Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[RoseMarie1]

How long have you been feeding the FF? The amount you are feeding is staggering, so I'm doubting you are not feeding enough but I'm wondering how long they've been on the FF now and if it's had time to flesh them out with a better type of nutrients.

And on a side note...chickens will always act like their throats have been cut when it comes to food and I've noticed that has increased exponentially with the FF, but I doubt very seriously if it's due to hunger, as my own flock are waddling like geese on only 1.5 c. of FF per day for 13 full grown, standard chickens.

I'm with you, that sure sounds like a lot of food. I fed my 38 chickens when I had all those roos, about 1-1/2 gallons of food only in the evening time. They free ranged most days and I think that was even a bit much on feed with them free ranging.

 

[RoseMarie1]

If its free it goes in the nesting box. Pretty soon they will have some leaves in there also. Oh and there is wood ash in there as well.

mine has pine shavings, pine needles, and leaves and even some pieces of pine bark. lol

 

[RoseMarie1]

Mine mob me to. I have taken to feeding them outside & really think I will make something to hold the FF outside.

On a side note I moved the electric netting and they have access to the compost pile. Last night was the first night they didnt mob me and they had left over FF in their feeders.

This is Stella the youngest of my tots. That crop could be seen before I even got in the coop. I cut their food in half last night & they still had bulging crops. There must be good eats in the compost pile. My friend stopped by at my house while I am here at work and said they were all in there again. I am going to have the best compost yet with all their scratching in there

yeah sometimes I think I am feeding piranhas. lol You'd swear they were starving slap to death no matter HOW MUCH they get fed!

 

[RoseMarie1]

That is the cutest darn picture in the whole world......

Yes it is Loveigee. Brought a huge smile to my face when I saw the little chick in the feeder. too cute

 

[AletaG]

They do..not my favorite thing on a chicken, but no different than silkies. A Pekin bantam, bantam cochin...there is some confusion exactly if these are two different, distinct breeds or if they are just a miniature cochin and be done with it. I'll find a pic...




They even make them of the frizzled version.....

He's a beauty. But why not a bantam Orpington vs. a cochin? Are they smaller?
That frizzle --> "My eyes! My eyes! Agh, I'll never get over the HORROR!"

 

[Beekissed]

Nah...they're all foo foo birds to me.

But anything with real feathers and normal chicken appearance would be better than a silkie.....they simply repulse me to no end.

 

[RoseMarie1]

There is something about chicks in a flock that sends the older birds, male and female, into weirdness at times. I had an old hen who went broody this summer but the old rooster was shooting blanks and none of her eggs developed. Meanwhile I had some half grown juveniles ranging by themselves in a pack all summer long. When the broody didn't get her babies, she started trying to mother the 3 mo. old birds...she chased after them, tried to "find" them food, tried to keep them flocking together. I feared for her health because she is 6 yrs old and had just come off of a brood, so she was a little pale and low in conditioning..then she's running around after these teenagers. Pretty soon they started to accept her and, though they still won't follow her, they allow her to follow them and will still accept food when she gives it to them. Well past the age she should have weaned off chicks of her own, she is still mothering these full grown birds...was encouraging them to sleep in the nests with her for the longest time. Imagine this...5 HUGE birds jammed into one nest overnight, some unable to even lay down, but still doing it. Ridiculous!

Here's a pic of her feeding one of them....

....her big, fat 5 mo. old "chick". I don't know when she will finally "wean" these ten ton fannies, but they still jam on the roost next to her and she still follows them around all day.






Here's another odd bod....Rudy the WR rooster, trying to mother some meat chicks. He fussed and fussed over these chicks each evening and wouldn't roost on his own roost but would stand guard over their brooder, so I finally let him co-habitat with them and it was Mr. Mom all over again until they got around 4 wks old and he started trying to mate with them. He didn't have any hens of his own, so he was sure trying to make do with what he had...but he had to be separated from his foster kids due to his inability to control himself.











I see the weirdness caused by chicks in a flock somewhat akin to bringing your baby to work for the first time...everyone's cooing, wanting to hold the baby, going home and asking their husbands if they should have just ONE more baby, etc.

LOL that is a hoot! Some funny things chickens and roos do!

 

[RoseMarie1]

Just yesterday, I stalked on of my birds to see where she was laying, and I found her spot. I was watching her and she was doing the same thing, only she was picking up little pieces of brush(she was laying in patch of dying honeysuckle), and throwing it on her back as well. I didn't know what that was all about. Good thing I found her spot. My Australian Shepherd was circling like a buzzard, waiting for her to finish so she could steal the egg. I think that is where some of my eggs have been going......

I stalked one of my mallard females to several years ago and even saw her go under the azalea but could not find her she was hid soooo well. I FINALLY found her but man she was camouflaged for sure. She had a nest full of eggs.

 

[Triple Willow]

Just yesterday, I stalked on of my birds to see where she was laying, and I found her spot.  I was watching her and she was doing the same thing, only she was picking up little pieces of brush(she was laying in patch of dying honeysuckle), and throwing it on her back as well.  I didn't know what that was all about.  Good thing I found her spot.  My Australian Shepherd was circling like a buzzard, waiting for her to finish so she could steal the egg.  I think that is where some of my eggs have been going......:/

Chickens are strange creatures huh? I don't know why they would do that either unless they were trying to hide...? Mine was doing it in the nest box. Oh yeah, I'm pretty sure my Aussie would eat eggs until he couldn't eat any more! I gave my pullet 6 eggs to set on - two disappeared and when I checked earlier she has three babies and one egg still there. Tomorrow is day 21 so maybe it will hatch.

 

[Triple Willow]

  Maybe they are adding camo as they are nesting, to disguise themselves from preds as they are laying.  My dog is an egg suckin' dog too, so training them to the nest is a must or we won't see a single egg.  Dog will look like a fat, shiny slug but we won't see any eggs.... 

That's it, chicken camo! lol