Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Triple Willow]

Ya. That. But I don't like to think about it.
He's got diabetes, which caused the strokes, which caused the dementia. He doesn't look too bad, and he can still handle most of his ADLs. Just not the cooking, shopping, bills, driving, his own meds, schedules, housekeeping or home maintenance tasks. And he gets confused and upset easily. But, y'know... other than that, he's fine.

I feel for you Margaret. God bless you for looking out for your husband. Sending a special prayer your way.

 

[BCMaraniac]

Ya. That. But I don't like to think about it.
He's got diabetes, which caused the strokes, which caused the dementia. He doesn't look too bad, and he can still handle most of his ADLs. Just not the cooking, shopping, bills, driving, his own meds, schedules, housekeeping or home maintenance tasks. And he gets confused and upset easily. But, y'know... other than that, he's fine.

I'm sorry. It is a stair stepped thing......with each little stroke. Since my husband had his heart valve replaced, he cannot stand stress, and has some short term memory issues. The heart lung machine does a number on people. Sometimes temporary, sometimes permanent. I think with him it is the latter.

Have you and he had your pneumovax(pneumonia) vaccine?

 

[Triple Willow]

There are so many people having strokes these days, and it isn't just older people either!

 

[Beekissed]

Do you guys get a flu shot?

Nope. Got a few many, many years ago but no more. Each year's shots are made from the dead virus of the previous year's flu strain...which won't mean a hill of beans to this year's flu strain. Take it from a nurse who used to do flu shot clinics all day long, hundreds of flu shots given per day...thousands over the career. I worked in the most flu filled environments for 19 yrs and never got the flu,nor my children. At the nursing homes they encourage all the patients to get their flu shots...it's a big deal and they really push and push to get all the patients~and employees~ vaccinated. Each year we'd get flu cases that would sweep the facility..and none were of the patients who had refused the flu shots and none were of the employees who had turned down the flu vaccine.

Over the years I learned things just from observation and from a lot of reading...I'll pass on the dose of heavy metal and ineffectual antibodies from last year's flu.

How much and what should I use for lacto-fermentation? And how much ACV (separate batch) should I use per x amount of water? I'm sorry, I know it's here somewhere, but I just don't have the time to look!

Your grains will establish lacto-fermentation all on their own if allowed to pull yeasts from the air, so no starter for those is needed. It doesn't matter how much ACV you use...just throw in a couple of glugs and you'll be fine.

 

[Triple Willow]

@Flu... I got a flu shot a few years ago. That was the first one and I plan on it being the last. But I will be doubling the Vitamin D doses around here for the winter and may start garlic again.

 

[MargaretYakoda]

I'm sorry. It is a stair stepped thing......with each little stroke. Since my husband had his heart valve replaced, he cannot stand stress, and has some short term memory issues. The heart lung machine does a number on people. Sometimes temporary, sometimes permanent. I think with him it is the latter.

Have you and he had your pneumovax(pneumonia) vaccine?

Very sorry to hear about your husband. Yep. Stair stepped. In my husband's case, as long as I can keep his blood glucose under control then we can probably keep the deterioration rate slow.

I have had the pneumonia vaccine two years ago. CHAMPVA paid for it so I said hell why not? My GP was surprised since I was barely 50 at the time, but I looked at it like the flu vaccine. Anything that keeps me from getting sick will help my husband's health in the long run too. I can't remember off the top of my head if my husband's had that one. I'll check his records and ask them to do it next time we're at the VA next month. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[RoseMarie1]

Nope. Got a few many, many years ago but no more. Each year's shots are made from the dead virus of the previous year's flu strain...which won't mean a hill of beans to this year's flu strain. Take it from a nurse who used to do flu shot clinics all day long, hundreds of flu shots given per day...thousands over the career. I worked in the most flu filled environments for 19 yrs and never got the flu,nor my children. At the nursing homes they encourage all the patients to get their flu shots...it's a big deal and they really push and push to get all the patients~and employees~ vaccinated. Each year we'd get flu cases that would sweep the facility..and none were of the patients who had refused the flu shots and none were of the employees who had turned down the flu vaccine.

Over the years I learned things just from observation and from a lot of reading...I'll pass on the dose of heavy metal and ineffectual antibodies from last year's flu.

Your grains will establish lacto-fermentation all on their own if allowed to pull yeasts from the air, so no starter for those is needed. It doesn't matter how much ACV you use...just throw in a couple of glugs and you'll be fine.

I hear ya, I don't go for any of those things and WISH I hadn't of taken my daughter when she was a baby to get any of them either.


Bee a couple of my RIR hens feathers have gotten dull looking and I'm wondering what's going on. I had been feeding them the ff and like I said on here a few weeks ago I didn't want to have to go to the large town we usually go to so I just bought some layer feed here locally. They didn't have the brand I use but had the Layena brand of layer so I bought that.
anyway when I fermented that feed it went to mush and was no consistency to it whatsoever! it was like soup and I didn't add anymore water to it than before..... It was horrible and even stuck to my scoop like it had molasses in it or something. So I decided once I fed that out I wouldn't ferment anymore of that and went to town and bought me some of my brand I'd been using that ferments well. Anyway so I figured I would just feed the other feed to them dry in the morning a little at a time until I used it up and feed the ff in the evening time. Now 2 of the rir hens feathers look really dull and I don't know IF it's because they're laying now or if its from this feed or if they need worming or what? Already asked on our states facebook page and some thought they may need worming and got other responses as well. So figured I would pass this by you and see what you thought. I checked for critters in her feathers and on her legs etc. Only found ONE raised scale and it was close to her leg band so am thinking that was why it was raised BUT I went ahead and put some castor oil on her feet and legs anyway. I think I am going to get me a mask on and dust her with some sulfur tomorrow as well. Didn't you say you can worm them with the castor oil? We're eating their eggs so I don't want chemicals. Someone suggested I use DE in their food as a wormer to. A little scared of that stuff but what do you think of using the food grade DE as a wormer?

Also they are getting oyster shells 24-7 and I am baking and feeding their crushed egg shells back to them.
Got another soft shelled egg today so another one must have started laying. Had gotten one a week or so back to but found that one. This one today was beside the roosting area and they had eaten it. Guess she didn't make it to the nests or one of them got it out since it was soft. I've been going out there 4-5x a day checking for eggs. I'm getting 3-4 eggs a day now.

 

[beverly evans]

Do you guys get a flu shot?

I've never gotten one. Haven't had the flu in 50 years so think I won't get it. Maybe foolish, but I won't think so til I get it!

 

[Beekissed]

I hear ya, I don't go for any of those things and WISH I hadn't of taken my daughter when she was a baby to get any of them either.


Bee a couple of my RIR hens feathers have gotten dull looking and I'm wondering what's going on. I had been feeding them the ff and like I said on here a few weeks ago I didn't want to have to go to the large town we usually go to so I just bought some layer feed here locally. They didn't have the brand I use but had the Layena brand of layer so I bought that.
anyway when I fermented that feed it went to mush and was no consistency to it whatsoever! it was like soup and I didn't add anymore water to it than before..... It was horrible and even stuck to my scoop like it had molasses in it or something. So I decided once I fed that out I wouldn't ferment anymore of that and went to town and bought me some of my brand I'd been using that ferments well. Anyway so I figured I would just feed the other feed to them dry in the morning a little at a time until I used it up and feed the ff in the evening time. Now 2 of the rir hens feathers look really dull and I don't know IF it's because they're laying now or if its from this feed or if they need worming or what? Already asked on our states facebook page and some thought they may need worming and got other responses as well. So figured I would pass this by you and see what you thought. I checked for critters in her feathers and on her legs etc. Only found ONE raised scale and it was close to her leg band so am thinking that was why it was raised BUT I went ahead and put some castor oil on her feet and legs anyway. I think I am going to get me a mask on and dust her with some sulfur tomorrow as well. Didn't you say you can worm them with the castor oil? We're eating their eggs so I don't want chemicals. Someone suggested I use DE in their food as a wormer to. A little scared of that stuff but what do you think of using the food grade DE as a wormer?

Also they are getting oyster shells 24-7 and I am baking and feeding their crushed egg shells back to them.
Got another soft shelled egg today so another one must have started laying. Had gotten one a week or so back to but found that one. This one today was beside the roosting area and they had eaten it. Guess she didn't make it to the nests or one of them got it out since it was soft. I've been going out there 4-5x a day checking for eggs. I'm getting 3-4 eggs a day now.

Some production layer breeds will get a little shabby looking when they are laying well...it seems to be a bit of a trade off for consistent, daily lay. My granny always used to say that the scruffiest looking bird in the flock will be your best layer and I would have to agree with her on that, particularly with the RIR breed or sex link birds. My best layer in this current flock is a little New Hampshire hen that just can't be beat..but she's never really glossy like the other birds and her comb doesn't get that bright, cherry red.

Nutrition will be diverted to maintaining reproduction when they are laying well and not so much into plumage...and, conversely, when a bird is molting heavily and trying to recover from it, nutrients get diverted to feather regrowth and not towards production. In a true layer breed it will mostly go into reproduction most of the time, sometimes leaving them the ugly girl at the prom.

Many newbies rush to deworm their birds at the slightest hint of dull feathering or comb, but I won't be the one to ever recommend that to you...there are several reasons for individual birds to have dull feathering or a less than cherry red comb~only one of which could be anemia caused by a severe parasite infestation, at which time they would not likely be laying well. For birds with good nutrition, good care and a naturally clean living environment, anemia from internal parasites would be the very last thing I would think of when assessing appearances. If they were being raised in horrible conditions, it would be more inclined to believe they had an infestation above other causes and would act accordingly.

I don't think much of DE as a wormer or as anything I'd use in my chicken arsenal, though it seems all the rage right now for that very thing. I'd just give it a wait and see attitude and watch how they go along, but I wouldn't be getting nervous about internal parasites with them just yet.

 

[Triple Willow]

Ditto! LOL