Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Beekissed]

I think that risk would be very minimal, if any at all. The parent birds may be carriers of some illnesses and there may even be bacteria in the eggs, but I don't think it would have any bearing on your flock as people do this ALL the time. I mean it...breeders buy eggs from other breeders, people buy eggs from random strangers on Craigslist, etc. I've not heard any cautionary tales about doing it.

 

[Zootopia]

I think that risk would be very minimal, if any at all.  The parent birds may be carriers of some illnesses and there may even be bacteria in the eggs, but I don't think it would have any bearing on your flock as people do this ALL the time.  I mean it...breeders buy eggs from other breeders, people buy eggs from random strangers on Craigslist, etc.  I've not heard any cautionary tales about doing it.

X 2 I would think that is probably the safest way to add new blood to any flock.

 

[Triple Willow]

I think that risk would be very minimal, if any at all.  The parent birds may be carriers of some illnesses and there may even be bacteria in the eggs, but I don't think it would have any bearing on your flock as people do this ALL the time.  I mean it...breeders buy eggs from other breeders, people buy eggs from random strangers on Craigslist, etc.  I've not heard any cautionary tales about doing it.

That's what I was thinking. A lot of people do it and I've never read where somebody had that sort of problem. I suppose washing the eggs would be out of the question? lol I know, I am overly paranoid.

 

[Triple Willow]

X 2 I would think that is probably the safest way to add new blood to any flock.

Yep that's what I think. I've been wanting some guineas for a long time and I think that is the best way to get some. I've got a pullet that is determined to hatch something.

 

[Beekissed]

Was cleaning up my FF buckets today and had promised that I would take pics of the hole sizes, number and l location on the bucket and post it here. So,here goes....






These are all it takes to get good flow through to and from the bottom reservoir while one bucket is sitting down into the other. I'm using some very fine ground particles in my feed much like everyone else and these do not get clogged so badly that they don't allow good flow/seep between the two buckets.

Added some over the hill Silver Queen sweet corn to the new bucket mix today...going to see how well it ferments. When this fluid absorbs into the feed, I'll just keep these ears buried in the mix for awhile to see what happens.



While I was fooling with pics, I found this pic of the Gnarly Bunch taken this spring...thought you all would like to see how they are doing on the FF. You'll see Big Bertha in the forefront on the ground...you can see how much her abdomen is drooping. She is on the cull list real soon before she starts back to laying again after this slow down. Most likely this weekend. Can't let her suffer from egg bound issues or just from this extra weight..she's too good of a bird. She's been my favorite for a long time now.

Middle sister is not in this pic as she and her adopted brood are always out in the edge of the meadow foraging.

 

[RoseMarie1]

I KNOW this is soooo annoying that they use your swing to chill out on but I think this pic is just awesome of the group just a chillin'.

 

[RoseMarie1]

Quote:
LOL don't I wish I was in Hawaii. lol

 

[Demosthine]

While I was fooling with pics, I found this pic of the Gnarly Bunch taken this spring...thought you all would like to see how they are doing on the FF. You'll see Big Bertha in the forefront on the ground...you can see how much her abdomen is drooping. She is on the cull list real soon before she starts back to laying again after this slow down. Most likely this weekend. Can't let her suffer from egg bound issues or just from this extra weight..she's too good of a bird. She's been my favorite for a long time now.

Middle sister is not in this pic as she and her adopted brood are always out in the edge of the meadow foraging.

Wow, I absolutely love that photo! That is a beautiful flock. It's hard to believe those are the same ones from your Gnarly Bunch. If anything tells of your perfect husbandry, this would be it!

 

[galanie]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrethrin


http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/reevaluation/pyrethroids-pyrethrins.html

I hate poisons! You would think that a "poison" made from flowers would be fairly safe. So then, you weight the options... poison ~ or ~ Lyme Disease/Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever/Etc ...? I have got some stuff mixed up that should keep them off of me now: Avon Skin So Soft body oil, essential oils (cedar, tea tree, lavendar, cinnamon) and peppermint extract all mixed up in water in a spray bottle. lol It actually smells really good. But to kill any ticks that might be in the house? I keep a close check for ticks because as you can tell they freak me out a bit. lol I'm not scared of the tick its self. I am concerned about what they can do - and they are just gross! As much as I watch out for them I bet I have pulled at least 25 ticks off of me this year! That's not counting the ones that were just crawling! And now these DANG "seed ticks"! But one good thing, these seed ticks that I have found stuck on me are dead when I find them. The Dawn dishwashing liquid I've been using in the shower must really work on them - hallelujah!!!

This is from a while back and sorry if this has already been said, but. Pyrethrin, the real stuff from plants, is different from the synthetic stuff pyrethrim, etc. in this way: The real deal is basically inert after 24 hours. The synthetic keeps on killing and killing for weeks.

 

[Beekissed]

Wow, I absolutely love that photo! That is a beautiful flock. It's hard to believe those are the same ones from your Gnarly Bunch. If anything tells of your perfect husbandry, this would be it!

And these are just old hatchery mutts...can you imagine what real chickens look like on FF? Imagine if those BRs were really BRs with the incredibly fine barring and yellow legs, and the WRs were heritage blood lines and what straight backs and wonderful feathering they would have. I can't imagine having real high bred chickens on FF if this is what it can do for these old hatchery stock birds.

I give all glory to God on these old birds...they shouldn't have even survived that last place they were at. Many didn't. There was some reason for these birds to come back home and be restored to health and it was God's doing all the way. Maybe so that others could learn from them? Not sure, but it feels good to see them living out healthy lives here on the cool, green grass under a blue sky.