Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[RoseMarie1]

I have an off the wall question for you guys. Do you or have you ever heard that running a couple of goats with your free range birds will help deter attacks from birds of prey? I have heard that and I can see how it might work, maybe not 100% but help.

Would the goats stay WITH them though is what I am wondering? I do have my old lady sticking up out there like Bee has. Mines name is Old Bertha and I move her around the yard like Bee does. She's a stuffed angel I found at the thrift store and I just thought she was perfect. lol Although she doesn't look like an angel since she has a straw hat on and her wings aren't spread out.

 

[wlhtx]

I have an off the wall question for you guys. Do you or have you ever heard that running a couple of goats with your free range birds will help deter attacks from birds of prey? I have heard that and I can see how it might work, maybe not 100% but help.

All of my chickens and goats free range all day every day. The goats wander around the pasture much more than the chickens. They do not stay grouped together.

We have red-tailed hawks that also live in our pasture. One of which we know has been around for the last 15 yrs. These hawks have never once bothered my free range mature-sized chickens. Since having my flock, I have lost 4 juvenile-sized chickens to unknown predators. These may have been lost to the hawks, but I just don't know. Could just as well have been my house cat...

I do think the goats help deter nighttime predators like coons, and I have witnessed them stomp a poisonous snake to death. But I don't know about hawk deterrence... Maybe.

 

[RoseMarie1]

All of my chickens and goats free range all day every day. The goats wander around the pasture much more than the chickens. They do not stay grouped together.

We have red-tailed hawks that also live in our pasture. One of which we know has been around for the last 15 yrs. These hawks have never once bothered my free range mature-sized chickens. Since having my flock, I have lost 4 juvenile-sized chickens to unknown predators. These may have been lost to the hawks, but I just don't know. Could just as well have been my house cat...

I do think the goats help deter nighttime predators like coons, and I have witnessed them stomp a poisonous snake to death. But I don't know about hawk deterrence... Maybe.

that's really cool! I've been wanting a milk goat so maybe now I can convince the hubby I NEED one. He hates em like he hated chickens BUT I think these are growing on him.

He had to help tend to chicken houses when he was a kid so he hated them.
I sure will be glad when we get off this page number. Don't like all those 6's. ugh chills.

 

[wlhtx]

I've been wanting a milk goat so maybe now I can convince the hubby I NEED one.

They are full of antics and a lot of fun to watch! They also do a pretty good job of keeping the tall grasses around our pond mowed down. Just beware - they like to tap dance on vehicles. Ask me how I know...

 

[Triple Willow]

Would the goats stay WITH them though is what I am wondering? I do have my old lady sticking up out there like Bee has. Mines name is Old Bertha and I move her around the yard like Bee does. She's a stuffed angel I found at the thrift store and I just thought she was perfect. lol Although she doesn't look like an angel since she has a straw hat on and her wings aren't spread out.

I forgot about that! Maybe I need to invest (or create) a little lady myself. I have several pieces of clothing that everybody is after me to throw away. lol I believe in getting every dime 's worth out of my work clothes so they get really holey before I'll toss them - to the point of I can't keep them on anymore or they are vulgar. LOL

 

[Triple Willow]

I think the amount of food eaten can be affected by the breed.Cornish have a reputation for eating everything they can get, NH reds are good with their food and only eat what they need. We have 3 dogs, 2 labs and a Hound Lab mix. The Labs would never stop eating but the hound does. We left her in her 10 by 10 Kennel for 3 days with lots of food and water. We asked the person collecting eggs for us to walk by and make sure she was fine. We came home and she had food left in her bowl. our Labs would have had that food gone in 15 min

You are so right about some breeds of birds eating habits. Like Bee had, I've got some Delawares that I am going to have to thin out. They are some serious eaters! I bet they would be some great dual purpose birds for meat though, if you are set up to force them to free range. The Buckeyes I have are sweet as can be even though I don't try to make pets out of any of my birds as far as holding and petting them. They fly up out of the brooder and sit on my knee. The Delawares, not so friendly. One or more of them usually bite me when I stick my hand in the brooder. I have heard the Buckeyes make good broodies. Some of them will definitely be staying even if they aren't the best layers.

 

[TexasLisa]

You guys make me think I am doing something wrong with my ff!! I have 7 hens and 7 12 wk old chicks. I am down to a heaping spoonful in the morning. Maybe 1/2 of that is eaten. In the evening what is left over looks dry, so I add a bit more. They NEVER eat it all. I have even put the dry pellets next to it to see which they prefer. They just pick at it. I do free-range from 7 AM till dusk. Is that normal? I have never had them chase me down or run up to me when I am feeding them that stuff. Now if I have scratch or apple cores, then they come running.

Lisa

 

[Triple Willow]

All of my chickens and goats free range all day every day. The goats wander around the pasture much more than the chickens. They do not stay grouped together.

We have red-tailed hawks that also live in our pasture. One of which we know has been around for the last 15 yrs. These hawks have never once bothered my free range mature-sized chickens. Since having my flock, I have lost 4 juvenile-sized chickens to unknown predators. These may have been lost to the hawks, but I just don't know. Could just as well have been my house cat...

I do think the goats help deter nighttime predators like coons, and I have witnessed them stomp a poisonous snake to death. But I don't know about hawk deterrence... Maybe.

I LOVE goats! I pretty much grew up with one that I raised on a bottle. I had about rather have one of them as a pet than a dog. You are right, they are so funny to watch. I don't know but I have heard that snakes won't stay around where they are, might be some truth to that. I would love to have seen yours stomp the poisonous snake to death!

The last two hawks that have lived here at my place have been hit by cars. I did have a regular one back arcoss the field. I guess he is the last one that got hit because I haven't seen or heard him. Back in the corner of the field is a murder of crows, somewhere else is a family of turkey vultures and I hear a horned owl and a barred owl out there. Then there are the coyotes at the creek and the possums that wander through the yard and the coons at the pond and snakes, snakes, snakes! LOL My dogs do a pretty good job of keeping everything away (except the birds) but I can't trust them with the chickens at all. I think there might be hope for one of the dogs, the other I just don't see it. She wants to kill everything. The other day she had a total fit over a turtle she couldn't get to. I saw a turtle bite the other dog on the nose one day. He's got a permanent lump on his nose to show for it! LOL

 

[Windy Bay Farm]

You guys make me think I am doing something wrong with my ff!!  I have 7 hens and 7 12 wk old chicks.  I am down to a heaping spoonful in the morning.  Maybe 1/2 of that is eaten.  In the evening what is left over looks dry, so I add a bit more.  They NEVER eat it all.  I have even put the dry pellets next to it to see which they prefer.  They just pick at it.  I do free-range from 7 AM till dusk.  Is that normal?  I have never had them chase me down or run up to me when I am feeding them that stuff.  Now if I have scratch or apple cores, then they come running.

Lisa

If you're free ranging for that many hours per day then likely your birds are getting filled up on whatever they are foraging for and are not requiring the amount of feed they normally would if they were confined.

 

[wlhtx]

You guys make me think I am doing something wrong with my ff!!  I have 7 hens and 7 12 wk old chicks.  I am down to a heaping spoonful in the morning.  Maybe 1/2 of that is eaten.  In the evening what is left over looks dry, so I add a bit more.  They NEVER eat it all.  I have even put the dry pellets next to it to see which they prefer.  They just pick at it.  I do free-range from 7 AM till dusk.  Is that normal?  I have never had them chase me down or run up to me when I am feeding them that stuff.  Now if I have scratch or apple cores, then they come running.

Lisa

Lisa, mine took FOREVER to catch on to the FF. I kept thinking I was doing something wrong too, but after several weeks they decided they loved it. Now they mob me every day at feed time... Some even jump IN the bucket when I open it. Silly birds... Just give 'em a bit and they'll come around!