Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[RoseMarie1]

When I bought my place it was a dream come true.... My original plan was to adopt when I could from the local shelters animals that I knew how to keep and had the financial ability..... horses donkeys goats the occasional chicken dogs cats.... Right now I have three adopted reprobates.... um er Goats. Oh the stories I could tell.
I thought I had had horses for 47 years how difficult could goats be.... Three nigerian dwarfs and one Pygmy...

Did you know:

1. Goats that never have been out of the back yard dont necessarily appreciate a collar and lead rope?
2. You can get Four goats in the back of a two door Geo metro.
3. No matter how "Goat proof" you make the car they will find your electric bill and eat it.
4. Goats who have never seen a rock before can leap off six foot high ones and run around to "do it again"
5. When a goat goes up on the roof of the patio and falls through both the roof and the hammock they only get skinned knees.
6. When the plumber leaves the crawlspace under the house open Goats can rewire the phone lines.

that was just in the first year... LOL.

deb

LOL Deb oh my word!

 

[RoseMarie1]

My first birds were around 10 lb live wt. at 8 wks and seemed to level off at that weight...processed at 11 wks and they averaged 5-6 lbs processed wt. If you don't think they are heavy enough, you can always adjust that with CX by feeding more feed...they are easy to put wt on.

Since we're on this subject...... I told hubby that I thought IF I buy some CX's I oculd feed those out to slaughter since that's what they are for and can't stay living for very long without problems from what I understand. I really think I could do that with them knowing when I buy them that's what they are for. ONLY thing I'd have trouble killing them BUT maybe hubby could shoot em for me. ?

anyway would make sure he could do that b 4 I buy them.


Anyway how long would I need to feed them for before I slaughtered them AND how many times a day to feed them 1-2 or what? Would like to get them so it wouldn't be hot weather when I had to dress em and all of that.

 

[perchie.girl]

I place goats right along side silkies in my list of favorite animals....to despise.

I'm a sheep person....lova me some sheeple.

I want some Barbados Black bellys..... Sheep are interesting less personable but I saw Barbados and I thought Wow... They were facing down and stomping their feet at my dog. Who was obediently sitting next to me while I talked to the Sheep owner about buying one. He was a funny guy... One leg told me Id have to catch one myself.... Right.... All three hundred pounds of me is going to go wrangle obviously wild animals into submission and load it up on the back of my open bed truck.... and now later on I find out they were American Black bellys....

Barbados Black bellys are naturally polled.

I cant do it till I can afford to cross fence the land so i can manage the forage so they dont strip it all.

deb

 

[Beekissed]

Ohhhhh noooo! (shaking head) I remember one time I bought some goats and a couple sheep. A guy said, "You know, you're going to ruin these goats having them around those sheep?" LOL Goats have personality. Sheep have uhhh ...wool. LOL

Oh, you just had the wrong sheeples, TW! The difference between goats and sheep are that goats are brats and sheep are loyal, quirky and moochy. Does this look like a face with no personality? My sheep lost their wool and gained personality X 100.

This is the "Got Food?" shot. I agree, woolly breeds are kind of blah, but hair sheep? They took the best of goats(browsing, playful, mischievousness, no wool to shear) and the best of sheep~loyal, good flocking, hardiness, beauty, and good mothering~and wrapped it into the hair sheep to create the perfect livestock.

And this is the "mash addict" look...the look of a guilty sheep getting caught eating chicken mash.

And who can resist the tails? You know..the ones that don't expose their bums to the world like goat's tails do...

My favorite livestock, bar none..even over chickens. John 10: 27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me."

 

[Beekissed]

I want some Barbados Black bellys..... Sheep are interesting less personable but I saw Barbados and I thought Wow... They were facing down and stomping their feet at my dog. Who was obediently sitting next to me while I talked to the Sheep owner about buying one. He was a funny guy... One leg told me Id have to catch one myself.... Right.... All three hundred pounds of me is going to go wrangle obviously wild animals into submission and load it up on the back of my open bed truck.... and now later on I find out they were American Black bellys....

Barbados Black bellys are naturally polled.

I cant do it till I can afford to cross fence the land so i can manage the forage so they dont strip it all.

deb

Great sheep..love their coloring though they lack the size and milkiness I like. I really love the painted desert sheep but can't really find them in my area. In my area, the breed I love the best is the Katahdin. Most gentle, docile, milky, great mothering, fattens like crazy on grass and hay, meaty build, and hardy to the max. One of the ladies on our sister forum has a painted desert sheep wether that she uses as a livestock guardian for her chickens and that thing has killed a possum and won't let dogs near her flock.

My sheep loved to chase the dog and loved for him to chase them back...every evening the same game of tag..never got old to me.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
You might also consider locating someone to teach you how in your area. Here on Craigslist there are offered classes from various people on the whole process. At least it would give you an idea of how it can be done with as little trauma to both you and the bird. There are some things you should not be tentative with.... I for one will be doing that with my first group.... There are several people here on the San Diego chat and meetup group that process their own. Every once and a while they will offer to teach when they are processing their own birds. Or even let you bring your own while they are processing and work them into the que.

deb

deb

 

[Triple Willow]

Well I will admit, I do think I would like hair sheep. Thought about getting some. But I love goats! And they are so good for cleaning a place up and keeping it trimmed up. Sheep, do they eat anything in the pasture besides grass? Picky picky picky! And I think goat tastes so much better than sheep. Cute pics for sheep. lol

 

[Beekissed]

Since we're on this subject...... I told hubby that I thought IF I buy some CX's I oculd feed those out to slaughter since that's what they are for and can't stay living for very long without problems from what I understand. I really think I could do that with them knowing when I buy them that's what they are for. ONLY thing I'd have trouble killing them BUT maybe hubby could shoot em for me. ?

anyway would make sure he could do that b 4 I buy them.


Anyway how long would I need to feed them for before I slaughtered them AND how many times a day to feed them 1-2 or what? Would like to get them so it wouldn't be hot weather when I had to dress em and all of that.

Rosemarie, can you change the tire on your car?

 

[Triple Willow]

Anybody planting a winter garden? What are you planting?

 

[Beekissed]

Well I will admit, I do think I would like hair sheep. Thought about getting some. But I love goats! And they are so good for cleaning a place up and keeping it trimmed up. Sheep, do they eat anything in the pasture besides grass? Picky picky picky! And I think goat tastes so much better than sheep. Cute pics for sheep. lol

Yep..hair sheep eat what goats eat AND what sheep eat. And hair sheep doesn't have that heavy, gamey taste that wool breeds have because they lack the lanolin that woolly breeds have that tends to taint the meat with a heavy smell and taste. Hair sheep taste like really tender...super tender..venison but sweeter. My sheep kept my place looking like an English park...trimmed neatly and all the edges trimmed as well. My old John Deere only had to be run twice a year when I had sheep.

And sheep stay INSIDE the fences, off of the buildings, out of the trees and out of trouble...unlike goats.