Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Triple Willow]

@ Loghousemom... Hi The only problem I can think of would be, considering a chicken can only eat so much per day, if there is too much "fluff" that will lower the percentage of protein and other nutrients. It would be good if you had a way to check that. You might have to tweak it a little bit by adding an extra protein source.

Good luck with it. It sounds like a good idea. You're giving me an idea because we have a feed mill and a couple grain elevators here where I live. It would be nice to get the feed bill down and keep it there. Thanks for the idea.

 

[3 NH reds]

We had a derecho here last year that blew over living trees and uprooted many of them but my hoop coop didn't even flutter...seriously, the tarping wasn't even fastened well, though they were lowered, on the sides and it didn't even flap. I think the streamlined design of the hoop lets air just slide right by. My coop is so heavy that it takes a truck to pull it and it's heavy going...unless we had a tornado here, this thing ain't budging.

My tarping is layered over 4 mil plastic and fastened down to firring strips on both sides of the coop, so the tarp does not have friction from wind movements along the spines of the coop. I added an additional, darker tarp to block out more sun, as the silver tarp was a tad too thin. This is the original tarp applied last spring and has shown virtually no wear and tear~and it was a cheapy.





Man this is what I need. My layer coop is way over built, 16" on center, 5/8 plywood floor covered in left over self stick tile etc. It is a nice walk in with an egg door on the back. But I want to raise some Cornish some day and not spend a fortune on it. Your shelter Bee is my answer. I am breeding Rangers bu it is slow. Lots of eggs never develop, 50% or so. I have a group of Jersey Giants that are around week 18 and going in 2 weeks. I am putting out fermented corn all they can eat for 2 weeks, worked on my Turkey last year.

 

[BlueMouse]

Welp. We butchered our "trial run" of FF raised meaties today. six meaties and three guineas. all raised in "tractors" on pasture and FF. They were all healthy right up to the end, moving and foragting in their pens. My only complaint is that the meaties seemed smallish to me. I haven't weighed them yet, I have to borrow mom's scale to do so (some small hands MAY have knocked my scale off the counter and now it is, alas, no more) but I'd say by heft they were all right around five pounds. Of course, like a dodo, I don't have super accurate records of how much they ate, since all my birds are currently eating pretty much the same ration and I just dish it all straight up out of the same bucket. So, I know how much all my flock has eaten, but not a precise number on the meaties. I think that I need to keep them on three meals until they're maybe three weeks old, then start cutting back. I only kept this lot on three meals until they were two weeks.It's a bit of trial and error at this point. Any suggestions?

 

[RoseMarie1]

I'm concerned with the cloud of fruit flies that hit me in the face when I take the top off my FF. I'm keeping the top on loosely and the container in my garage.

I don't think I need to be concerned but would like some reassurance from the more experienced.

Thanks!

put a towel over it first so they can't get in there!

 

[Beekissed]

I'm not sure...one of our other BYC members raised free ranged CX on FF and they were the biggest, heaviest chickens I've ever seen in my life! I'm thinking they averaged 13-15 lbs live weight.

 

[AletaG]

So, protein sources...
I tried to find "field peas" or split peas at my local feed store. No go. They said they "go bad" before they sell them... ??? Looked into a purchasing co-op; all they have is ground soy meal. Not too keen on soy, organic or not. I think I'm stuck trucking S 50 miles to cash n carry and buying split peas for people. For now, we happen to have a lot of trout food around from a failed experiment last year. The ckns don't like it much on it's own, but mixed about 1/3 in the FF they eat it ok. The bag says it's 32% protein, so mixed with the appx 9% protein COB, makes it better for the growing cks and cockerel.

Am having issues with fruit flies, too, but have kept it covered from the get-go. I think a couple must be more persistent. Heh. Sup-er Fly! Ta-rah!

Anyone know of a source for 'field peas' or protein meal of some sort that's under 20$ for a 50lb bag? The Game fowl mix at my feed store is almost 30... yikes. 'course, by the time freight's added in...
Ta!

 

[BlueMouse]

yeah, these guys were nothing like that live weight. Of course, they weren't really 100% free range either. but, a few of them did free range with the rest of my layers and they were about the same size as the birds kept in the tractors. I will say that they're the most motivated free rangers I have too. I regularly have to shoo them in at sundown. We'll see. I'm going to adjust with the next group some. Hopefully we'll have better results. Not displeased, one bird will feed our family for a meal. But as my husband says, there's a difference between one bird feeding us for a meal, and one bird feeding us for two meals....

I have the same experience with the filed peas. but they can and will special order them for me. maybe you can find a similar deal? I mix my own ration and like to avoid soy. I have found that amix of field peas and flax brings the protien right up, and keeps my cost per 50lb below that of layer/grower rations. I'm feeding everyone 19/20% protien right now because I have game birds as well as the chickens.

 

[Triple Willow]

I was going to suggest flax seeds and some use cat food. I need to find my old nutrition textbook ...and clean some cobwebs out of my head! lol There's also fish meal but I don't know a price on it.

...and there's hotdogs! lol (joking) I just fed mine some table scraps: rice, kraut and hotdogs. Oh yeah, there was some competition over the hotdogs. lol My little girls are doing great, 9 eggs total out of 9 pullets since they started laying about 4 days ago - all just turned 20 weeks old today. That kraut may have them shooting eggs out by morning! LOL

 

[Triple Willow]

Anyone know of a source for 'field peas' or protein meal of some sort that's under 20$ for a 50lb bag? The Game fowl mix at my feed store is almost 30... yikes. 'course, by the time freight's added in...
Ta!

The owner of my feed mill gets field peas from somewhere. I will ask him where from and how much, maybe he will tell me. He said sometimes the American Game growers around here ask for them.

 

[AletaG]

I think I just must live too far out. They said if I wanted to special order, I could. If I wanted an entire pallet. Um. No. I have 20 birds, half of which are only half grown. I don't need a pallet! The feed guy looked at me like I was crazy when I asked about fish meal.
It's weird, 'cause the Chimacum valley is nothin' but farms, really.
-AG