Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[ChocolateMouse]

Bee, I would love a potluck like that! But I would bring my pan fried Thai BBQ rabbit instead of the chipotle rabbit... Rabbit is so very good...

TW; New Zealand is a breed of rabbit that comes in a few different colors and patterns. They were originally a red rabbit and branched out. Today you can bring red, black and white rabbits into the show ring as well as broken red and black (white with spots). They are working on getting Blue and broken Blue as approved varieties but they are still in the experimental stage. You can also get other colors of New Zealand rabbits, but none of them are showable. To get them by crossing two colors of New Zealand together and seeing what comes out. You can get Grey's and browns and stuff like that... All New Zealands, just not very good for breeding for things like 4H or show and the like.
The whites are by far the most developed of the rabbits for meat and have the easiest genes to work with to produce a showable or meat pen rabbit... Plus white pelts are easy to dye. But the rest are still New Zealands.

 

[Beekissed]

Ohhh how I wish I lived anywhere near West Virginia! Or that I was rich and could round up all these good gals in my private plane and we'd all go see Bee! Wouldn't that be the coolest thing? Can't you just imagine what fun we'd have? I sometimes wonder what I'd do if I ever won the lottery or the Publishers Clearing House thing. Now I know! One can dream. : )

I can only imagine! I've often thought of how neat it would be to have a small working farm that was only horse drawn and hand operated machinery, lay out a camp ground with electric hookups near the barn and have working showers and restrooms in one part of the barn, have several times a year when people come to help with the planting or harvest, camp out, eat foods raised on the farm, take away things I'd made by hand there, relax, listen to music, sit out by the campfire and to learn how to farm in old fashioned ways~milk a cow, tend a sheep, process chickens, put up hay, harness and work a horse. I even had the place picked out and was set to rent it, for I could not afford such a place...but, alas, a fishing club offered the owner way more than I could for rent. It was just the most perfect place for it!

 

[LindaB220]

Hi, I was looking at Meyer's chicks today. Wheaten Americaunas are $20! And if I remember right, Cream Legbars are too. And I want some of each. My Americaunas lay such barely blue eggs. I wonder if the legbars eggs are bluer? They (Meyer's) say their Americaunas are pure blood. Maybe I got Easter Eggers and not real Americaunas and that's why their eggs aren't very blue. I got a bunch of blue Americauna crosses from my lavendar Ameriauna rooster and my black Australorp and Black Maran hens. They should lay olive eggs; the girls anyway. Linda, Your daughter is here in town (Austin)? Is she into chickens? If so, is she in the meetup here? I might know her? I forget, where are you located? Someone tell me how to put fotos on here, please. I have fotos of my chicks on my desktop. : )

Beverly, Jenny is a hospice nurse and absolutely incapable of raising chickens. Cringes at the thought. Along with the 3 adults I live with. Ha. I'm totally alone in my passion. And I'm ok with that because I have my buddies on here. I've been looking on the hatching threads and cream legbars have beautiful blues. Pure blue. And they are auto sexed. When I get an incubator I think that will be my first buy. But first I have to deal with my 2 orders of White Dorkings, Blue Americauna, New Hamp. Lt Sussex, White Rocks and Delawares plus 15 or so assorted extras. Starting March 20 thru April 30 Busy, you say?

 

[Angelicisi]

Pure wheatan ameraucana eggs I got them from a local breeder. She sold her flock to start another orpington project and I haven't found a pure breeder around here again yet. Did make a trade for a lovely welsummer pullet to a breeder for one of my girls to get her started with some while I look for another line hopefully local. If successful I'm on her list to buy chicks! She's breeding to get the deepest blues she can so I know even the 1st few generations will have great egg color

You can find "pure" ameraucana chicks online but they usually don't breed for egg color or standards other than color meeting the standards of non mixed pens and breeding true , tho a few places offer them at a very high cost. It'd be worth going to a known breeder here and get known quality at those prices I would think. Unless the wait lists are too long. Not sure haven't researched lately.

Legbars are on my list of oh my goodness I want thems lol but don't have any yet.

Angelicisi,  Thanks for getting us these brine recipes.  I thought brine was only salt water!  Learn so much on here.  Tell me, those blue eggs on your avatar,  are they Americauna or Legbar or pure blood chickens or what?  I'm longing for really blue eggs like those.  THX    : )

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Angel, do you have a breeding line of Wheaten then? :O Because I may be interested if you do......

 

[NewlyHatched]

Does anyone use BPA free buckets? I am planning on fermenting for my layers but want a bucket that is BPA free. Can you buy them at feed stores? Also, (and I am sure this has been asked a lot but I am only on page 140 of these 1475 pages). When I make a small batch, do I cover that, when left on my kitchen counter? I only have 6 4 day olds and didn't want to make the whole 50 lbs bag of chick starter. Maybe just a gallon. Thanks in advance!

ETA: Actually, I am only on page 6.

 

[TexasLisa]

Beverly, Jenny is a hospice nurse and absolutely incapable of raising chickens. Cringes at the thought. Along with the 3 adults I live with. Ha. I'm totally alone in my passion. And I'm ok with that because I have my buddies on here. I've been looking on the hatching threads and cream legbars have beautiful blues. Pure blue. And they are auto sexed. When I get an incubator I think that will be my first buy. But first I have to deal with my 2 orders of White Dorkings, Blue Americauna, New Hamp. Lt Sussex, White Rocks and Delawares plus 15 or so assorted extras. Starting March 20 thru April 30 Busy, you say?

LindaB, please give your daughter a BIG hug for me. I had to deal with Hospice three separate times in my life. They are awesome people to work with!

Does anyone use BPA free buckets? I am planning on fermenting for my layers but want a bucket that is BPA free. Can you buy them at feed stores? Also, (and I am sure this has been asked a lot but I am only on page 140 of these 1475 pages). When I make a small batch, do I cover that, when left on my kitchen counter? I only have 6 4 day olds and didn't want to make the whole 50 lbs bag of chick starter. Maybe just a gallon. Thanks in advance!

ETA: Actually, I am only on page 6.

If I remember correctly, you can get your buckets free from WalMart. Go to the bakery and ask for their empty icing buckets. Whatever you decide to use, give yourself plenty of room for the ff to rise. Good luck! (Don't forget to give us pictures of your babies)

Lisa

 

[Beekissed]

Does anyone use BPA free buckets? I am planning on fermenting for my layers but want a bucket that is BPA free. Can you buy them at feed stores? Also, (and I am sure this has been asked a lot but I am only on page 140 of these 1475 pages). When I make a small batch, do I cover that, when left on my kitchen counter? I only have 6 4 day olds and didn't want to make the whole 50 lbs bag of chick starter. Maybe just a gallon. Thanks in advance!

ETA: Actually, I am only on page 6.

You can pick up food grade buckets from delis and restaurants for free most of the time. Lowe's sells buckets that are food safe also.

You don't ever have to cover the feed if you don't want...mine has a lid that is always cocked open to allow gas/air exchange.

Allow for overflow of the chick starter...it grows like one of those sponge dinosaurs you can get in cereal boxes when added to water. Don't fill your container to the top...maybe half way.

 

[NewlyHatched]

Thank you Texaslisa and Beekissed! I'll check out some delis around and Walmart too! I am really excited to get started.

Here are a few pics of my babies

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Not the best pictures, they never seem to stand still and when they're sleeping, one seems to want everyone to wakey wakey!

Eta:Or just one picture. The other didn't show. I also have two buff orpingtons(who are the freaking sweetest calmest babes, ever!)

 

[Triple Willow]

TW; New Zealand is a breed of rabbit that comes in a few different colors and patterns. They were originally a red rabbit and branched out. Today you can bring red, black and white rabbits into the show ring as well as broken red and black (white with spots). They are working on getting Blue and broken Blue as approved varieties but they are still in the experimental stage. You can also get other colors of New Zealand rabbits, but none of them are showable. To get them by crossing two colors of New Zealand together and seeing what comes out. You can get Grey's and browns and stuff like that... All New Zealands, just not very good for breeding for things like 4H or show and the like.
The whites are by far the most developed of the rabbits for meat and have the easiest genes to work with to produce a showable or meat pen rabbit... Plus white pelts are easy to dye. But the rest are still New Zealands.

Thanks for the info CM. I saw a pic of some black and white NZs. They were really pretty. That might not be good for a critter I plan on eating. lol I wish I could just magically have some cages set up. That's not the fun part, building cages. lol