right at 5 ounces of feed each. They are back on the treats and table leftovers along with their feed again today but I'll try this when the temps drop a little more (it is easier to weigh the feed without the bread, veggies, & scratch

).

I'm fairly convinced that they really don't have too much trouble eating enuf to gain adequate calories with reasonable Winter temperatures. Of course, what that does to the old feed bill is another story

.

Steve

 

[luvmygirlsinAK]

Quote:
Higher sugar level maybe, but MUCH higher protein level as well!

The kind of stuff that makes your chickens give LOTS of eggs!

Any sprouted grain is extremely good for you, and very high in protein-it makes you want to

!!!!

 

[msgenie516]

Hi,

I'm glad I found this post! This is my first year going through the winter with the chickens and I was wondering why their feeder was nearly empty lately when I went to refill it. I didn't know that they ate more in the winter.

And the feed is so expensive around here, from $15.00 to $20.00 a 50 pound bag, depending on what kind and where you buy it. Someone told me of a place where they have found it cheaper and I'm going to check it out, just hope the quality is up there.

After reading all the posts about warm food, I cooked up some steel cut oatmeal last night (unfortunately, it has to cook for 1/2 hour but it's all I had in the house) and added a mashed banana to it. I will microwave it today to warm it up and I hope they will like it.

Thanks for all the helpful information! Genie

 

[Chicken Woman]

you can get rolled oats at the feed store much cheaper than oatmeal at the grocery store. I add some scratch and cook it all together. they love it.

Someone on the site said they add a little tuna in oil to it as well. I haven't tried that as tuna is spendy. Maybe some tuna or salmon wet cat food would add the protien without such a expense.