Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Triple Willow]

...about using those pluckers. I read somewhere where it said to scald the bird then before you put it in the plucker to dip it in cold water. They said for some reason that keeps the bird from getting torn up...?

 

[Beekissed]

I'm so excited! I'm at work, so I'll pop in and out when I get a chance........You are making me blush BF!

My BF is back!!!!!

 

[Beekissed]

...about using those pluckers. I read somewhere where it said to scald the bird then before you put it in the plucker to dip it in cold water. They said for some reason that keeps the bird from getting torn up...?

The ones I saw get torn up was when their legs got caught in the mechanism at the bottom of the bucket and it twisted the legs off,mangled the meat, etc.

 

[Windy Bay Farm]

It sure is!  Won't hurt them a bit. 

Thanks, Bee !

 

[LOVEIGEE]

I remember having mine outside during summer and I did quit for a while because of the smell. It wasn't a pickle smell or a yeasty smell or a ferment smell of any sort I've ever been exposed to. It smelled like garbage! It was awful! But now I do it indoors and it's fine. Doesn't ferment as long as I'd like it to overall but everyone is healthy and it smells good.

Hey Sarah! Are you all moved in and relaxing a little bit? Good to see you....

 

[Triple Willow]

On another forum some people just started out using it this year and were really loving what it was doing for their flocks but a couple just stated they stopped using it because when the ferment got strong this summer the smell made them gag and get nauseous, so they stopped using it.  I couldn't believe it!!! No more time than one stays with their nose over the bucket to feed or replenish, I couldn't believe that one would throw away all that good benefit for their flocks and their pocket book just because of a SMELL.  A smell, mind you.  A smell! 

I've gagged silently(hiding it all the while) when I was cleaning the drainage from a man's face, where cancer had eaten the whole lower half of his face...completely..and there was putrid white drainage pouring down constantly and pieces of his face falling off, literally, in our hands.  I've gagged silently while packing a wound that smelled like a bad sinus infection and my hand was inserted almost entirely into the flesh of someone's body in order to pack the wound.

But gag over a bucket of feed that smells a little like beer vomit?  Not once.  Not even.  Some folks need to get out in the real world and do real dirty work so they don't get so easily offended over smells, because that's just a little bordering on ridiculous...who in the world changed their baby's diapers?   

Oh my gosh, GOD BLESS nurses like you!!! We would all be up the creek eventually without you! And to think that I know some who don't like dealing with elderly people (their own family) ...just because they are old and I guess might die on them. You do things like that for a stranger and people won't do anything for an elderly family member... pretty dang sad to say the least!

I have found that a little Vick's salve in or around the nose (depending on how bad the smell is) works great to get you through a hard smelly situation. I learned that from my days working with horses. When showing stud horses they would put Vick's in/around the stud's nose so he wouldn't smell a mare that was in or coming in heat - so he wouldn't act a fool and hurt somebody. I figured if it can work for that it can work for when I don't want to smell something.

 

[LOVEIGEE]

Oh my gosh, GOD BLESS nurses like you!!! We would all be up the creek eventually without you! And to think that I know some who don't like dealing with elderly people (their own family) ...just because they are old and I guess might die on them. You do things like that for a stranger and people won't do anything for an elderly family member... pretty dang sad to say the least!

I have found that a little Vick's salve in or around the nose (depending on how bad the smell is) works great to get you through a hard smelly situation. I learned that from my days working with horses. When showing stud horses they would put Vick's in/around the stud's nose so he wouldn't smell a mare that was in or coming in heat - so he wouldn't act a fool and hurt somebody. I figured if it can work for that it can work for when I don't want to smell something.

Ditto!

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
You have no idea.

Some people were just designed by God to be able to care tenderly for complete strangers and that's just a gift from God and nothing for which I, or anyone else, deserves credit, but the number of people who, lacking in that gift, still need to have some modicum of compassion for their own family and do not are numerous and it always stuns me. Even in my own family we have people like that. Now, there are many things that God did not gift me with...too numerous to count...but love is something that should come natural to all mankind and all have been gifted with SOME measure of love, they just choose to give it to themselves or their animals before they would stoop to give it to their own family or a stranger. There will be a severe and lasting consequence for that one day. I shudder to think of all the misplaced love in this world.

 

[armorfirelady]

Question for ya'll... I have about a weeks worth of grower pellets left that I am fermenting; my chickens are almost 18 weeks old and I was thinking that I wouldn't buy another bag of the grower once this one runs out, but that I should start buying the layer feed.  Is it ok to start them on layer feed at 18 or so weeks ?

My old birds I kept on layer since they were young. It's what the lady I got them from was feeding them. They were only 12 weeks when I got them. I noticed as they got older they had messy bottoms and 2 had prolapse. After some research I took them off the layer his spring because I got new chicks. Messy bottoms and prolapse are gone. So they have all been kept on grower with oyster shell available 24/7. I am switching to grains this month once the grower is gone. No more layer feed for me. But that's just my opinion.

Bee-my FF has been outside all summer. We had weeks of temps in the 90s and high humidity. Only once when I was on vacation did I toss the chicks ff because it smell rotten and was black on top. My chicken sitter didn't add enough water. But the rest of the time it smells like it should. I would keep mine outside all year if it didn't freeze. I might try a Heated horse bucket for it this winter. Its so much easier to have it in the coop.

 

[Triple Willow]

You have no idea.    Some people were just designed by God to be able to care tenderly for complete strangers and that's just a gift from God and nothing for which I, or anyone else, deserves credit, but the number of people who, lacking in that gift, still need to have some modicum of compassion for their own family and do not are numerous and it always stuns me.  Even in my own family we have people like that.  Now, there are many things that God did not gift me with...too numerous to count...but love is something that should come natural to all mankind and all have been gifted with SOME measure of love, they just choose to give it to themselves or their animals before they would stoop to give it to their own family or a stranger.  There will be a severe and lasting consequence for that one day.  I shudder to think of all the misplaced love in this world. 

I could not have said it better myself! I don't believe anything makes me any madder than the neglect or abuse of the elderly and kids. I can get literally fighting mad over that sort of thing! I know what you mean about those people who won't care for or even HELP care for their own elderly parents. I just don't get anything about that. I could really pull out the big soapbox so I'll just shut up.