Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[beverly evans]

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You can catch up easily because it is all so repetitive when every message comes with it's reference message!

 

[beverly evans]

Quote:
You can catch up easily because it is all so repetitive when every message comes with it's reference message!

I recently bought an air rifle to shoot squirrels that plague me no end! They are so fat from eating all my feed! 3 pounds! Too bad I am also poisoning them, I could eat them. Have seen some really good recipes online! Shoot that tabby cat! (you can tell I don't like cats!) It won't kill her but will make her (him) stay out of your yard after one or two shots. I love big cats! When I lived in Mexico I came to know a jaguar, an ocelot and a lion up close and personal. : )

 

[beverly evans]

@Hennyette... just be sure you DO NOT seal up your fermenting feed in any container because it will probably blow up on you. Now I love that sort of thing (hehe) but it could be dangerous and a huge mess in your house and a waste of feed. LOL I may be wrong but to me my feed doesn't stink at all. Really I think it smells good - like real sweet apples for some unknown reason...?

@everybody... I was just thinking, what about a cooler with a small light bulb hanging just inside of it? Might want to duct tape it so it couldn't fall in.

Yeah TW, I don't mind the smell either. My 5 gal. bucket is in the kitchen. I do have a lid sitting loosely on top though. I got used to the smell real quick. : )

 

[beverly evans]

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Heat tapes??? What are they? Where do you get them? Would they work to keep baby chicks warm in an outside coop in the winter? Negligible electricity?? Win-win! In Austin electricity is the big eater of one's funds. : ( THX

 

[Beekissed]

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You have one chicken terrorizing others and overeating....gee, what to do? Oh, what to do????

The way seems clear here.

Remove the good for nothing, overeating bully from the flock post haste and let the rest of the flock live in peace! In my flock that bird would be killed without a second's thought...but in the usual manner here on BYC, maybe you could "rehome" her?

 

[hellbender]

Heat tapes??? What are they? Where do you get them? Would they work to keep baby chicks warm in an outside coop in the winter? Negligible electricity?? Win-win! In Austin electricity is the big eater of one's funds. : (

Heat tapes/heat cables. I just checked...they are readily available in Austin at ACE Hardware stores and likely every building materials store in the state of Texas. BUT I don't thing they would work for what you are thinking of. They are a bit pricey to buy the good ones but
use very little juice. That being said...electricity almost certainly cost much less here in WV than Texas.

In any event....they are not designed to work in the way you are considering and it's too bad. If they did, lots of people might try to warm a room with them. lol

They are generally used to wrap around exposed water pipes to prevent them from freezing and they do that very well, even in sub-zero temps. but not good for spaces.

They work for me because the crocks are very thick and I have them insulated....once they get warm, they hold the heat and keeps the crocks quire warm. Additionally, my system is in a small well insulated room in the barn.

I'm sorry I couldn't give you better news.

 

[beverly evans]

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I wish I knew how to do that! : )

 

[hellbender]

You have one chicken terrorizing others and overeating....gee, what to do? Oh, what to do????

The way seems clear here.

Remove the good for nothing, overeating bully from the flock post haste and let the rest of the flock live in peace! In my flock that bird would be killed without a second's thought...but in the usual manner here on BYC, maybe you could "rehome" her?

It's my understanding that Golden Buff (fill in the breed) make delicious stew, especially if they have been 'fatted' a bit.

 

[beverly evans]

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You're kinda like the Indians that say "thank you" to each species before they eat it!

 

[Beekissed]

I agree. Heat tape is good for keeping small volume containers free from freezing, such as pipes or hoses, but not sure about larger containers such as buckets and such when the temps really get cold. I don't know of a way it could be utilized to keep chicks warm enough either.

I've often thought about making a fleece, down-filled "chick mama" with chicken wire inserts so that it can be bent to a needed shape, wherein one could brood chicks without a brood light or broody mama. One could heat a few bricks, wrap them in flannel, put them down on the floor of the brooder and place the fake chicky mama on top, with space enough under her for chicks to huddle under and fleece fringe hanging down like feathers around the edges to trap the heat while still allowing chick access.

Or the chick mama could have a place for a heating pad to be inserted to create a warm "chicken" over the chicks to give a more natural feel to the whole brooding experience. It sure would eliminate stress over using heat lamps and such, while providing chicks with enveloping warmth sort of like the Ecoglow but without the price.

I might see about fleecing some of these cheap meat roosters or my older hens of their softest under feathers during this next processing and using the feathers to make a chicky mama...maybe try it out next spring if I'm still here.