Colorado

[Percheron chick]

I wouldn't be adding any wheat bran to chicken feed. It's terrible inverted Ca (1:10) and can cause you problems with shell formation. You are also messing with the balance of other minerals that are all interrelated.

 

[trsturself]

Hello all, just some more shots of our darker black girls, still trying to id breed. I am now leaning towards Barnevelder's now that they have gotten a bit more developed. The very last shot is of "Pants" as we call her, she is the same bred as the black one's. We think she is a runt, we used to think maybe she was a bantam, but she has grown more lately. We called her pants due to the fact for the longest time the only feathers she had were on her legs, she also had a mullet.

Also just curious how many if you have been fermenting your feed? I have been dabbling in it lately and the girls got some fermented barley, oats and scratch last night and boy did they go to tone, not a drop left! Just curious on people's experiences with fermenting. Thanks

Hey Latestarter, thanks for your reply and feedback to how it is going with the FF. I just started this, this past week after reading up on it. It only made since regarding the grains anti-nutrients, same people us humans have with today's grains. Anyway, I have been fermenting their grower feed as well as trying the barley as we have like a 30lb bag of it. They seemed to like the barley better than their grower feed, but that is mostly crumbles so it makes a porridge type food for them. After we get through this bag if grower feed it will be about time to switch them to laying feed and will be sure to buy the pellets for easy fermenting. I noticed some looser poop today but attribute that to the probiotics in the fermented feed. Also how many do you have? Just wondering hiw much feed you give on a daily basis. Still trying to figure out how much feed to give 28 chickens as the always seems starving!

Yes, we have similar styles of feeding, with 28 we use 3 tin pie plates and fill them up twice a day as well. They are spoiled and get other snacks, like dandelion greens freshly pulled from the surrounding area. We have to work on the fencing around the run and oops as one we have that secure they an free range during the day mostly. That will also reduce their feed, I am actually looking onto starting to raise meal worms, I know I just got started with my chicken keeping but already want to so things as natural/organic as possible. I have also been sprouting seeds here and there for them as well, also should I mention that they get our green drink leftovers? Nothing but good healthy stuff, kale, bananas, celery, cucumbers and blueberries. They especially enjoy the green drinks during a hot day. Thanks again for the feedback, your girls look pretty big already.

I agree, the dark one I can see detail of looks like Barnevelder feathers.
I too ferment my feed. I started with fermenting their pellets but didn't like it. They turned into the same mush you are probably getting with the crumbles. It smelled and it molded fast. Now I blend my own food from whole grains and ferment that. I just hit the bottom of the first 100lbs and am going to make a few changes. I found they don't like the lentils or split peas and toss those out. They are all over the floor of the run. So this time I'm going to use whole peas and I'm going to keep the lentils and peas out of the food mix and sprout them instead of fermenting them. I'll ferment the other grains (mostly wheat and oat) and then just mix in the sprouted beans at feeding time. My girls love it. I only feed in the morning and then give kitchen scraps the rest of the day. They have a large run but don't get to free range any more (we have a family of foxes 1 house away). I have 6 hens, 8 3-4mo olds, and 4 younger ones. I fill a small rubber feeder bowl full in the morning. The big girls eat first with the younger ones stealing bites as they can, then they get their turn. When I have real young ones like I do now (3-6weeks old) I give them their own bowl and water in an area only they can get to so they don't get pushed out. I also give them standard crumbles for the first few weeks before switching them to the whole grain stuff. They don't empty it immediately but by late afternoon it's usually empty. If I don't have table scraps I'll throw out some of the dry grains as scratch for them to dig around for.
I had a meal worm farm for awhile. When we listed our house for sell I needed to clean it up so the girls got a BIG treat that day. I forgot about them too often so the girls didn't get them too much. They are very easy to raise though. I started with a 100count container from the pet store and had a drawer full (I used a plastic storage drawer) pretty quickly.

 

[Aacre]

Princess No Legs started to move around on her own last night. She moved about 3 feet from where I sat her. Then, before I put her down for bed, we did some physical therapy and she was about to sit on one hock and one foot. Very wobbly, but she is improving every day! This morning, I noticed some bruising on one of her legs- the one that isn't doing as well as the other. I am kind of surprised these didn't show up sooner. She is still eating and drinking normally. She does seem a bit groggy this morning, but she is warranted!

 

[COChix]

thanks for your reply, I did go out and read your blog. I found it very interesting, sounds like you all are trying to do what we are, homesteading. We have dogs, chickens and gardens. We grow our own food and meds and feel like this is more important than ever. I have attached some pics of the mush I get after soaking their crumbles. They got some this am and they weren't overly excited like they were when I gave them fermented barley, oats and scratch.

- Little One - she's and EE

- the mystery breed - I am sticking with Barnevelder's, although someone else said they look like Cornish. They were part of the rainbow pack from Myer's Hatchery. Where in Colorado are you?

 

[COChix]

Princess No Legs started to move around on her own last night. She moved about 3 feet from where I sat her. Then, before I put her down for bed, we did some physical therapy and she was about to sit on one hock and one foot. Very wobbly, but she is improving every day! This morning, I noticed some bruising on one of her legs- the one that isn't doing as well as the other. I am kind of surprised these didn't show up sooner. She is still eating and drinking normally. She does seem a bit groggy this morning, but she is warranted!

Awww Go Princess No Legs!

 

[katie5668]

Just a short but cute story related to fermented feed.
I lived on a farm in Elizabeth, we had the usual mix of animals.
outside the shed where the milk separator was we kept a 50 gallon barrel
in it went scraps, milk, most anything that was loose or around that critters can eat
then twice a day it got poured out into a trough that ran along
chickens & pigs were the main eaters out of the trough

One day..I guess it must have been hot or something...anyhow
the mash mix got a bit too fermented...

Chickens running around like they had Rye Neck..heads flopping from side to side
Pig staggering, falling with a grunt & a huff ..then getting up to just fall to the other side

We opened the mash bucket & OMG...it was RIPE!!

everyone lived..& the feeding method continued..but there was a bit more caution as to how RIPE the mix was before feeding.

Just another tale from the past....

 

[COChix]

Just a short but cute story related to fermented feed......

We opened the mash bucket & OMG...it was RIPE!!

Dually noted!

 

[trsturself]

Just a short but cute story related to fermented feed.
I lived on a farm in Elizabeth, we had the usual mix of animals.
outside the shed where the milk separator was we kept a 50 gallon barrel
in it went scraps, milk, most anything that was loose or around that critters can eat
then twice a day it got poured out into a trough that ran along
chickens & pigs were the main eaters out of the trough

One day..I guess it must have been hot or something...anyhow
the mash mix got a bit too fermented...

Chickens running around like they had Rye Neck..heads flopping from side to side
Pig staggering, falling with a grunt & a huff ..then getting up to just fall to the other side

We opened the mash bucket & OMG...it was RIPE!!

everyone lived..& the feeding method continued..but there was a bit more caution as to how RIPE the mix was before feeding.

Just another tale from the past....

LOL! That's funny. I'm glad everyone survived that "feast".

thanks for your reply, I did go out and read your blog. I found it very interesting, sounds like you all are trying to do what we are, homesteading. We have dogs, chickens and gardens. We grow our own food and meds and feel like this is more important than ever. I have attached some pics of the mush I get after soaking their crumbles. They got some this am and they weren't overly excited like they were when I gave them fermented barley, oats and scratch.



- Little One - she's and EE
- the mystery breed - I am sticking with Barnevelder's, although someone else said they look like Cornish. They were part of the rainbow pack from Myer's Hatchery. Where in Colorado are you?

Thanks. I've been too busy to properly update it recently. I'm hoping this weekend to sit down and write a couple posts.
I think you might have both barnevelder and dark cornish. How many of those dark ones do you have?
We just moved to Elizabeth. We have a cat, dogs, a rabbit, and chickens with a dairy cow and horses on the horizon.

 

[Mtn Margie]

That bottom one reminds me of a vulture the way it is posing. I have no clue as to the breeds.
I picked sour cherries today. Yum, my favorite thing - cherry pie. I have enough for 4 pies.....
The stupid bear has been interrupting my sleep with his passing through and checking things out. I have the firecrackers at hand because I am over it and he is causing some mayhem at other houses. If we call DOW, he is dead. I wonder if I can get the rubber shot for his bahookie, might just save his life although I think his is a bit old to change his ways....

 

[lgc1970]

Our local bear walks through at dusk and / or dawn. The hours seem a bit odd, but that's when he stops by. Then he tips over anything that smells interesting.

I am just praying he doesn't visit the coop... That's where I have my raspberry patch, too!