Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[RoseMarie1]

Yep...and even much longer, depending on how you manage them. You'll know when it's time to process..when they start laying down more in the day~not just during the hot parts of the day~and walking slower. This is when their chests are getting too heavy for good mobility and they get tuckered out quicker than normal.

Oh ok....thanx Bee was wondering where you were. I said I bet she's a doing some studyin' on this book stuff.

 

[Demosthine]

For feeding, I have two methods. One for the chickens and one for the turkeys. My chickens get their fermented feed dumped in to a 9"x13" deep dish baker from WalMart. It was about $10 and is heavy enough that they don't knock it over when they jump on the edges. It just gets moved around the yard depending on where I want a bigger concentration of poop for my grass.

I wanted to feed my turkeys more often than the chickens get, and they get higher protein feed, so I had to come up with a way to isolate their food. The solution was to keep the dish above the height the chickens could reach. Initially, I mounted it to the floor's frame of my elevated brooder that ends up being about two feet off the ground. Although it kept a majority of the chickens out, both my heritage cockerels could still reach. After I fenced off the porch recently, I had to relocate it anyway. It is now mounted to my rod-iron fence using a spare board as a backing. The bolt goes through the painters tray, which cost about $4, and the board to clamp it to the fence. I can raise it, lower it or completely move it without so much as a wrench. I raised it about four inches and now only the turkeys can get to it. Here is a photo of it mounted to the brooder. I couldn't be happier with the way it's working out.

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[DaveMorey]

You'll have to harden them off sometime and it isn't getting any warmer, so you might try hardening them off with the help of a heat lamp in the tractor the first few nights and just watch if they huddle under it or away from it.  If they are under it, continue to use it for a bit but you will eventually see them getting most of their body warmth from each other rather than the light. 

I know nothing about a feed ration table...since they aren't really free ranging, you might feed them two big meals a day and be done with it, using a nice long trough. 

Well, last night was their first night out in the tractor. They kept pretty close to the light, but they all fared well. They greeted me hungrily this morning when I took the trough in to fill it up. And they mobbed me when I put it back. It's good to see them doing well and equally good to have them out of the garage.

 

[Triple Willow]

Can you see the tick on this square of toilet paper?

I wouldn't have ever seen it if it hadn't crawled across my lighted phone screen. I hate these little blood sucking vermin.

 

[Beekissed]

Well, last night was their first night out in the tractor. They kept pretty close to the light, but they all fared well. They greeted me hungrily this morning when I took the trough in to fill it up. And they mobbed me when I put it back. It's good to see them doing well and equally good to have them out of the garage.

Yay!! The lower the temps in their brooder the sooner they will feather out and get some good protection of their own from the colder temps. After that it's all smooth sailin'.

Can you see the tick on this square of toilet paper?




I wouldn't have ever seen it if it hadn't crawled across my lighted phone screen. I hate these little blood sucking vermin.

Scary! I don't believe I've ever seen one so tiny...mostly just standard brown wood ticks around these parts though many report deer tick here, I've never seen one or had one on me.

 

[Zootopia]

Can you see the tick on this square of toilet paper?

I wouldn't have ever seen it if it hadn't crawled across my lighted phone screen. I hate these little blood sucking vermin.

We call those "Seed Ticks" they are usually found in bundles in tall grass. They're like chiggers only worse. Ugh!!

 

[Triple Willow]

I just found ANOTHER tick just like that one, again crawling across the screen on my phone! They must be crawling off my hands. Good gosh this is getting a little bit scary! They could be all over you and you'd never know. I put a bottle of Dawn dishwashing liquid in the shower a few days ago and been using it when I get a shower and head washing. I know it kills fleas and other bugs but I wonder about ticks. They are hard to kill. I haven't been out in any tall grass today. But let me assure you, I am going out to mow shortly and dirt is gonna fly! I don't quite know how to deal with these things! I guess it's by the grace of God I don't have some tick disease! I don't know how to get rid of them without soaking everything in poison and I don't see that happening. I don't know if a chicken would even see these to eat them. My boyfriend puts bleach in his bathwater when he thinks he might have ticks on him. AND OH MY GOSH... a third one as I am sitting here! A bleach bath is sounding like a good possibility!

Here's the last two. I put each one in scotch tape.

 

[Triple Willow]

Do y'all know if DE kills ticks? I believe an experiment is in order! It won't be hard to find some "guinea pig" ticks for it!

 

[Beekissed]

Yer givin' me the skeevies, TW!!!

You might wanna make garlic a very big and real part of your diet for awhile.....

 

[AletaG]

I know if a tick is attached to you, alcohol or Witch Hazel will block their skin breathing pores, so they back out in a hurry. Unfortunately, they usually "spit" in you in the process, so ideally you use fine tweezers... according to my doc (long story).

If you are experimenting, try diluted clove oil, diluted Teatree oil or diluted lavendar oil.... They are all supposed to repel/kill some insects.

Seems like DE would work... but might take a while.
Good luck. <shivers> Hate those things.