Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[LindaB220]

Alright Bee, I did as you suggested and kept only the brooding light on last night. Covered grate on top with cardboard and a heavy sweater. This morning as I came in I heard nothing. No cheeps. Nothing. I removed the sweater and they woke up. All are fine. hehe. Fresh FF and water and they are happy. Two hours later I go in and tiny contented cheeps. It registered 76 degrees at 7am and 2 hrs later it's 83. We are doing great. I recouped a little strength over night and feel better myself. Next up is getting the dog kennel coop covered and pred proofed. Smooth sailing.

 

[Beekissed]

Alright Bee, I did as you suggested and kept only the brooding light on last night. Covered grate on top with cardboard and a heavy sweater. This morning as I came in I heard nothing. No cheeps. Nothing. I removed the sweater and they woke up. All are fine. hehe. Fresh FF and water and they are happy. Two hours later I go in and tiny contented cheeps. It registered 76 degrees at 7am and 2 hrs later it's 83. We are doing great. I recouped a little strength over night and feel better myself. Next up is getting the dog kennel coop covered and pred proofed. Smooth sailing.

Excellent!

I'm glad you are feeling better too!

My little sickly CX died in the night, as I was expecting. The rest are moving like jumping beans and eating this FF like it's caviar, healthy as horses. I'm going to give them a clump of soil with grass attached today or tomorrow to give them something to do and get them inoculated to the local soil culture. They are already living on the coop deep litter and getting exposed to the flock's germs in that way.

You might want to give your new chicks a taste of the soils where you plan to have them cooped/penned so they can build antibodies to the coccidia levels to be found there....now is when they can best form antibodies and start building a healthy immune system. Later on, not as successfully.

 

[Beekissed]

Also wanted to report that the simple chick feeder design I made this time is working so well that I want to kick myself for not having built one before this!!!

The chicks are staying high and dry out of the feed, the feed is not getting debris in it and the excess moisture is draining right out of that tiny crack at the bottom where the boards are joined, while the fencing topper keeps them from stepping in it and they are able to walk across the top of the feeder without getting into the feed itself.

LOVE this feeder!!!

 

[LindaB220]

Excellent!

I'm glad you are feeling better too!

My little sickly CX died in the night, as I was expecting. The rest are moving like jumping beans and eating this FF like it's caviar, healthy as horses. I'm going to give them a clump of soil with grass attached today or tomorrow to give them something to do and get them inoculated to the local soil culture. They are already living on the coop deep litter and getting exposed to the flock's germs in that way.

You might want to give your new chicks a taste of the soils where you plan to have them cooped/penned so they can build antibodies to the coccidia levels to be found there....now is when they can best form antibodies and start building a healthy immune system. Later on, not as successfully.

Ok, they are already eating just plain garden dirt. I'll switch it out. Thanks

 

[Triple Willow]

Bee, I like that feeder. How do you keep the wire in place when they are eating?

 

[Beekissed]

Bee, I like that feeder. How do you keep the wire in place when they are eating?

It just...stays! It's bent a little at the edges so that it sort of grips the wood and can't be bounced upwards very well. I'd say if it were used when they are much older they might get a little rowdy with their heads in those spaces and cause it to lift up a little but they will be graduated to a big feeder by then. I'm thinking a similar wire top could be bent into a teepee shape and prevent them from walking on the feeder at all....I'll have to experiment with different toppers on this design.

I can't say enough about this design and it's so darn easy and cheap that I'm kicking myself that I didn't make it earlier....it's been in the back of my mind for some time but never really implemented it.

 

[BCMaraniac]

It just...stays! It's bent a little at the edges so that it sort of grips the wood and can't be bounced upwards very well. I'd say if it were used when they are much older they might get a little rowdy with their heads in those spaces and cause it to lift up a little but they will be graduated to a big feeder by then. I'm thinking a similar wire top could be bent into a teepee shape and prevent them from walking on the feeder at all....I'll have to experiment with different toppers on this design.

I can't say enough about this design and it's so darn easy and cheap that I'm kicking myself that I didn't make it earlier....it's been in the back of my mind for some time but never really implemented it.

Bee, I sent my hubby an email of the photos so he could see it and make something like that for me since I should have babies in a couple of weeks. My gamebird starter/grower will be in next week and I can get my FF started before they get here....I should only have to have one bag of it for the year, since I only use it for a couple of weeks with each hatch. Thanks for the idea. I was thinking that a little eye/hook latch on the front might work to hold it securely in the closed position.....

 

[Beekissed]

Bee, I sent my hubby an email of the photos so he could see it and make something like that for me since I should have babies in a couple of weeks. My gamebird starter/grower will be in next week and I can get my FF started before they get here....I should only have to have one bag of it for the year, since I only use it for a couple of weeks with each hatch. Thanks for the idea. I was thinking that a little eye/hook latch on the front might work to hold it securely in the closed position.....

That would work! If mine starts causing problems I can always do that...so far, no problems. You can even make that top entirely fixed with zip ties on either side as the feed is just as easily placed in the feeder by scraping the scoop across the top of the wire like you'd scrape peanut butter from a spoon onto your tongue. That's the beauty of a trough...don't really have to open that wire lid to put feed into the trough if the lid is a flat one. If you get into a teepee topper it becomes necessary to open the top.

 

[RoseMarie1]

Also wanted to report that the simple chick feeder design I made this time is working so well that I want to kick myself for not having built one before this!!!

The chicks are staying high and dry out of the feed, the feed is not getting debris in it and the excess moisture is draining right out of that tiny crack at the bottom where the boards are joined, while the fencing topper keeps them from stepping in it and they are able to walk across the top of the feeder without getting into the feed itself.

LOVE this feeder!!!

what size holes is that Bee? Looks like large holes like 2" or so. I need to make one of these to since mine are STAYING in their food. Constantly getting poop out of the food. Mine are back inside due to the cold night temps. HOPING I can get them BACK outside tomorrow since they are chirping and about to drive us nutz. lol not quite much at all.

 

[RoseMarie1]

Oh, Linda! Now the fun begins!!!

Of course...pics are mandatory, as is the report on how they like the FF. These little meat chicks of mine took to it like hogs to slop and haven't looked back.

mine to Bee. In fact they are getting IN the long plastic trough and scratching it out like grown chickens. I removed the metal things I have the trough sitting on this evening and tonight and made them clean up the food before I refilled the trough. They are growing like crazy.

Congrats Linda on your chicks!!!!