Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Beekissed]

From what I understand, they are pretty handicapped on free range due to the top knots and also they seem to lack the survival instincts necessary to be flighty, though the Polish may be more attuned to being flighty than the silkie. Then, for the silkie, is the lack of flight...a chicken wanting more speed of escape will often use their wings to get some acceleration going. Feathered feet create drag against the grass while running and this too can make them slower.

Maybe if they were started out young along with other breeds known for being flighty on free range, they might be able to learn to have some survival skills when it comes to ranging, along with keeping their crests and feet trimmed of fur and feather...that would be a cool experiment for someone to try and see if they can make silkies into free ranging birds.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Thank you Bee. I agree with Loveigee, cute pictures. Your rooster is perdy.

I've got to add some shavings and rearrange the furniture a little bit, the chick had got out of the nest and couldn't climb back in. The only problem I have seen with them is one of the Columbian Rocks trying to help one chick in its pipping when mom got out to eat. I stood guard until mom went back to the nest. lol Mom and new chicks have got some of the other pullets acting strange. They are sitting in the nest on eggs that were layed today. One of them is sitting on the eggs and picking up shavings in front of her and throwing on her back like she is trying to cover up. What's up with that???

This is a normal occurence, at least in my flock. So very cute! Love it!

 

[AletaG]

Maybe if they were started out young along with other breeds known for being flighty on free range, they might be able to learn to have some survival skills when it comes to ranging, along with keeping their crests and feet trimmed of fur and feather...that would be a cool experiment for someone to try and see if they can make silkies into free ranging birds.

I am contemplating trading 2 LF Orps for a few frizzle silkie pullets. I am trying to get half my flock bantam size, and there aren't much more around here than silkies or OEGB. I'll give it a try, let you know in a year, eh? Worst case, puppy will have a nice meal...

 

[Beekissed]

I am contemplating trading 2 LF Orps for a few frizzle silkie pullets. I am trying to get half my flock bantam size, and there aren't much more around here than silkies or OEGB. I'll give it a try, let you know in a year, eh? Worst case, puppy will have a nice meal...

Too bad you couldn't lay hands on some Pekin cochins...now those are some cute little birds!

 

[jajeanpierre]

...that would be a cool experiment for someone to try and see if they can make silkies into free ranging birds.

My neighbor had a pair of Silkies free ranging. She lost the rooster to a fox (and 20 other birds that were not handicapped) this year. She also has peacocks as alarm birds. We have a cooperative sentry system between parrots, peacocks, chickens and my dogs.

I wanted to let them roam in my back yard. Currently, they are in a 900 square foot area with my parrot aviaries on two sides. The macaws would go ballistic--ear shattering ballistic--if a hawk came down there. The area is mostly covered in live oak and I strung some plastic netting over much of the open space just to make it a bit more difficult for a hawk. That grass is getting a bit worn, and I wanted to move them to my back yard, but there is a big open space.

I have had the Silkie cockerels free in the back yard without a problem but that might be just good luck. Fall is approaching, and the leading cause of hawk mortality is starvation, especially of the current year's babies. Starving juvenile hawks get desperate and are the most unpredictable.

 

[KelsiNS]

If you overfeed (which they'll happily let you do) they will die in unpleasant ways. That said, you have no range space? 1. how many chickens 2. what's your square footage 3. can you find apple drop, greens from grocery or restaurant to start a 'fun food pile' with 4. look into grow frames. I have 4 4"x4" frames with a mix of greenery growing underneath and they can't rip it up 5. My 20ish chickens eat no more than 3C or so of FF per day, but they do range, I have the frames, and we toss out everything to the chickens, and the DL even outside the run makes for bug-eating heaven.
I know that cage raised chickens on average are fed approx 1lb dry food per day. But, they are intentionally short lived, for one thing, even the layers, and the usefulness of dry feed to the chicken gut is nowhere near that of FF.
Also to think about... no matter what, they will always act starving. Always. You said their crops are full. Feel good about that. Once or twice a day full crop I would think is plenty. They might just be bored, too.
Good luck, and I hope your DH finds work soon!

ours have a run/coop setup that allows them 9 square feet apiece. They get greenery and crickets that i bring-THATS IT. Birds on a diet! Suckering me into food with their love!

 

[SixFizzle]

Third day on FF and I got my first egg! So ridiculously happy!

 

[Beekissed]

My neighbor had a pair of Silkies free ranging. She lost the rooster to a fox (and 20 other birds that were not handicapped) this year. She also has peacocks as alarm birds. We have a cooperative sentry system between parrots, peacocks, chickens and my dogs.

I wanted to let them roam in my back yard. Currently, they are in a 900 square foot area with my parrot aviaries on two sides. The macaws would go ballistic--ear shattering ballistic--if a hawk came down there. The area is mostly covered in live oak and I strung some plastic netting over much of the open space just to make it a bit more difficult for a hawk. That grass is getting a bit worn, and I wanted to move them to my back yard, but there is a big open space.

I have had the Silkie cockerels free in the back yard without a problem but that might be just good luck. Fall is approaching, and the leading cause of hawk mortality is starvation, especially of the current year's babies. Starving juvenile hawks get desperate and are the most unpredictable.

Wait a minute...this lady lost 20 chickens in one year to a fox?

I'd fire the peacocks, parrots and dogs at that point because something is simply NOT working. I've lost one bird to a predator in the past 10 years..and that was with just a couple of dogs. No peacocks or parrots as assistants. How in the world does one lose 20 birds to a single fox and not stop it somewhere in the process of this fox carting off 20 birds?

She shouldn't be free ranging at all.... that is just massive bird loss. We haven't lost more than 5-6 birds in the past 37 years to wild preds, I can't imagine losing 20 chickens per year and not thinking something needed changed.

 

[AletaG]

ours have a run/coop setup that allows them 9 square feet apiece. They get greenery and crickets that i bring-THATS IT. Birds on a diet! Suckering me into food with their love!

Sucka!

Third day on FF and I got my first egg! So ridiculously happy!

Bee... What on earth is a Pekin cochin? don't Cochins have feety tufts also?

 

[Beekissed]

Sucka!

Bee... What on earth is a Pekin cochin? don't Cochins have feety tufts also?

They do..not my favorite thing on a chicken, but no different than silkies. A Pekin bantam, bantam cochin...there is some confusion exactly if these are two different, distinct breeds or if they are just a miniature cochin and be done with it. I'll find a pic...





They even make them of the frizzled version.....