Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Triple Willow]

TW  Why not make up some meat balls for spaghetti later in the year?

Hmmm... that sounds good.

 

[TexasLisa]

Ahhhhh Strike One for Angel Eyes, my rooster.

I was coming out to the coop today (with my hands full) when he attacked me. Luckily he doesn't have his spurs yet. (He is 25 weeks old tomorrow) I couldn't catch him, so I ran him all over the yard. I don't know if it will help, but when he hits the roost tonight, I am picking him up and holding him for a while. I have two roosters and he is the dominant one. Ornery cuss!!

Lisa

 

[fuzziecreatures]

You might want to talk with Kassaundra...she leaves hers in place for the winter and says it does just fine in the big trash can she uses, doesn't freeze up and still ferments as it sits in the mix longer.

You are doing some unnecessary lifting on these buckets to strain them when you don't really need to do so...just mix your mix thicker and scoop directly out of the mix, no straining required. I did just like you when I first started because I was using the two bucket system and thought I needed to strain it because I was feeding almost the whole bucket out to some meaties, but I've since learned I was doing unnecessary steps.

Kassaundra is feeding around the same number of birds you are and she is using a single trash can and a shovel to get it done, so you might talk with her about how she has her system set up as it could save your back and your hubby some stress and time.

I keep my mix drier so I don't have to strain and I also drill holes in the bottom of my feed trough so that any residual fluid in the mix can drain out...they pretty much eat it before any of that can happen but it still gets to drip a little.

I live in PA and it can get really **** cold here in the winter! The 5 gallon waterer freezing solid overnight at times. I figure it would take a few days to freeze solid in those barrels if they are full.

Bucket full to drain overnight

Lid with 8 holes in it to allow water to drain back down

2 barrels with my pulley system

close up of my pulleys (the far pulley needs the hook replaced, the bike hook didn't cut it)
5 gallon bucket with holes

mixed up fermented feed how it looks right before mixed

 

[AletaG]

Just wondering, of you all that supply ur-selves with your own chicken for the year, how many do you raise to feed your family? It's the 4 of us here, and my husband would eat chicken every night if offered, the kids probably 2 or 3 times, and I use chicken broth for just about everything. Looking to figure out if just raising the breeding animals will result in enough culls, or if I should sprinkle a couple small hatches in here and there to just raise for eating. I have a lot of freezer space, but couldn't keep a years supply in there at a time, so will be caponizing culls obvious before 2lbs. Might even try caponizing later when culling, if I don't have enough freezer space... Hmm.

Fuzzie, I do NOT envy you that set up. I think I'd be waiting for a rope or other piece of equipment to break and Oi! So glad our winters are mild enough that I'm not too worried about freezing feed buckets. Would the oatmeal and shovel method work for you?

 

[Beekissed]

I live in PA and it can get really **** cold here in the winter! The 5 gallon waterer freezing solid overnight at times. I figure it would take a few days to freeze solid in those barrels if they are full.

Bucket full to drain overnight

Lid with 8 holes in it to allow water to drain back down

2 barrels with my pulley system

close up of my pulleys (the far pulley needs the hook replaced, the bike hook didn't cut it)
5 gallon bucket with holes

mixed up fermented feed how it looks right before mixed

No more birds than you have, it would be a simple thing to keep a row of 5 gal. buckets cooking all the time, dolly one out to the coop each day for feeding and set it to cooking new feed when you bring it back empty. Garage would be a great place for it and you can keep the lids on it, with a side cracked open for air. That FF creates it's own heat in the fermentation process, so you might be surprised how it stays unfrozen. Worth a try.

 

[BCMaraniac]

I bet they are hiding those eggs. I was reading one post on here where some Ancona hens were laying their eggs in the gutters on the owner's house, funny story. lol

I know that some of my chickens hide eggs. I have one in particular that who HAS to have complete privacy when she lays. You have to follow her and find where she lays, then you must retrieve the eggs without disturbing the nest in any way. Otherwise, she stops going there and finds another place......

 

[Kassaundra]

I'm on post #142 out of over 10,000 but wanted to get this question asked before I forgot.
I'm assuming it would be alright to add human leftovers to the fermented feed mixture, correct?
I can't think of any reason not to but there's a lot I don't know yet. Maybe by post #8,000 I'll know a lot more :-D

Hi Ksane!

I would only add them when you feed, not to the ferment bucket.

 

[Triple Willow]

Ahhhhh Strike One for Angel Eyes, my rooster.  I was coming out to the coop today (with my hands full) when he attacked me.  Luckily he doesn't have his spurs yet.  (He is 25 weeks old tomorrow) I couldn't catch him, so I ran him all over the yard.  I don't know if it will help, but when he hits the roost tonight, I am picking him up and holding him for a while.  I have two roosters and he is the dominant one. Ornery cuss!! 

Lisa

Don't that tick you off! hahahahaha Mine has got me about three times but I believe we have finally come to an understanding on that, I hope! I used a light weight plastic feed pan on mine the last time. Whacked him real good about three times. Got him in the head one time and rattled him real good. He's lucky I didn't kill him! So far he's been a good boy since then, gives me plenty of room. But who knows what tomorrow will bring. lol Bee has a good method of training a roo ...other than the BUD method. hehehe

Ohhhh Bee, how about explaining your rooster training method???

 

[Beekissed]

Make a memory.....

 

[Triple Willow]

I know that some of my chickens hide eggs.  I have one in particular that who HAS to have complete privacy when she lays.  You have to follow her and find where she lays, then you must retrieve the eggs without disturbing the nest in any way.  Otherwise, she stops going there and finds another place......

She's shy and wants her privacy. LOL The story I read on here was pretty funny. The woman thought her kids were dropping an egg now and then when they gathered them because she would find one on the porch broken. The kids told her they hadn't dropped any but she kept finding broken eggs on the porch. Then I believe she was checking the gutter and it came loose and eggs started rolling out of it and hitting the porch ...splat splat splat splat! And it was a bunch of eggs! hahaha