Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[LOVEIGEE]

I use sweet, timothy hay and a layer of cedar wood shavings at the very bottom. Good morning, BF!!!

Today has already been a praiseworthy day~as is every day~ but this one is particularly so, if you know what I mean!!!

Love you!!!

Good morning Swwetpea! Yes, I definitely know what you mean...Praise The Lord....love you more than you'll ever know! The reason I was asking was the last bale of shavings I got was so dry and brittley, I wouldn't even want to sit on them. Thought of maybe trying hay if I can find some.........................Ready for your city question for the day?

What is the difference between straw and hay?

 

[LOVEIGEE]

My nest boxes are full of dried grass with some fresh herbs in there. Sage, lavender, basil......makes it smell nice & they are natural insect repellents.

How neat! I was noticing the greenish color and wanted to ask you........Thank you!

 

[armorfirelady]

Mine absolutely MOB me too. I have dumped it out on their heads at times since they won't get out of the way. They've jumped IN the bucket, on me, literally flown across the yard to get to the food, etc. like they are starving, but I think they just REALLY like this stuff.

I swear they are like a little herd of velociraptors following me around the yard.

Mine mob me to. I have taken to feeding them outside & really think I will make something to hold the FF outside.

On a side note I moved the electric netting and they have access to the compost pile. Last night was the first night they didnt mob me and they had left over FF in their feeders.

This is Stella the youngest of my tots. That crop could be seen before I even got in the coop. I cut their food in half last night & they still had bulging crops. There must be good eats in the compost pile. My friend stopped by at my house while I am here at work and said they were all in there again. I am going to have the best compost yet with all their scratching in there

 

[armorfirelady]

Quote:
If its free it goes in the nesting box. Pretty soon they will have some leaves in there also. Oh and there is wood ash in there as well.

 

[KelsiNS]

How long have you been feeding the FF?  The amount you are feeding is staggering, so I'm doubting you are not feeding enough but I'm wondering how long they've been on the FF now and if it's had time to flesh them out with a better type of nutrients. 

And on a side note...chickens will always act like their throats have been cut when it comes to food and I've noticed that has increased exponentially with the FF, but I doubt very seriously if it's due to hunger, as my own flock are waddling like geese on only 1.5 c. of FF per day for 13 full grown, standard chickens. 

been feeding it since saturday. I truthfully have no idea how much they need-they eat every scrap of food, and on days i feed less they follow me around the fence screaming. They were getting hollow in the chest when they were getting 10-15 cups a day. They have no grazing except what i bring and are not free range due to hawks and stray dogs, so maybe thats it? They are on grower feed and i was hoping this would stretch it. Hubby got laid off and everyone is dieting now. This IS saving me 10 cups a day though.

 

[Beekissed]

Good morning Swwetpea! Yes, I definitely know what you mean...Praise The Lord....love you more than you'll ever know! The reason I was asking was the last bale of shavings I got was so dry and brittley, I wouldn't even want to sit on them. Thought of maybe trying hay if I can find some.........................Ready for your city question for the day?

What is the difference between straw and hay?

Straw is a byproduct of a grain like barley, wheat, etc. It is the stock of the grain and is hollow, woody and waxy in appearance and very strong and fibrous. It does not break down well in composting or the garden because of it's woody nature and it doesn't absorb fluids due to the waxiness. It's great for insulation purposes because of the hollow straws that hold air, but it's not really ideal for bedding purposes if you want things to stay dry or if you want things to compost. It has little nutritive value and so it's a popular livestock bedding because the animals will not consume it.

Here's a pic of straw:



Hay, on the other hand, has some thin, woody stalks but they are not as fibrous and woody as the straw and have more flavor and nutrition than straw. It also contains leafy greens that are very tasty and filled with nutrition. The broader, less woody and fibrous leaves and stalks make it more absorbent but the long strands make it less desirable for bedding and the sugar and moisture in the leaf makes it more susceptible to mold growth~plus animals will eat it, some will do so even if it is contaminated with urine and feces. It makes excellent nesting materials because it's easier to mold into a nest shape, isn't so slick it gets kicked out of the nest and has a sweet smell and even flavor that the chickens seem to enjoy.

Here's a pic of fresh hay:

Mine mob me to. I have taken to feeding them outside & really think I will make something to hold the FF outside.

On a side note I moved the electric netting and they have access to the compost pile. Last night was the first night they didnt mob me and they had left over FF in their feeders.

This is Stella the youngest of my tots. That crop could be seen before I even got in the coop. I cut their food in half last night & they still had bulging crops. There must be good eats in the compost pile. My friend stopped by at my house while I am here at work and said they were all in there again. I am going to have the best compost yet with all their scratching in there

I'm so proud of how far you've come in your flock management from those dollhouse coop days! Like an old pro you are. The compost pile is a good move and free food!

 

[armorfirelady]

Quote: Thanks Bee I have learned a lot from you and other Ots on here. I don't know about an old pro, I just share what I do and what works for me. Most is trial and error but my girls don't seem to mind as long as they get FF

I would of had them in there earlier but you know other things get priority. Plus its a new giant compost bin I built this year from pallets so it basically had no old compost in it just the plant matter from the veggie garden & the yard and moldy veggies from this year.. Girls don't seem to mind and its nice to seem them out. Hawks (I believe) have basically kept them in the coop most of the day. Their choice not mine. their pop doors opens automatically. They had enough cover areas for protection. I am guessing one time when I wasnt home the hawk got a little to close for comfort. Now they have the compost pile to hide in, some trees and some brush. Plus the hawk hideouts I keep out for them. I really need to move them more often

 

[Triple Willow]

Well... I went out this morning to a new baby standing in the middle of the coop with the big people, peeping its head off. They didn't kill it so...? Oh, as soon as I walked in the coop WHAM! rooster got me. I might be wrong but I gave him a pass *on that one* because I know he is just protecting his new baby. I can't find two of the eggs that were under her, they have just disappeared. I guess they might have been bad but there isn't a trace of them. I still don't know to move her or let her raise them with the rest of the birds.

 

[Beekissed]

Leave her be...she seems to be doing okay amongst the flock and I've never seen a flock get aggressive with new chicks, so I always find it unusual when people speak of their chickens killing chicks. That's just not in my realm of flock keeping at all...some other hens are naturally curious, but usually the mama keeps them at a distance.

If the other eggs were infertile but not rotten, they might have consumed them to clean out the nest.

I've raised young chicks right alongside my older flock for years now without any single incident of aggression towards the chicks, whether they have a mama or not.

 

[LOVEIGEE]

Straw is a byproduct of a grain like barley, wheat, etc. It is the stock of the grain and is hollow, woody and waxy in appearance and very strong and fibrous. It does not break down well in composting or the garden because of it's woody nature and it doesn't absorb fluids due to the waxiness. It's great for insulation purposes because of the hollow straws that hold air, but it's not really ideal for bedding purposes if you want things to stay dry or if you want things to compost. It has little nutritive value and so it's a popular livestock bedding because the animals will not consume it.

Here's a pic of straw:



Hay, on the other hand, has some thin, woody stalks but they are not as fibrous and woody as the straw and have more flavor and nutrition than straw. It also contains leafy greens that are very tasty and filled with nutrition. The broader, less woody and fibrous leaves and stalks make it more absorbent but the long strands make it less desirable for bedding and the sugar and moisture in the leaf makes it more susceptible to mold growth~plus animals will eat it, some will do so even if it is contaminated with urine and feces. It makes excellent nesting materials because it's easier to mold into a nest shape, isn't so slick it gets kicked out of the nest and has a sweet smell and even flavor that the chickens seem to enjoy.

Here's a pic of fresh hay:




Great information BF.....thank you so much.....I also want to put wind barriers in the run (DL) this winter, so I'll use bales of hay there too.....it will be good for the DL......