Consolidated Kansas

[chicken danz]

Quick question for those who do fermented feed.... (I guess two). Are the flies really bad on the FF when you feed it? And, the actual question... what is the rough proportion you use of scratch to feed in the FF bucket? I was thinking 3/1 - feed/scratch.

Didn't you say you added kefir or something to your FF? I am thinking that is what is drawing flies. Maybe if you want to feed the kefir you shouldn't mix it with your FF. I'm afraid the flies would spoil your batch. I always had a lid on top of my feed. Not tight just setting on top to keep the bugs out. You could however make a screen top for your container as well if you didn't want it that closed. Mine worked fine with a loose top though. As far as proportions go for feed and scratch you need to keep in mind what nutrients the birds are getting. As far as how to mix that is pretty open but you need to make sure the birds are getting the proper nutrients from their feed. You'll do fine with what you are doing for sure.
It's supposed to be fairly warm today again but the wind is supposed to be blowing big time. It looks very cloudy and gloomy out there so far. I sure hope the sun comes out. I really do have some work I'd like to get done outside. I have to make a trip to town today sometime as well but hopefully it will be quick.

 

[Trish44]

I also cover my container of FF, like danz said I don't put the lid on tight, I just leave it ajar a bit to let it breathe. The only thing I have had a problem with at times is gnats but they came from my compost container in the kitchen where we put scraps & coffee grounds till we take it out to the outside compost container. In the summer they are worse than in the winter. It does have a lid but they manage to get in anyway.

 

[Prairie Fleur]

Does anyone have any idea why a GP female who's not much more than skin and bones won't eat? Willow has been here a week and she only nibbles at her food. maybe 4 pieces of kibble and she'll lick the oil off that I put on. She'll eat chunks of coconut oil if I put that on too. I'm really worried about her. She's a bit food aggressive; she chases other animals away from her dish but she doesn't eat it. I've never seen the like. She's a year old, intact and she's still nervous from the move. Her previous family had several other GPs, kids, cattle, goats, and chickens. We don't have kids or cattle and London is the only other Pyr. I just can't figure out what's going on. They were feeding her Purina and I'm feeding California Natural Herring and Sweet Potato. They didn't send any food along to slowly switch her, but I just can't wrap my mind around buying the stuff knowing what's in it.
She ate more right at first, now that I think about it, but the last two days she's eaten next to nothing. I gave her a raw bone to chew the meat off of which she did. I found the bone later completely cleaned off in her pen. And now she's not eating. Any suggestions?

 

[chicken danz]

You know she might have some stomach infection of some kind. I had one GP who went off food and the vet didn't do tests but put her on prednisone for a while. It increased her appetite and cleared whatever was bothering her. GPs can be awfully food picky. Mine used to get very expensive high end food but they would eat about one bag between them and then not want it any more. But they sure went for chicken layer feed! I started feeding a cheap brand and they are all real happy with it. I've also found they prefer the smaller kibble to the normal large chunks they make for large breed dogs. I think a lot of it has to do with the breeding they have. They just don't eat like normal dogs. And when the predator activity is high, mine lose weight and would rather run than eat. I was just reading yesterday that they have different nutritional needs and eat about 1/2 of the food another breed of the same size would eat. As I've said before I cook for my dogs quite often. I give them scrap meats and organ meats and chicken cooked with rice and veggies. Anything I can come up with on the cheap. They love deer and rabbit and other wild meats as well.
Sometimes I cook a broth out of bone scraps and poor on their dog food.
If you have a locker or butchering facility nearby they might sell you scrap bones and meat for a prayer.
Another thing GPs tend to really like is milk. If you have a dairy nearby and can get milk cheap you can poor that over her food. Just a few ideas.

 

[zigzag45]

@chicken danz and @Trish44 - Thank you!

My question on flies was thinking ahead. I'm liking the FF, but wondered what summer would be like.

I did use a Kefir whey in the FF (you hang the kefir in cheese cloth, what drains is whey - good memory Danz!) at one point to get things started.

Right now I just leave the bucket open to the air, but I will need a cloth or screen cover for it as things warm up

The birds nutrition needs were one reason I asked about feed to scratch proportions. The book I read when I was first starting mentioned over and over how the commercial feeds are blended exactly for their needs and strongly discouraged making your own. That made me a bit gun-shy on messing with the feeds. I'll probably go for more like a 2-1 ratio, splitting the differences between Trish's 1-1 and my original thought of 3-1.

Can someone tell me what the point of putting the scratch in is? Also, I'm buying the 15% layer feed... the guy at the feed store said that if people by the 18% (or higher level, maybe my numbers are off) they mix it half/half with scratch. Maybe yours is the higher protein @Trish44?

 

[Trish44]

Zigzag I get my feed from the local CO-OP & I believe the last time I looked it was 17% protein. They make their own pellets there. My chickens do great on my mix. It really helps their feathers & they eat it like candy.

 

[Prairie Fleur]

You know she might have some stomach infection of some kind.  I had one GP who went off food and the vet didn't do tests but put her on prednisone for a while. It increased her appetite and cleared whatever was bothering her.  GPs can be awfully food picky. Mine used to get very expensive high end food but they would eat about one bag between them and then not want it any more. But they sure went for chicken layer feed! I started feeding a cheap brand and they are all real happy with it. I've also found they prefer the smaller kibble to the normal large chunks they make for large breed dogs. I think a lot of it has to do with the breeding they have. They just don't eat like normal dogs. And when the predator activity is high, mine lose weight and would rather run than eat. I was just reading yesterday that they have different nutritional needs and eat about 1/2 of the food another breed of the same size would eat. As I've said before I cook for my dogs quite often. I give them scrap meats and organ meats and chicken cooked with rice and veggies. Anything I can come up with on the cheap. They love deer and rabbit and other wild meats as well.
Sometimes I cook a broth out of bone scraps and poor on their dog food.
If you have a locker or butchering facility nearby they might sell you scrap bones and meat for a prayer.
Another thing GPs tend to really like is milk. If you have a dairy nearby and can get milk cheap you can poor that over her food. Just a few ideas.

Well, she ate between 5 and 6 cups of dog food today as well as a good spoon full of coconut oil and several squirts of fish oil. She was much more relaxed and seemed happier today too. We caught her and London on the north set of our property beyond where I'm comfortable with them going and she always ran away from our place when we tried chasing her back with the pickup. Ended up loading her up and taking her back to the main part of the farm in the pickup. London had immediately headed back when we came out there. He knew where he was supposed to be. I needed to walk boundaries with them but just didn't have the energy today. Maybe Monday.

 

[friendshipstar]

Does anyone have any idea why a GP female who's not much more than skin and bones won't eat? Willow has been here a week and she only nibbles at her food. maybe 4 pieces of kibble and she'll lick the oil off that I put on. She'll eat chunks of coconut oil if I put that on too. I'm really worried about her. She's a bit food aggressive; she chases other animals away from her dish but she doesn't eat it. I've never seen the like. She's a year old, intact and she's still nervous from the move. Her previous family had several other GPs, kids, cattle, goats, and chickens. We don't have kids or cattle and London is the only other Pyr. I just can't figure out what's going on. They were feeding her Purina and I'm feeding California Natural Herring and Sweet Potato. They didn't send any food along to slowly switch her, but I just can't wrap my mind around buying the stuff knowing what's in it.
She ate more right at first, now that I think about it, but the last two days she's eaten next to nothing. I gave her a raw bone to chew the meat off of which she did. I found the bone later completely cleaned off in her pen. And now she's not eating. Any suggestions?

Could she have a bad tooth? It sounds like everything she is eating is softer than dog food.

 

[chicken danz]

ZigZag the FF adds protein and the vinegar in it makes it easier for the birds to digest whatever is in the feed so they actually get more out of the grains than what just plain food provides. I've read that before about commercial feeds but that is bunk because different birds have different nutritional needs, as well as those free ranging have different needs than caged birds. The point about commercial feed is that it contains the proper vitamins and minerals to meet their dietary needs if they don't have access to other feeds. Many old farmers still don't feed their birds. They let them scrounge for bugs and spilled grain and dig through cow poop to get what they need. I wouldn't go that far for sure. But one thing that really bugs me about commercial feeds is they boast it has no animal products. I'm sorry but that is just not natural. Now if they poured a pound of bugs in there too that would be closer to the natural way.
Oh wow Prairie Fleur if she is eating 5 cups of food she is really chowing down. My dogs eat about 3 cups of dog food a day each. Pyrs normally when mature set a distance they patrol as their property. Some do tend to wander when they are young but most set their perimeter. I try to keep mine on my property but each dog sets an area to patrol. Either she or London will probably take an outer area to protect and the other will be up closer to the house. That is the way they work. Then they cross over as one or another of them needs help. Mine sleep together and play together, but when it comes to working they tend to spread out. Just because a dog isn't right there with your goats for instance doesn't mean it isn't doing it's job. I suggest showing them the boundaries but at the same time letting them adapt on their own where they prefer to work from. Brittany for instance looks like she isn't helping most of the time cause she goes out to the pasture and lays down. But she has a certain spot she works from that keeps predators from coming in and gives her a vantage point to watch what is going on closer to the pens. But believe me she is ready and on high alert and can be up at the house in less than a minute if she has a need.

 

[KsKingBee]

If any of you know a breeder who will have GP pups soon, I am interested.