Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Triple Willow]

it's worth a try if it is you just move them. Mine didn't die all at once it was more the mold & most survived. I am still working out the kinks. Tomorrow I am cutting a huge whole in my lid & gluing landscape fabric to it. to give more ventilation and keep out the fruit flys that are driving me crazy!!!

Hey I just remembered, I have a tote with holes and screen that I raised crickets in when we had geckos. I could use that. Crickets were kind of fun to raise. It's amazing to see critters like that go from egg to adult. I wonder how much protein crickets have...?

 

[Triple Willow]

A funny video. Bee you will appreciate this. haha

 

[AletaG]

Tea sounds great! But you know what, there are radical L leaning people everywhere! Like you, once my mom is gone I will probably be leaving here. But then she might out-live me! I hope she sticks around for a good while longer.

Do you have plans on how you are going to set up your breeding pens? I would kinda like to set up a couple of them, nothing grand.

Of course they are everywhere, the question is, can we counterbalance them?
By set up, do you mean physical set up, or logistical, who with who type set up? So far I have 2 4 by 6 ft dog kennels that each have a raised med sized dog house with a roost in them and a bucket style nest box below. They're back to back and covered perfectly, in red neck style, with an old truck canopy to raise the roof a bit. They have their own bucket w nipple waterers and 4" PVC feeders and a piece of gutter for a FF feed trough. Nobody in one at the moment, and using the other to grow out a couple little-er guys. Trying to decide whether to do a Trio in each, or put one rooster over 4 hens, then swap the rooster out after a couple hatches. Parental tracking easier with the second option. But 5 to a 4 by 6 space seems a bit much. I also have an Icee trio I'd like to breed, but trying to decide whether I want to make another pen so they can all go concurrently, or just rotate out.

it's worth a try if it is you just move them. Mine didn't die all at once it was more the mold & most survived. I am still working out the kinks. Tomorrow I am cutting a huge whole in my lid & gluing landscape fabric to it. to give more ventilation and keep out the fruit flys that are driving me crazy!!!

Landscape fabric! Brilliant! My nice muslin coffee filter fabric can get sanitized and returned to it's original use! Yay!

Aleta; There's so many different breeds of "acceptable" meat rabbits it's all about YOUR production goals.
If you are Only growing for meat with NO ulterior motives, go for Cali's or NZWs. Look for a rabbit that looks like a bowling ball under fur for it's backside, and has the shoulders to support it. Ask about dressage ratios, litter sizes, growth rates (4-5lbs in 10-12 weeks is the goal), parentage, etc. You don't need a pedigree for awesome meat rabbits. Beware of fancy cross breeds (meat mutts) without good parent stock because they get hybrid vigor gen 1, but not gen 2. I back up my crosses with a dad that looks like a bowling ball and a pedigreed mom from a line that produces documented 12 kit litters.

The best way to keep rabbits (IMO) is in cages that are suspended above the chickens. But they're not REALLY kept "together" they just have access to the neighboring space, you know?

Thankyouthankyouthankyou! Copied and saved to the hard drive. That's what I meant by "together"... so much wasted vertical space in my enclosed runs

Hey I just remembered, I have a tote with holes and screen that I raised crickets in when we had geckos. I could use that. Crickets were kind of fun to raise. It's amazing to see critters like that go from egg to adult. I wonder how much protein crickets have...?

Pretty good protein source... always heard they were harder to keep?

 

[Triple Willow]

Of course they are everywhere, the question is, can we counterbalance them?
By set up, do you mean physical set up, or logistical, who with who type set up? So far I have 2 4 by 6 ft dog kennels that each have a raised med sized dog house with a roost in them and a bucket style nest box below. They're back to back and covered perfectly, in red neck style, with an old truck canopy to raise the roof a bit. They have their own bucket w nipple waterers and 4" PVC feeders and a piece of gutter for a FF feed trough. Nobody in one at the moment, and using the other to grow out a couple little-er guys. Trying to decide whether to do a Trio in each, or put one rooster over 4 hens, then swap the rooster out after a couple hatches. Parental tracking easier with the second option. But 5 to a 4 by 6 space seems a bit much. I also have an Icee trio I'd like to breed, but trying to decide whether I want to make another pen so they can all go concurrently, or just rotate out.
Landscape fabric! Brilliant! My nice muslin coffee filter fabric can get sanitized and returned to it's original use! Yay!
Thankyouthankyouthankyou! Copied and saved to the hard drive. That's what I meant by "together"... so much wasted vertical space in my enclosed runs
Pretty good protein source... always heard they were harder to keep?

The only thing hard about crickets is keeping the moisture right to hatch the eggs and handling the water correctly - not letting it get too dry but being very careful not to drown anybody. The new hatchlings can drown in just a small drop of water that you leave behind. I have heard that meal worms are a lot easier to raise.

I agree on the rabbits with the chickens. I was thinking of putting a hutch in the chicken's run and putting a tray underneath the hutch to catch the feces and mainly the urine. I remember it being pretty stinky and they seem to get a little wild with it sometimes (like peeing out the side of the hutch). You can set up a tray underneath where the waste will all go in a bucket. I believe I would use the poop but get rid of the pee. But I don't know much about it.

I believe we are supposed to try our best to counterbalance them but I also believe that the world is right on track for the soon coming of the Lord for His followers. The Word says that the last days will be like in the days of Noah. Our world has become ever bit that evil!

I'm trying to picture your raised doghouse with a bucket/nest under it. Do you have a pic? While we are talking about breeding, do you know how long it takes for the semen to all get out of a hen once she has been bred? I could show you some redneck style - but I'd really rather be called a hillbilly. LOL My birds are in the Hillbilly Hilton! LOL A week or so ago my boyfriend helped me do a couple modifications to my coop/run and when we were done I said, "Well, it looks like crap... but it works."

 

[mckenzy]

I'm wondering why you used brown sugar?  The grains contain enough sugar/starch to feed the bacilli...easily...and the brown sugar is not really necessary.

Was just recommended I guess! You're probably right, maybe the fermentation happened a little faster with the sugar? I dunno. Same reason some people think you can't touch alka-seltzer with your bare finger tips or it won't fizz properly, I'm guessing.
Thanks for the reply.

 

[Triple Willow]

Was just recommended I guess! You're probably right, maybe the fermentation happened a little faster with the sugar? I dunno. Same reason some people think you can't touch alka-seltzer with your bare finger tips or it won't fizz properly, I'm guessing.
Thanks for the reply.

I bet it smells good and it might taste good....NAAA I'll pass!

 

[maryhysong]

I agree on the rabbits with the chickens. I was thinking of putting a hutch in the chicken's run and putting a tray underneath the hutch to catch the feces and mainly the urine. I remember it being pretty stinky and they seem to get a little wild with it sometimes (like peeing out the side of the hutch). You can set up a tray underneath where the waste will all go in a bucket. I believe I would use the poop but get rid of the pee. But I don't know much about it.

I have a very large rabbitry when I lived in TX, big open pole barn. I raised red worms in the manure under the cages and fed a lot of worms to my chickens which were penned separately. Now I just have a couple of rabbits for meat, tho I may get a few Angoras for wool when I get some other things situated. I'm thinking of a simple shelter with solid walls on the north and west sides to keep out hot sun and cold wind, then a fine trellis work on the other sides, covered with climbing roses for lots of air and shade. I will raise worms under the cages again but maybe put some fence along the worm beds so the chickens can't get in all the time.

 

[AletaG]

I agree on the rabbits with the chickens. I was thinking of putting a hutch in the chicken's run and putting a tray underneath the hutch to catch the feces and mainly the urine. I remember it being pretty stinky and they seem to get a little wild with it sometimes (like peeing out the side of the hutch). You can set up a tray underneath where the waste will all go in a bucket. I believe I would use the poop but get rid of the pee. But I don't know much about it.

I believe we are supposed to try our best to counterbalance them but I also believe that the world is right on track for the soon coming of the Lord for His followers.
I'm trying to picture your raised doghouse with a bucket/nest under it. Do you have a pic? While we are talking about breeding, do you know how long it takes for the semen to all get out of a hen once she has been bred?

I'll try to get a picture. I'm bad about that. We're using half of a tall coffee table braced against the back side. It's just tall enough for a nest box or 2 under it, and short enough for the dog house/coop to go on top.
There's research suggesting the semen can be viable for up to 30 days or more, but also that once she's being bred to a new rooster, that can shorten the 'old' stuffs lifespan to from 0 to 10 days. I'm going to run my HRIR separate from any other roosters, and when I breed my Icees, I won't be collecting eggs to hatch for at least a week. I probably have the links somewhere, but it just took some internet noodling to find. Also, sounds like if you want maximum hatchability of the fertilized eggs, successful mating should occur at least every three days.
I'd be drowning those crickets, I'm sure.
Since rabbits pee and poop in the same place, (though they can be trained to 'go' in one spot, like a cat) not sure how you'd avoid it. Can't be any worse than the chicken poop, at least urine is sterile. It does stink, but in our case, would be going straight into deep litter... If it gets bad, might invest in some of that horse stall stuff with zeolites in it.
Anytime, Lord, any time. But in the meantime, gotta work for the best we can. Part of the calling.

I have a very large rabbitry when I lived in TX, big open pole barn. I raised red worms in the manure under the cages and fed a lot of worms to my chickens which were penned separately. Now I just have a couple of rabbits for meat, tho I may get a few Angoras for wool when I get some other things situated. I'm thinking of a simple shelter with solid walls on the north and west sides to keep out hot sun and cold wind, then a fine trellis work on the other sides, covered with climbing roses for lots of air and shade. I will raise worms under the cages again but maybe put some fence along the worm beds so the chickens can't get in all the time.

Your new hutch sounds like it will be pretty. I'm already doing mealworms and plotting to do BSF. And chickens will just eat rabbit poop... which was sort of the point for my purposes...

 

[Triple Willow]

I'll try to get a picture. I'm bad about that. We're using half of a tall coffee table braced against the back side. It's just tall enough for a nest box or 2 under it, and short enough for the dog house/coop to go on top.
There's research suggesting the semen can be viable for up to 30 days or more, but also that once she's being bred to a new rooster, that can shorten the 'old' stuffs lifespan to from 0 to 10 days. I'm going to run my HRIR separate from any other roosters, and when I breed my Icees, I won't be collecting eggs to hatch for at least a week. I probably have the links somewhere, but it just took some internet noodling to find. Also, sounds like if you want maximum hatchability of the fertilized eggs, successful mating should occur at least every three days.
I'd be drowning those crickets, I'm sure.
Since rabbits pee and poop in the same place, (though they can be trained to 'go' in one spot, like a cat) not sure how you'd avoid it. Can't be any worse than the chicken poop, at least urine is sterile. It does stink, but in our case, would be going straight into deep litter... If it gets bad, might invest in some of that horse stall stuff with zeolites in it.
Anytime, Lord, any time. But in the meantime, gotta work for the best we can. Part of the calling.

You are right, "anytime" - but work until then.

An Amish friend of mine built a big rabbit hutch that was about 10 feet long. I believe it had three single adult sections and a bigger growout section. It was up on legs and had a roof on it. It had a piece of metal underneath it to catch the waste. I believe you can rig it so the pee will go in one bucket then rake the droppings into something else. A Mennonite friend made fun of him saying that he had more money in that hutch than he would have in rabbits. lol I really liked his setup though, and I think I will build one like it if I do rabbits.

I am a firm believer in using whatever is available to do things too. My family drives me nuts wanting me to throw things away that they just can't see any use for. They had rather throw something away then go buy something new when they could have used what they had for whatever. I worked for a lady one time that died a millionaire. She started from nothing but managed everything well, didn't waste money and seemed to rig up and reuse everything. lol

 

[kevinr1]

I have been feeding 29 cornish cross fermented grains for about 6 weeks now. they are seven weeks old and are nowhere near the same size as other cornish cross' I have had at this age. Added alfalfa to the fermented feed approx. a week ago, but they still do not seem to be growing. Should I be supplementing something else. I do not want to go back to meatbird pellets. They are healthy, active, clean, and well feathered. They fly out of the enclosure while the birds I had in the past just sat there and breathed hard. I feed corn, wheat, and oats along with the alfalfa. I have scrambled eggs to help boost protein, but added the alfalfa for consistency. Are these birds going to start dying at 9-10 weeks at half the weight? Any help is appreciated. Thanks.