Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Beekissed]

Yes?

 

[Kassaundra]

Not sure, my last capon lesson was cut short, 'cause it was an experiment. The guy teaching me has always done DualPurpose breeds before with good results (basically won't eat anything else), but the CX we tried, the ribs float down to far under the hip bone. We stopped after the 3rd not so successful attempt resulted in a broken rib. His neighbor wanted to try caponizing his CX; still not sure why. Seems like it would cause more trouble with something that already has problems. Bee?

I will say that the best part about a caponed DP, other than being able to keep a large number of decent aged male meat birds about without all the crowing, is the schmalz. Mmmmm. If I can get this figured out, won't be buying much butter.

Caponizing a Cornish cross is foolish in my opinion. The whole reason for caponizing is to allow the roo to grow past sexual maturity and gain weight and fat w/o the added boy hormones mucking up the meat keeping it tender and tastey. No crowing or hassle w/ the female chickens and no fighting between the males. None of these are a problem w/ cx as they are harvested long before any of this is a problem.

 

[Beekissed]

I agree! I'm not even sure I'd fool with caponing at all, as one can use White Rock hens and get the same desired result...big, juicy, no crowing and you can even get eggs while you wait to grow them out. Great feed conversion too. My Big Bertha was just half a pound less than the biggest rooster in that meat pen I butchered the other day and she had tons more fat on her carcass.

 

[Kassaundra]

I agree! I'm not even sure I'd fool with caponing at all, as one can use White Rock hens and get the same desired result...big, juicy, no crowing and you can even get eggs while you wait to grow them out. Great feed conversion too. My Big Bertha was just half a pound less than the biggest rooster in that meat pen I butchered the other day and she had tons more fat on her carcass.

Except the point of learning and practicing caponizing is to be able to grow your own from your own stock w/o having to purchase chicks from a hatchery every time.

 

[Beekissed]

Do you mean caponizing the roosters that are born in a hatch? No more than a person would get, is it worth digging around in their backs to yield a perceived flavor difference? I for one cannot really distinguish between the taste of a hen and a rooster..they both pretty much taste like chicken.

 

[RoseMarie1]

yeah I think they taste the same to. Bee I got another egg. She is laying every other day now and the combs and wattles on the Aussies are getting red and growing to. SOOOO I will be getting eggs from them probably at least within 2 weeks Ima thinkin'. I can't wait to have me some scrabbled eggs with my eggs. Got two in there now awaiting some more so I can scramble them.

Just give me eggs for Christmas please. hee hee went out there today and found another one in her favorite nesting box. I just LOVE this! NOTHING quite like having chickens! I sure do enjoy it that's for sure!!
I think something large tried to get in one of their doors last night because the wire was really mashed in toward the inside of the pen like it rammed it pretty hard. It actually came a loose in one area on the gate. I noticed it this evening when I was closing them up for the night so I got me a large piece of wire and fixed it. That stray that has been hanging around I'm sure because it's a pretty large dog. Been hanging around for over a week now. It's been sleeping in our shed and digging holes out there in it. I filled them in to make it leave but don't think it's working!

 

[RoseMarie1]

Just did another stool check for any whole flax seeds. I didn't see any, not even in those with the looser poop. But now that you mention it I believe I will give them some more grit.

I'd try grinding it up. IF I am remembering right I read something about our systems not getting all we need from them when they were whole as well.

 

[RoseMarie1]

We sometimes grind it and use it in homemade bread, along with other grains like sunflower, sesame, etc.

I don't know about y'all's birds but I have cut way down on feed and I still have birds that are just waddling with fat, so I can't imagine adding any extra nutrients into the FF. This fermentation has turned regular layer rations and whole grains into some kind of super food and I'm really having to regulate intake to keep them to a healthy conditioning without overfeeding them. I'm at a cup and a half right now for 13 birds and they are still waddling as they forage.

Bee mine actually have wanted more feed in the past week. They're eating it like they are stocking up for wintertime. I just figured it was because winter was coming and they could sense it? I fed them the same amount and they ate it like in no time and was trying to get every drop so I was like they're needing some more food. With the hen laying I try to give them just a bit extra so she'll get enough for her laying. She is the smallest and worst looking one of them so I figure it's pulling a lot from her.

ALSO hubby had a class reunion last night and someone had ordered or bought wayyyyyyy too many rolls. They had two huge straw baskets full of the things and they had gotten hard sitting out all those hours. PLUS they had like 5 huge bags left of them as well. Hubby and I couldn't eat hardly anything there since it was all starches and wheat. Those things aren't in our lifestyle now and we just peeled the crust off the chicken and ate a spoon of potato salad. So I grabbed some of those hard rolls for my chickens. Well actually I got all of them since I was helping clean up all the mess. I was trying to put them back into the bag and it was full and not another one left to fill up. But once I felt how hard they were I just said I am feeding these to my chickens. They haven't ever had rolls so they didn't know what to do with them to start with. They liked them once they got it figured out. lol
I got some more for them tomorrow.

 

[RoseMarie1]

I agree! I'm not even sure I'd fool with caponing at all, as one can use White Rock hens and get the same desired result...big, juicy, no crowing and you can even get eggs while you wait to grow them out. Great feed conversion too. My Big Bertha was just half a pound less than the biggest rooster in that meat pen I butchered the other day and she had tons more fat on her carcass.

So you're saying the white rock is better than the CX Bee for butchering? Can't remember what the CX stands for again!

Oh what a plus having eggs to! GOTTA cut and paste your answer to this so I can remember which one you said. Cuz I AM going to grow some out to eat one of these days! YES I AM! UGHHHH I AM!

 

[RoseMarie1]

Except the point of learning and practicing caponizing is to be able to grow your own from your own stock w/o having to purchase chicks from a hatchery every time.

OK can someone explain this term because I am lost. Even googled it. But am still lost.