Consolidated Kansas

[Dani4Hedgies]

Trish,
Great thanks now on the market for a new incubator if anyone has upsized theirs and is looking to sell a used one that will do All sizes eggs please pm me.

 

[tlzimmerman]

One of the annoying features about our tub grinder is at the spot where it transfers belts....it leaves a pretty good sized pile of very fine grinding bits. I can salvage those pretty easy, either that or I could change to the fine screens and grind a bale and that would last forever, but thats a pain.

Could always do pellets too, but thats expensive.

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

Ok so take two on separating my 3 broody hens, I built a 3 separate cage today directly across from the "favorite" nest box after taking all 3 broody outside to their favorite dust bath place this afternoon. Then I brought each one back to "her" new nest site. All 3 have stayed in their new nest boxes all day and have all bedded down in them with plastic eggs under them. My hope is that everyone stays in the new boxes so that tomorrow night which will be day 17 I can move 18 eggs out of my incubator into their nest and let the girls hatch them. Here are the pictures of the new nest box though I guess really I only have 2 new nest boxes since I let Limpy my turkey hen keep hers.

-Maple in hers

-Limpy in hers

-Rockie in hers everyone please keep your fingers crossed that this time they take.

 

[chicken danz]

One of the annoying features about our tub grinder is at the spot where it transfers belts....it leaves a pretty good sized pile of very fine grinding bits. I can salvage those pretty easy, either that or I could change to the fine screens and grind a bale and that would last forever, but thats a pain.

Could always do pellets too, but thats expensive.

I envy you having a grinder. If I had a grinder and mixer I'd be milling my own feed instead of paying the co-op to do it. Plus I'd be sure I got it right. They have problems getting stuff done consistently. My feeders have to be readjusted to work with the feed if the size of the grains changes. I'd save those fine screens. They'd be great and you wouldn't have to worry about any sticks or stems that way. Yeah you might waste a little but not that much.

Ok so take two on separating my 3 broody hens, I built a 3 separate cage today directly across from the "favorite" nest box after taking all 3 broody outside to their favorite dust bath place this afternoon. Then I brought each one back to "her" new nest site. All 3 have stayed in their new nest boxes all day and have all bedded down in them with plastic eggs under them. My hope is that everyone stays in the new boxes so that tomorrow night which will be day 17 I can move 18 eggs out of my incubator into their nest and let the girls hatch them. Here are the pictures of the new nest box though I guess really I only have 2 new nest boxes since I let Limpy my turkey hen keep hers.

everyone please keep your fingers crossed that this time they take.

Sure hope that works Dani. Happy hatching!!!

 

[HEChicken]

Could always do pellets too, but thats expensive.

Can you explain that last bit? Are you saying that running the grain through a pelletizer is more expensive? Why is that?

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

Ok good news sun is up everyone got up to do their broody business and a sneaking Barred Rock snuck into Rockie's broody pen and OMG was she screaming bloody murder you don't have to speak chicken to know she was cussing out Lit Bit so I quickly grabbed Rockie and pulled out Lit Bit any stuck in Rockie who still was screaming and glaring at Lit Bit. Of course 10 mins later when I return with the chick feeder and water I see a flash of white in Rockie box and sure enough have to fish Spunky my White EE out of there then And two more times before I finally get it all blocked off she was determined to lay her green egg in Rockie's box but nope not today darlin'. So now eating breakfast then will take them out their real eggs and wait to hear peep peep and see their little fuzzy faces.

 

[tlzimmerman]

Can you explain that last bit? Are you saying that running the grain through a pelletizer is more expensive? Why is that?

In the post I was saying that I could buy pelleted alfalfa instead of bales and then grinding it, but that is more expensive.

But yes....pelletizing is not a cheap endeavor, it adds a lot of cost to feeds. The dies in a pelletizer wear out quickly and must be replaced, you have fuel costs, grinding costs, costs to maintain all the equipment to move the material into and out of the pelletizer, not to mention the capitol investment of the machine itself.

You can buy good alfalfa hay for say $150 or $200/ton, pellets are usually $300/ton plus.

 

[tlzimmerman]

I envy you having a grinder. If I had a grinder and mixed I'd be milling my own feed instead of paying the coop to do it. Plus I'd be sure I got it right.

I am on the lookout for one of the old style grinder mixers to hook onto a tractor. I am going to be rolling grain by hand because it isn't feasable to fire up the big mill to just do a few hundred pounds....and the only hay grinder we use is the big tub grinder.

I have used a model before just like this, but they are getting hard to find because nobody uses them anymore.

 

[Trish44]

In the post I was saying that I could buy pelleted alfalfa instead of bales and then grinding it, but that is more expensive.

But yes....pelletizing is not a cheap endeavor, it adds a lot of cost to feeds. The dies in a pelletizer wear out quickly and must be replaced, you have fuel costs, grinding costs, costs to maintain all the equipment to move the material into and out of the pelletizer, not to mention the capitol investment of the machine itself.

You can buy good alfalfa hay for say $150 or $200/ton, pellets are usually $300/ton plus.

That's good to know about the pelletizer. My local COOP makes their own layer pellets & sometimes they get big chunks in the feed, now I know why if the dies wear out fast.

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

Eggs are all planted let the broody hatching begin today is day 17 for two of the broodies and day 15 for the third. Can't wait to see the little fluffy faces and hear there newly hatched peep peep