Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[foreverlearning]

683 unread posts since I popped over here last... Boy, you guys have been some busy bodies, it's only been a week and a half. I will have to catch up later today.

Update on my meat birds: It is week 6 (of hatchery stated 8 week to process birds) and they are smaller than they are supposed to be. This was a point in my growing plan so I am not upset. They look funny right now because I have quite a few bare butts and bare under the wings. All are in great health and I haven't lost another since that rat snake. My main flock has taught them how to dust bathe and it is so funny to watch 50 of them go at it at once. They are also free ranging and perching on the log well. Lil Bit is still the size of a week 1 normal bird and lost her feathers on the top of her wings and hip bones. She looks so poorly in size but is still the most active bird and the biggest eater. She may be joining my main flock if she doesn't grow.

Now my luck has turned for the better. If you remember, my main flock started laying within a week of getting the meat birds. Well, I noticed that the one in my aviator was spending the bulk of her time talking with the meaties. I think they started something because 5 days ago she went seriously broody. She went from my sweet flighty girl to ornery and only leaving the nest twice a day for less than ten minutes each time to gobble as much as she can and to relieve herself. I have never seen her eat that much that quick before. She about took the head off of another girl for trying to steal her nest when she popped off for a bite so she is going in the house today.

 

[Triple Willow]

AGreed Four Thousand percent. Don't think you mentioned the giggle "chicken math" here too but that really gets me as well. Picture the above scenarios and then having more and more dumped in there cause they "love" them. Ugh. I love mine and that's why I thinned my flock upon moving rather than adding more.

I agree. I have to wonder what those people do with all of those chicks when they talk about keeping their incubator(s) full all the time. I wonder do they really have a market for all of those chickens? If they do I want in on it! I wonder if they even consider the future welfare of all of those chicks they hatch out? It's kind of like a "puppy mill" but even on a bigger scale. They sure don't seem like people who would want to kill and eat any of them. Kinda sad.

 

[Triple Willow]

@Foreverlearning... I'm glad things are going good for you. I bet that 50 chick dust cloud is pretty funny. lol

 

[DaveMorey]

683 unread posts since I popped over here last... Boy, you guys have been some busy bodies, it's only been a week and a half. I will have to catch up later today.

Update on my meat birds: It is week 6 (of hatchery stated 8 week to process birds) and they are smaller than they are supposed to be. This was a point in my growing plan so I am not upset. They look funny right now because I have quite a few bare butts and bare under the wings. All are in great health and I haven't lost another since that rat snake. My main flock has taught them how to dust bathe and it is so funny to watch 50 of them go at it at once. They are also free ranging and perching on the log well. Lil Bit is still the size of a week 1 normal bird and lost her feathers on the top of her wings and hip bones. She looks so poorly in size but is still the most active bird and the biggest eater. She may be joining my main flock if she doesn't grow.

Now my luck has turned for the better. If you remember, my main flock started laying within a week of getting the meat birds. Well, I noticed that the one in my aviator was spending the bulk of her time talking with the meaties. I think they started something because 5 days ago she went seriously broody. She went from my sweet flighty girl to ornery and only leaving the nest twice a day for less than ten minutes each time to gobble as much as she can and to relieve herself. I have never seen her eat that much that quick before. She about took the head off of another girl for trying to steal her nest when she popped off for a bite so she is going in the house today.

How big are your meaties? Mine are about the same age as yours (they will be 6 weeks this Wednesday) so I am trying to find some kind of gage of where they should be. This is my first batch of meaties ever. I am keeping a record feed use as well as weekly weigh ins for all birds. I am learning and reading a lot along the way. I just had to cull one this morning with a bum leg. It dressed out just under two pounds.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

TW; You're right. The suckling pig was amazingly tender and delicious. It's tough to look at that cute smacking face and think of those little legs as little hams... But not so hard that I would not do it again anytime someone handed me a pig!

After making it we then had lots of leftovers.... Pulled pork and carnitas became several dinners after. Amazing ones too, with a hint of orange in every bite. SOOO good! I don't mind at all eating baby animals... They can be awfully delicious. In fact, today I will be processing a baby rabbit.

I'm getting 1-3 new rabbits today from an AMAZING nationally recognized line of rabbits at a great price. The guy who has them has some 4H meat pen does and bucks from this awesome line (which I would not want to spend the money to get, he payed $125 each!) and they look great especially for $15 rabbits. I have to make room though, so tasty baby bunny into my freezer!

 

[Triple Willow]

TW; You're right. The suckling pig was amazingly tender and delicious. It's tough to look at that cute smacking face and think of those little legs as little hams... But not so hard that I would not do it again anytime someone handed me a pig!

After making it we then had lots of leftovers.... Pulled pork and carnitas became several dinners after. Amazing ones too, with a hint of orange in every bite. SOOO good! I don't mind at all eating baby animals... They can be awfully delicious. In fact, today I will be processing a baby rabbit.

I'm getting 1-3 new rabbits today from an AMAZING nationally recognized line of rabbits at a great price. The guy who has them has some 4H meat pen does and bucks from this awesome line (which I would not want to spend the money to get, he payed $125 each!) and they look great especially for $15 rabbits. I have to make room though, so tasty baby bunny into my freezer!

You're making me hungry! I bet that orange flavor was good. Hmm... I'll have to try that but I doubt it will be in a suckling pig. lol They are just too cute.

You really got a great deal on those rabbits! I still have rabbits on my mind. I may have to see about that come spring.

Btw, how did you process that piglet? There are still people that I know who process pigs at home (adult ones).

 

[ChocolateMouse]

TW, Rabbits are a good animal to start in the fall/winter... Unlike chickens, they do better in the cold than in the heat! They have thick fur coats that keep them warm in the winter... And the summer. more rabbits die of heatstroke each year than cold.

We would have shot it but we're not allowed guns where I live. We also would have done the "stunning" with a hammer but the people who had the muscles to be able to deal that kind of blow didn't have the guts to do it. :\ (I.E. the boys hid in the house while the girls (me, my sister and my best friend) butchered the pig.) So I watched a video on how they do it in the Phillipines, and we hog tied it and slit the throat, cutting the jugular veins, letting it bleed out. I had my sister holding it while I slit the throat with a huge kitchen knife. It took forever seemingly to bleed out... But I am sooooo used to bunnies that bleed out in literal seconds. It was a little creepy with how long it took with the pig. But it wasn't too bad over-all.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
LOL..... Hey It was late last night and I couldnt sleep stumbled across this conversation and had to chime in.

I guess the bottom line is...I think wed all be better off eating food that we make and not trust factory produced food... at least where is practical. I am old enough to have tasted raw Hamburger out of the package back when the Hamburger was made at the Meat department in the grocery store... and it was very good.

Right now I am in regroup mode with regard to Poultry.... Lost the whole flock to predators do to cascade failure.... So once I get everything rebuilt to my satisfaction and am in a position to start again I want to give meaties a try. I am also wanting to raise up Jumbo Guineas for processing as well.

deb

 

[Triple Willow]

@ChocolateMouse... Did you have to scald it and all that like you do a grown one? That's funny, the guys hiding out. I can see that happening. lol

That's true about the rabbits but I'm more worried about me and winter, I don't like it! lol

 

[Triple Willow]

@Perchie.Girl... Last night I fell asleep in my chair early then woke up and went to bed. In the process I spilled a glass of tea and had to clean that up then got me another one, like I really needed the first one. lol Then I got to bed and was froze to death so tossed and turned for a good while, then had to get up and get a blanket... so I was awake for a while to say the least. lol
I agree with you and I think all this "processed JUNK" is what is wrong with a lot of our health. I talk to my elderly mom about this topic a lot, about what they ate and all that. I find how things were done in "the olden days" so interesting. Sure it was harder, but it was so much better. They ate all the real fat (lard), bread, etc and didn't have as many ailments as we seem to have today and the population wasn't nearly as overweight. I read a report a while back stating that lard isn't as bad as they once said it was. I figure if it was good enough back then it's good enough today so I started buying it again. I don't use all the heavily processed oils. The only oils to be found in my house are lard, coconut oil, olive oil and real butter. But it is a BIG step to try to have the right food to eat all the time, very difficult!