Eastern Tennessee Thread

[grawg]

My ducks had about the same reaction as bairo's flock to the coop feed. Guess they are just spoiled on the dumor flock raiser. I can only imagine how spoiled they will get when my mealworm, red worm, shrimp, duckweed, and minnow farms get going

Think I could raise snails in there too?

 

[TNBarnQueen]

I tried it a while back (just trying to stay local with my business). They have a 22% layer designed to cut with other grains or use as a base to make your own feed which I liked. The hens did not seem to care for it and the biggest problem was half the bag of pellets was basically mash. It was def. cheaper but not real high quality and my hens wont touch anything but pellets practically, so I wasted a lot that was a crumbly mash in the bag.

Exactly....I tried it and when you got to the bottom of the bag there was 3-4 inches of dust. We have a place here called the Morristown Milling. I don't know the brand but I really like their pellets and the chickens love them. They are skinnier than regular pellets...i don't know if that is why they like them better or maybe the formula is better. I think I gave a little over $12 for a bag. I think Co-ops feed is really dry and with the shipping juggling around it just falls apart.

 

[laughingdog]

My ducks had about the same reaction as bairo's flock to the coop feed. Guess they are just spoiled on the dumor flock raiser. I can only imagine how spoiled they will get when my mealworm, red worm, shrimp, duckweed, and minnow farms get going

Think I could raise snails in there too?

im interested to know how locals are setting up, their agua culture etc.. any chance on feedback and such of how your doing it? ive had success with the minnows, redworms, mealworms, and shrimp, but been so long, and im curius what species and how your going about it all. ??? if you go for ansails, find the red ramshorns, theyre the most harmonious and nutricious.

 

[bairo]

@ Bario I have 3 brown leghorn hens. They just started laying 2 weeks ago. If you are interested. Also have two RIR hens I'm thinking about getting rid of. They will be a year old in March.

I bet stang wants those leghorns, LOL and she is much closer.
I keep going back and forth. The reasoning is I can keep other breeds with my Delaware breeders if the egg colors are different of course. That way I know what I can keep for the table and what I can sell as hatching pure Delawares. I am actually getting rid of 3 GLW's and 3 reds no later than July when my next set of Delawares start laying. Ill keep an olive egger and I have a couple more easter eggers on the way. Still deciding on a couple leg horns or not. I may even bring the others to the spring show in Newport and sell them cheap then, they will be a year old March 1st and lay like crazy.

 

[bairo]

Exactly....I tried it and when you got to the bottom of the bag there was 3-4 inches of dust. We have a place here called the Morristown Milling. I don't know the brand but I really like their pellets and the chickens love them. They are skinnier than regular pellets...i don't know if that is why they like them better or maybe the formula is better. I think I gave a little over $12 for a bag. I think Co-ops feed is really dry and with the shipping juggling around it just falls apart.

wow lucky you....I had about 10 inches of dust. I did use a little to make a warm wet mash with and they picked at it. Then they just looked at me like "you have got to be kidding" the one red even walked over and just stared up at me. So of course I went down and paid 17.50 for Purina flock raiser and she smiled and went about eating that instead. Im such a sucker

 

[bairo]

oh yea.... If I get any roos out of this test run on the small bator, I'll caponize them and let them go for free to anyone that wants to raise them for the table to taste the difference. Timing will line up for the Newport show when we next see each other anyway (at least see me, no shows for me until then)
They will hatch Saturday and im not good enough to do it younger than 6 weeks.

 

[bairo]

barnqueen.....did you get everything taken care of with the flock? See any more creepy crawlies? I can always shoot by there to help (I know its probably too late for that offer but I am free tomorrow anyway

 

[grawg]

Quote: I'm still in the R&D for most of my projects. I have a single tray sterilite drawer for my mealworm farm and that is just starting to get active. I only started with 12 from a bait shop. I figure there is somewhere around 50 or so larvae from the 5-6 beetles that made it to adulthood. For red worms I'm going to set up two 55 gallon flow-through-bins (ftb) and work with "Eisenia hortensis" and "eisenia fetida" . I've got one bin complete and am currently in the process of convincing the DW that worms in the downstairs shop/garage is a good idea...wish me luck.

For shrimp, I am going to throw some cherry shrimp in a planted 55 gallon aquarium along with some live bearing tropicals. Those tropicals might just eat all the young shrimp so I'll have to adjust that setup I'm sure.
Minnows, I'm going to use a "gambusia a." or "gambusia h." I doubt I can distinguish between the two. I will raise them along with the duck weed in some sort of shallow water planters that hopefully will have water chesnuts as well this year.I've done a bunch of reading on www.tadege.com for the setups, but he is in southern Florida so I'm sure I will have plenty of instructions I need to adjust to this climate.

 

[bairo]

Finally was able to hammer down Blue Seal. Corporate just put out a new directive stating there is an 8 ton minimum per order. I doubt very seriously we can meet that so I have been in contact with the Dealer in NC since I have to be in Waynesville once per month. I dont mind driving the extra to pick it up but am not sure you guys over closer to Knoxville will want to drive over to Newport to get it for these prices or not. Here are the prices:

Rabbit Show Hutch Deluxe = 18.99
Organic Life Layer = 28.99
Organic Life Starter = 32.99
Chick Starter Medicated = 17.99
Layer = 14.99
Chicken/Game Bird start&grow crumble = 16.99
Breeder = 14.99
Fat and Finish = 16.99
Broiler Medicated = 17.99

The alternate for medicated chick starter would be the game bird or the Organic starter.

Now for the other news.... I might be able to get Kent on a 2 ton minimum out of the midwest warehouse. At first glance I was not sure if they were as good with as much variety. They are the parent company to Blue seal though and I found a discussion where people were really praising them. Chris 09 is one of them and he is pretty darned experienced at this stuff. here is that link https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/391013/best-brand-of-chicken-feed

It turns out I can get Kent on an 80 bag minimum. Because the products are not the same it is difficult comparing it to Blue Seal, but basically after costs it comes out between 25 cents and about a dollar a bag cheaper. I would almost rather just get it from Cullowee, NC. Since I am in Waynesville once a month anyway. I talked to the owner and she puts her order in on the 14th of the month and gets it on the 21st. Anyone that wants any thing blue seal makes just let me know by Feb.12th so I can call her to order it. I think sales tax over there is 7% so just add that to the price above. Ill try to get her to come down a bit as well.

 

[laughingdog]

I'm still in the R&D for most of my projects. I have a single tray sterilite drawer for my mealworm farm and that is just starting to get active. I only started with 12 from a bait shop. I figure there is somewhere around 50 or so larvae from the 5-6 beetles that made it to adulthood. For red worms I'm going to set up two 55 gallon flow-through-bins (ftb) and work with "Eisenia hortensis" and "eisenia fetida" . I've got one bin complete and am currently in the process of convincing the DW that worms in the downstairs shop/garage is a good idea...wish me luck.

For shrimp, I am going to throw some cherry shrimp in a planted 55 gallon aquarium along with some live bearing tropicals. Those tropicals might just eat all the young shrimp so I'll have to adjust that setup I'm sure.
Minnows, I'm going to use a "gambusia a." or "gambusia h." I doubt I can distinguish between the two. I will raise them along with the duck weed in some sort of shallow water planters that hopefully will have water chesnuts as well this year.I've done a bunch of reading on www.tadege.com for the setups, but he is in southern Florida so I'm sure I will have plenty of instructions I need to adjust to this climate.

neat. keep us updated.. or will this be on the sister site of self sustainability?