Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

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I've learned a lot this year.... What is in your feed, fermenting your feed, what NOT to do with meatys. I will make more "adjustments for next year, meatys will be ordered earlier, and from a different place, they will have their own housing and WILL be free ranged from the start. They will eat FF and treated more like chickens (even though they act more like velociraptors). In my defense when I got them it was later in the year and I was afraid to put them out with the cold snap we had. My hens will be added to, I hope to have around 15 or so, and maybe sell a few eggs. right now we give them to people and have made some good friends in the doing. I have just completed my first summer with bees, that is a learning curve, just finished up my fall inspection, The hive that was the strongest is still booming and has the best chance for wintering over. My newest hive has just a little less honey than the other 2 so I'm hopeful on all 3.Tonight when it's cool and they are mostly in I'm putting on the mouse guards. Took every box off and looked at the comb, that's a total of 11 hive bodies (which isn't all that many really) and nary a sting, the inspector said they were pretty docile but might not be after the fall flow is over BTW it's over and they are still ok, no gloves just a veil. I also put on feeders just to "boost" them for winter, lots of work for sure. Here I am again... off subject and rambling again... but dang it i'm proud of myself, still learning after all these years lol.

Walt
 
I'm proud of you too, so just keep rambling on! I'm so tickled you are doing bees and I sometimes wish I was in a time in my life to have them again, as I studied up on them for about 3 years before even getting them. I really think everyone should have a hive of bees in their backyard...just because. The world needs more honeybees, we benefit from the raw honey as a sweetener, immune system booster, wound dressing and as a dietary nutrient. We need the pollinators and most people in the general public just don't realize what would happen to our food supply if the honeybees were wiped out...as much as one third of our food supply requires their being present and thriving in this world.

I'm also proud of how much you've learned about chickens...I think everyone should keep learning, searching, and honing their skills in flock management if they want to keep chickens. I don't know that anyone can ever learn enough in that area and I'm still just a babe in the woods about them myself. Seems like every day I learn something I didn't know the day before..can't wait until tomorrow!
 
I'll ramble a bit too....two of the cheap meats birds were too small for processing and so I thought I'd let them free range and get some size on them with my flock. The first day they were let out to free range was on processing day. I could tell they had never really foraged before...they just wandered around slowly, pecking a bit at the ground, but without any real purpose. Later I saw them scavenging on the gut pile over in the woods but didn't think much about it...my own birds had caged several pieces of liver, testes, and fat from me during the process as well.

The next day the larger of the two was lying around..not doing much. I went to pick him up and he got up and tried to walk, but seemed to be having some trouble with coordination and he was trembling. I knew he was in trouble but just decided to let him be and see if he could shake it off...maybe had a slightly impacted crop or some such. Later on in the day I saw him lying down again, so I picked him up...he stank like he was long dead and rotten and the blue bottle flies were all over him. I felt of his crop and it was mushy...I took him over by the woods and suspended him and milked his crop, causing him to vomit. He vomited up brown liquid and a long piece of trachea and some another long tissue..possibly the craw of one of the dead birds. He was hot to touch and he smelled horribly bad, he couldn't walk straight and could only take a few steps. I guessed botulism and so culled him. End of cheap meat roo small fry #1.

The remaining roo was an ugly mixed breed, something between a barred rock and maybe a New Hampshire. Possibly 2-3 mo. old with long, gangly legs and not much tail to speak of. Very ugly guy but seemed to be doing okay in his solitary little life. He only ran into trouble at feeding time, being the lowest in the pecking order..but he was scrappy and was even running the 5 mo. old pullets off the feed now and again. One day I was feeding and then left the coop to go around to the back and collect eggs...when all the sudden I felt something bite the back of my leg!!! I turned quickly and saw little Mr. Ugly Butt running in the opposite direction. Oh, no he didn't!!!! A big, ugly baby rooster just BIT me!! First time in my life a rooster has made contact with my body. Wrong move, brainless.

So, I grabbed my walking stick that was next to the coop~in my haste, not remembering that a rooster stick needs to be lightweight and limber...more like a switch than a staff~and gave him a whomp across the back...not even a hard one. Down he went like he'd had a stroke!!! His left wing was over his back and he couldn't seem to stand up, his eyes kept closing and he went limp in a few seconds time. I killed the little sucker! It wasn't even a hard hit but it must have hit just right...so another one down. I tossed him over in the woods also and was feeling pretty badly over it. Never accidentally killed a chicken in a fit of rage before, so I was asking God's forgiveness for my hasty act of rage. Felt pretty badly about it all evening long.

The next day I am choring around and who do I see walking up the yard? Yes. Big, ugly and dumb rooster...he's a little hunched over and moving slow, but he's alive and well. Could have knocked me over with a feather! That night I checked to see where he was roosting and couldn't find him. The next day he's still a little hunkered up and moving slow, but he's getting along alright and trying to forage. I go up at dusk and found where he was sleeping..behind a trash can. Put him on the roost. The next day he's walking better, standing taller, battling for food at the feeder. He's still not too scared of me but will move away when I approach, which is the desired result...but I have a feeling we will go 'round again one day soon.

At first we were going to call him Lazarus, but I think we will now call him B.U.D.~aka Big, Ugly, and Dumb. The miracle rooster..survived a whomp from the staff of Bee and lived to tell about it. He was ranging with the Honeysuckle Gang today, so there is hope for him yet and he may learn to forage. He's still a little slow on his feet but I'm confident that will change because his inbred vigor seems to stand him in good stead.

So, there you have the story of BUD.
roll.png
 
I'm thinking so too. I'm even feeling a little....something..for the ugly mutt roo. I always have a soft spot for a lonely, scrappy and ugly creature. Feel sorry for him, I guess. He can't help it that he's ugly and stupid.
tongue.png
I'm pretty much the same, so we have something in common.
gig.gif
 
Beekissed said:
I'll ramble a bit too....two of the cheap meats birds were too small for processing and so I thought I'd let them free range and get some size on them with my flock. The first day they were let out to free range was on processing day. I could tell they had never really foraged before...they just wandered around slowly, pecking a bit at the ground, but without any real purpose. Later I saw them scavenging on the gut pile over in the woods but didn't think much about it...my own birds had caged several pieces of liver, testes, and fat from me during the process as well.

The next day the larger of the two was lying around..not doing much. I went to pick him up and he got up and tried to walk, but seemed to be having some trouble with coordination and he was trembling. I knew he was in trouble but just decided to let him be and see if he could shake it off...maybe had a slightly impacted crop or some such. Later on in the day I saw him lying down again, so I picked him up...he stank like he was long dead and rotten and the blue bottle flies were all over him. I felt of his crop and it was mushy...I took him over by the woods and suspended him and milked his crop, causing him to vomit. He vomited up brown liquid and a long piece of trachea and some another long tissue..possibly the craw of one of the dead birds. He was hot to touch and he smelled horribly bad, he couldn't walk straight and could only take a few steps. I guessed botulism and so culled him. End of cheap meat roo small fry #1.

The remaining roo was an ugly mixed breed, something between a barred rock and maybe a New Hampshire. Possibly 2-3 mo. old with long, gangly legs and not much tail to speak of. Very ugly guy but seemed to be doing okay in his solitary little life. He only ran into trouble at feeding time, being the lowest in the pecking order..but he was scrappy and was even running the 5 mo. old pullets off the feed now and again. One day I was feeding and then left the coop to go around to the back and collect eggs...when all the sudden I felt something bite the back of my leg!!! I turned quickly and saw little Mr. Ugly Butt running in the opposite direction. Oh, no he didn't!!!! A big, ugly baby rooster just BIT me!! First time in my life a rooster has made contact with my body. Wrong move, brainless.

So, I grabbed my walking stick that was next to the coop~in my haste, not remembering that a rooster stick needs to be lightweight and limber...more like a switch than a staff~and gave him a whomp across the back...not even a hard one. Down he went like he'd had a stroke!!! His left wing was over his back and he couldn't seem to stand up, his eyes kept closing and he went limp in a few seconds time. I killed the little sucker! It wasn't even a hard hit but it must have hit just right...so another one down. I tossed him over in the woods also and was feeling pretty badly over it. Never accidentally killed a chicken in a fit of rage before, so I was asking God's forgiveness for my hasty act of rage. Felt pretty badly about it all evening long.

The next day I am choring around and who do I see walking up the yard? Yes. Big, ugly and dumb rooster...he's a little hunched over and moving slow, but he's alive and well. Could have knocked me over with a feather! That night I checked to see where he was roosting and couldn't find him. The next day he's still a little hunkered up and moving slow, but he's getting along alright and trying to forage. I go up at dusk and found where he was sleeping..behind a trash can. Put him on the roost. The next day he's walking better, standing taller, battling for food at the feeder. He's still not too scared of me but will move away when I approach, which is the desired result...but I have a feeling we will go 'round again one day soon.

At first we were going to call him Lazarus, but I think we will now call him B.U.D.~aka Big, Ugly, and Dumb. The miracle rooster..survived a whomp from the staff of Bee and lived to tell about it. He was ranging with the Honeysuckle Gang today, so there is hope for him yet and he may learn to forage. He's still a little slow on his feet but I'm confident that will change because his inbred vigor seems to stand him in good stead.

So, there you have the story of BUD.
roll.png
Click to expand...
yuckyuck.gif
Keep us updated!
 
He's pretty ugly...I'll try to get a pic of him soon. He's got great camouflage, though, for the fall season...sometimes I cannot spot him amongst the leaves. I felt pretty badly about whomping him so very hard, guess I don't know my own strength. I was sure he was dead, poor guy.
hmm.png
I'm hoping it took the bite out of him, though....I'll whomp him all over again if he bites me again.
rant.gif
Just..with a switch instead of a staff...
 
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