Consolidated Kansas

[chicken danz]

It was just frigid out there today. Sure helped the wind wasn't blowing 50 MPH again today though. Luckily no babies were lost due the the cold. It's pretty amazing because I had ice in one of the gallon waterers in the brooder house. I need to go back out in a little bit and shut every one up for the night. I can honestly saw I'm not looking forward to it.
My big blue English orpington I have in the house just laid an egg!! Maybe that is why she's been hyper all day. She's been in the house about a week now and this is her first egg. It may be her first egg ever.

 

[HEChicken]

ZigZag, I personally prefer the feeds that have animal proteins as I believe that is closer to their natural diet. Left to their own devices, chickens are not vegetarian so I don't prefer the feeds that are vegetarian.

I am on the wall when it comes to feeds. I've fed Purina, Nutrena plus some of the cheaper store brands. I don't have a mill or co-op close enough to make sense, unfortunately. I used to think the brand names probably were better quality but lately I'm starting to think that all chicken feed is designed with commercial birds in mind and that if we want to raise them more naturally, perhaps the formulated feeds really aren't that good at all. After all, they are all grain based and chickens did not eat grains until modernization allowed for pelleted feeds to be delivered cheaply and easily. Instead they foraged, ate greens, wild seeds, bugs, scratched through piles of manure etc. So I am starting to think I would be better off moving away from the grain based feeds myself. To some extent I am already doing that. I have cut down on feed to encourage them to get out and forage a lot more. Even this time of year, except when there is snow on the ground, they still seem to spend a ton of time pecking at the ground and when I'm close enough to watch, I can see them still choosing to eat the old grass (hay now?), weeds, plant shoots etc - sometimes even when there is a bowl of food nearby. I keep a close eye on them and if they start to lose condition I can always increase what I am feeding but not only are they all looking to be in tip-top shape, they are laying eggs like crazy already - and its not even spring - so it feels like maybe I'm doing something right after all.

 

[Trish44]

You guys are killing me with this turkey talk!!!! *idontneedturkeysidontneedturkeysidontneedturkeys*

Susan up around McPherson has peas, but I don't know colors or if she has any available. She is justhatchin on here.

Oh taz, yes you need turkeys, yes you do! They're really fun to have, they have so much personality. I really like them & I hate to get rid of mine, but I need the pen for peafowl & I haven't had any luck keeping a tom, so it's time for mine to have a new home with someone who hopefully will have better luck than me. I don't want anyone to buy them for eating, these girls are much too nice for that, so they need a good home where they can have a boyfriend & raise some babies this year.

Guinea is now deboned.

Not all dark meat but the breast is a little darker than chicken. And it tastes like...... guinea, I guess.

I really haven't decided what it tastes like, maybe dark meat from a turkey...

It yielded a full pound of meat, not as much as I would have expected from a bird that size.

That is not something I have ever eaten. I'm with Danz, I do like duck a lot, but I'm not sure about eating a guinea. Does it taste gamey? I keep the guineas around for their ability to eat so many ticks, that they're really good at. They reduced our tick population I would say at least 80-90% last year & that's saying something because we have lots & lots of them here.

Well I got through therapy OK today, the therapist at least isn't pushing me too hard so that I have to suffer endlessly for hours & days & that's good because I have enough pain as it is. I'm still concerned about my right knee because she measured the swelling today & it's about the same & I'm having a lot of pain behind my knee. I had knee surgery on that knee in 2011 from a torn meniscus & that's where my pain was then as well. I'm really praying I don't have to have another knee surgery on top of a fractured leg, that's just going to be the pits. I talked to the Ortho Dr's nurse this afternoon & she is going to contact my insurance company for authorization for an MRI of that knee. She said it could take several days depending on what they asked her for. The wheels turn slowly with these insurance companies.

My little lavender Orp pullet is doing better today, my DH said she is looking perky & eating well, so I think she can go back out to her pen tomorrow. I'm so glad she's doing better, I was worried about her.

 

[chicken danz]

zigzag I too prefer a feed with animal protein in it. It is the next best thing to them being out and eating bugs and stuff. My custom feed doesn't have animal protein in it per say but the protein additive I have included does. I also make it a point to give the birds some meat scraps as well. Sometimes there's an argument between the dogs and the chickens but they have learned they can grab some and run. The dogs are all blow and no show. If I could afford it I would add fish meal to the feed. But it's cost prohibitive.
I do buy a cheap cat food just for the birds. They don't get a lot or they waste it but they do eat it.
I had to laugh earlier today. I went out to the burn pit. I had thrown that possum DH shot in the burn pile when I was burning trash. He didn't burn well but he cooked. The chickens have been up there eating the possum. Turn about is fair play. Made me feel good.

 

[sharol]

I had to laugh earlier today. I went out to the burn pit. I had thrown that possum DH shot in the burn pile when I was burning trash. He didn't burn well but he cooked. The chickens have been up there eating the possum. Turn about is fair play. Made me feel good.

 

[Trish44]

zigzag I too prefer a feed with animal protein in it. It is the next best thing to them being out and eating bugs and stuff. My custom feed doesn't have animal protein in it per say but the protein additive I have included does. I also make it a point to give the birds some meat scraps as well. Sometimes there's an argument between the dogs and the chickens but they have learned they can grab some and run. The dogs are all blow and no show. If I could afford it I would add fish meal to the feed. But it's cost prohibitive.
I do buy a cheap cat food just for the birds. They don't get a lot or they waste it but they do eat it.
I had to laugh earlier today. I went out to the burn pit. I had thrown that possum DH shot in the burn pile when I was burning trash. He didn't burn well but he cooked. The chickens have been up there eating the possum. Turn about is fair play. Made me feel good.

Serves that possum right! My dogs usually eat the ones they catch.

 

[ashncarson]

I soaked my first round of wheat berries for fodder overnight, which ended up being 24 hours as I ran out of time this morning. I read both ways, either 12 hours, or 24 hours! I sure hope this works! I don't see how I could mess it up to much, other than forgetting to rinse it often!

 

[OkieQueenBee]

The guinea had a different taste to it, but I thought it was rather good. I did pour about a 1/4 cup of mead in with it. I just put the meat in the freezer to use at a later date. It was mostly dark meat but I can't really describe the flavor, just tastey.
Danz, I have had two incidents with heat lamps that were darn near disastrous. First one, had some chicks in a cardboard box sitting on a little wood table in my house, came home from work and the room was smokey ran over to the chicks and the light had fallen down and the cardboard was smoldering, all the chicks were huddled in the opposite corner but still alive. The table has a round burned spot on it. The second; the boys had show pigs and we used heat lamps all the time, but one night when I came home from a FFA function I noticed a glow in the barn, oh sh*t!!! Ran out there and part of the barn was on fire, luckily the water barrel was right there so I got the fire put out before too much damage. Do I still use heat lamps? Yep, I'm that dumb.
Hormones have been kicking into high gear over here. The cockerels will breed anything that they can get ahold of, caught a guinea in the act, (all of them ran over to watch), and the turkeys are doing the dance. The ducks are doing the head bobbing thing and hanging out with the wild mallards. Danz, maybe a couple of your males will keep them satisfied. I haven't noticed any real difference in the peafowl pen. This cold weather today slowed the boys down some. It defiantly slowed me down.
Have another pullet laying, she is one of our "wild chickens". I'm still only getting 4 eggs a day out of 14 that should be laying. :/ I think we've got too many birds running in and out of the coop and that it bothers the hens. I know the darn guineas would disturb me if I was trying to deliver a baby. just need to build more pens.
I have a Kitchen Aid mixer that I just don't use enough. I guess I didn't know you could get all those attachments for it. I used to have an Oster that had all of those attachments. I would grind roasts into hamburger back when you could buy them cheaper than ground round. Tried using it to grind the fat to render for soap making, that didn't work too good.
Trish wish I could head back down there and help you out again. Give your DH time and he will get things figured out. Glad your LavOrp is doing better. Did your guineas show back up?
Here's another Bourbon pic

 

[Trish44]

The guinea had a different taste to it, but I thought it was rather good. I did pour about a 1/4 cup of mead in with it.

I just put the meat in the freezer to use at a later date. It was mostly dark meat but I can't really describe the flavor, just tastey.
Danz, I have had two incidents with heat lamps that were darn near disastrous. First one, had some chicks in a cardboard box sitting on a little wood table in my house, came home from work and the room was smokey ran over to the chicks and the light had fallen down and the cardboard was smoldering, all the chicks were huddled in the opposite corner but still alive. The table has a round burned spot on it. The second; the boys had show pigs and we used heat lamps all the time, but one night when I came home from a FFA function I noticed a glow in the barn, oh sh*t!!! Ran out there and part of the barn was on fire, luckily the water barrel was right there so I got the fire put out before too much damage. Do I still use heat lamps? Yep, I'm that dumb.
Hormones have been kicking into high gear over here. The cockerels will breed anything that they can get ahold of, caught a guinea in the act, (all of them ran over to watch), and the turkeys are doing the dance. The ducks are doing the head bobbing thing and hanging out with the wild mallards. Danz, maybe a couple of your males will keep them satisfied. I haven't noticed any real difference in the peafowl pen. This cold weather today slowed the boys down some. It defiantly slowed me down.
Have another pullet laying, she is one of our "wild chickens". I'm still only getting 4 eggs a day out of 14 that should be laying.

I think we've got too many birds running in and out of the coop and that it bothers the hens. I know the darn guineas would disturb me if I was trying to deliver a baby.

just need to build more pens.
I have a Kitchen Aid mixer that I just don't use enough. I guess I didn't know you could get all those attachments for it. I used to have an Oster that had all of those attachments. I would grind roasts into hamburger back when you could buy them cheaper than ground round. Tried using it to grind the fat to render for soap making, that didn't work too good.
Trish wish I could head back down there and help you out again. Give your DH time and he will get things figured out.

Glad your LavOrp is doing better. Did your guineas show back up?
Here's another Bourbon pic

Well the thing about him doing the feeding is that he can throw feed & water at them all, but he doesn't recognize if a bird is sick or not. If taz hadn't seen my little lavender Orp looking droopy she would have died before my DH noticed anything. Because of her bringing her up to the garage she has been treated with antibiotics now & is ready to rejoin her buddies out there. That's why I have really appreciated "chicken people" coming here to help be my eyes when I can't be out there right now. The guineas are here, but they just don't want to go back in the pen right now. I'm not able to help herd them in, so it really is a two person job, one to herd them & one to man the door so the ones that are in there don't get out. They're just such dumb birds & since mine have been locked up for weeks now & they aren't used to me calling them in any more we'll have to learn that all over again when the warm weather gets here. I had them pretty trained to go in every night in warmer weather, but they have forgotten. That's a neat pic of the turkeys!

 

[cherwill]

Wow - I should get an award. I was 10 days behind, that's about 90 pages (or so at the way you guys post. I'm all caught up now.

You SHOULD get an award. When I'm that far behind, I try to read them all but eventually give up.

Guinea is now deboned.

Not all dark meat but the breast is a little darker than chicken. And it tastes like...... guinea, I guess.

I really haven't decided what it tastes like, maybe dark meat from a turkey...

It yielded a full pound of meat, not as much as I would have expected from a bird that size.

I like both dark and light meat, so I'd try it.

*idontneedturkeysidontneedturkeysidontneedturkeys*

You just keep telling yourself that ...

I had to laugh earlier today. I went out to the burn pit. I had thrown that possum DH shot in the burn pile when I was burning trash. He didn't burn well but he cooked. The chickens have been up there eating the possum. Turn about is fair play. Made me feel good.

I'll bet that was a sight!


I wasn't ready for 9 degrees this morning. It was still 9 degrees hours later, too. Just in time to mess with the egg production again. Old Sophia finally started leaving the nesting box, and New Sophia started laying eggs again. We got three, then everyone was too cold today, I think.