Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Lacy Blues]

absolutely

 

[Beekissed]

Got the cheap meat roos today and also the two new BA pullets. The roosters are a hodge podge of breeds, some very heavy and older, and several young, mixed Leghorns that are small, slender, 13 roosters in all. All were literally crawling with lice and mites, poor things...can you imagine having that many insects biting you all the time where you cannot reach or scratch? They'll feel better by morning, as they were thoroughly dusted, legs and feet oiled up with castor oil and an oral dose for good measure. They tucked into FF like it was caviar and though there will be scuffles for a couple of weeks, I've clipped the sharpest points off of spurs and I think they will soon settle down to bachelor existence. Some have frost bit combs and wattles, so I greased those up with castor oil as well. Some greasy and dusty birds will be sleeping in a bed of leaves on a full stomach tonight...we'll see how it goes.

The new pullets are carbon copies of my BA, Fanny, and though the man said they were laying, their vents say otherwise. He said they were born late spring but could not give the date...I could have just got taken, but who knows? Got to go on faith and see what happens. They look healthy enough and seem pretty stunned to be outside of a pen/run...I don't think they know just what to make of it all. Pretty soon they'll be as wild as the rest of the flock and foraging like mad and will have forgotten confined life altogether.

Interesting to note that my flock acted like these two strangers have always been here...no fighting or attacking. My flock has never done that to strangers, so I'm left scratching my head when others ask how to introduce new birds to the flock...I've always just turned them loose and let them join the flock. The only birds that seem to have problems is males and if they don't learn who the top roo is, but even that gets settled very quickly and without blood shed or unusual violence.


Side note: My nipple bucket setup is keeping the water thawed, but not the nipple cup, so aimed a light on that tonight to see if it will stay thawed with the warmth of the light but may change back to just the heated water bowl if I have to run a light as well...kind of defeats the purpose. I'll figure something else out to keep debris out of the water. Just gotta keep working on it!

 

[Windy Bay Farm]

Got the cheap meat roos today and also the two new BA pullets.  The roosters are a hodge podge of breeds, some very heavy and older, and several young, mixed Leghorns that are small, slender, 13 roosters in all.  All were literally crawling with lice and mites, poor things...can you imagine having that many insects biting you all the time where you cannot reach or scratch?  They'll feel better by morning, as they were thoroughly dusted, legs and feet oiled up with castor oil and an oral dose for good measure.  They tucked into FF like it was caviar and though there will be scuffles for a couple of weeks, I've clipped the sharpest points off of spurs and I think they will soon settle down to bachelor existence.  Some have frost bit combs and wattles, so I greased those up with castor oil as well.  Some greasy and dusty birds will be sleeping in a bed of leaves on a full stomach tonight...we'll see how it goes.

The new pullets are carbon copies of my BA, Fanny, and though the man said they were laying, their vents say otherwise.  He said they were born late spring but could not give the date...I could have just got taken, but who knows?  Got to go on faith and see what happens.  They look healthy enough and seem pretty stunned to be outside of a pen/run...I don't think they know just what to make of it all.  Pretty soon they'll be as wild as the rest of the flock and foraging like mad and will have forgotten confined life altogether. 

Interesting to note that my flock acted like these two strangers have always been here...no fighting or attacking.  My flock has never done that to strangers, so I'm left scratching my head when others ask how to introduce new birds to the flock...I've always just turned them loose and let them join the flock.  The only birds that seem to have problems is males and if they don't learn who the top roo is, but even that gets settled very quickly and without blood shed or unusual violence. 


Side note:  My nipple bucket setup is keeping the water thawed, but not the nipple cup, so aimed a light on that tonight to see if it will stay thawed with the warmth of the light but may change back to just the heated water bowl if I have to run a light as well...kind of defeats the purpose.  I'll figure something else out to keep debris out of the water.  Just gotta keep working on it! 

Bee, you'll have a ton of meat canned up for winter storage before you know it !

Someday when you're dusting birds and oiling them up you should get video of it so us amateurs can see how it's done. I'm certain I'll have to do it at some point and I'd love to see how you get the job done

 

[Lacy Blues]

Got the cheap meat roos today and also the two new BA pullets. The roosters are a hodge podge of breeds, some very heavy and older, and several young, mixed Leghorns that are small, slender, 13 roosters in all. All were literally crawling with lice and mites, poor things...can you imagine having that many insects biting you all the time where you cannot reach or scratch? They'll feel better by morning, as they were thoroughly dusted, legs and feet oiled up with castor oil and an oral dose for good measure. They tucked into FF like it was caviar and though there will be scuffles for a couple of weeks, I've clipped the sharpest points off of spurs and I think they will soon settle down to bachelor existence. Some have frost bit combs and wattles, so I greased those up with castor oil as well. Some greasy and dusty birds will be sleeping in a bed of leaves on a full stomach tonight...we'll see how it goes.

The new pullets are carbon copies of my BA, Fanny, and though the man said they were laying, their vents say otherwise. He said they were born late spring but could not give the date...I could have just got taken, but who knows? Got to go on faith and see what happens. They look healthy enough and seem pretty stunned to be outside of a pen/run...I don't think they know just what to make of it all. Pretty soon they'll be as wild as the rest of the flock and foraging like mad and will have forgotten confined life altogether.

Interesting to note that my flock acted like these two strangers have always been here...no fighting or attacking. My flock has never done that to strangers, so I'm left scratching my head when others ask how to introduce new birds to the flock...I've always just turned them loose and let them join the flock. The only birds that seem to have problems is males and if they don't learn who the top roo is, but even that gets settled very quickly and without blood shed or unusual violence.


Side note: My nipple bucket setup is keeping the water thawed, but not the nipple cup, so aimed a light on that tonight to see if it will stay thawed with the warmth of the light but may change back to just the heated water bowl if I have to run a light as well...kind of defeats the purpose. I'll figure something else out to keep debris out of the water. Just gotta keep working on it!

'Bee, just raise it up higher. Get a big tall stump that you can brace so it won't move and another stump that's about half as big and make it a step situation. Your birds know what the water is in, it won't be hard to train them to climb up to it. I put my waterers as high as my coop construction will allow. I hate having them drink filthy water.

 

[Triple Willow]

I was re-arranging the deep littler one day from where they scratch it all to one side and every time I re-arrange their masterpiece they put it right back like they want it and when they do it looks like a dust storm and the water gets filled with litter. One day I sat it up on a rubbermaid tote that's used as a nest and I've left it there and it finally stays clean! They just hop up there to get a drink.

 

[Triple Willow]

I wonder if this is as good as the article says (Indigenous Mico Organisms - IMO)...

http://solraya.blogspot.com/2010/10/imo.html?m=1

 

[Triple Willow]

I keep between 425 and 450 birds...+or-...in the laying flock.

Hi Ron. Can you tell us more about your poultry business? Like who do you sell your eggs to? How much do you get per dozen? Etc? I suppose you use guardian dogs? What breeds? Hope you don't mind all the questions. I would like to figure out how to make a little money at this.

Do the rest of you try to make any money selling eggs to eat, meat birds, hatching eggs, chicks, layers? If you sell eggs for eating, how much do you get per dozen? What do you guys think about duck eggs? Is there a very good market for them? I want this "hobby" to make some money! lol

 

[hellbender]

Hi Ron. Can you tell us more about your poultry business? Like who do you sell your eggs to? How much do you get per dozen? Etc? I suppose you use guardian dogs? What breeds? Hope you don't mind all the questions. I would like to figure out how to make a little money at this.

Do the rest of you try to make any money selling eggs to eat, meat birds, hatching eggs, chicks, layers? If you sell eggs for eating, how much do you get per dozen? What do you guys think about duck eggs? Is there a very good market for them? I want this "hobby" to make some money! lol

I sell eggs to private parties, ie. the publc but I only allow them to come on Saturdays from noon to 8PM. Also to two health food stores, some restaurants, from Elkins, north to Clarksburg and Fairmont WV and south to Snowshoe Ski resort enterprises.

Make money? I guess I make some but if I didn't have my military retirement/social security, I'd have to reduce my flock drastically. This is an overblown hobby that I inherited from my parents but I always loved helping them and my grandparents work with the birds.

Price depends upon who's buying and how many dozen they buy....from $2.00 to $3.50 per.

Protection...4 dogs. Two Aussies that live and follow the flock where ever they go and two Patterdale Terriers that have access to a doggie door after the birds come to roost. The ACD's can not be allowed to be around the Pats. because they would kill each other. The ACD.s were raised with the birds from the time they were 8 weeks old and have a kennel inside one of the houses.

I think that covers the questions...thanks for your interest.

RON

 

[hellbender]

One more thing about the dogs...The ACD's were easy to correct from harassing the chickens but the Patterdales would start a blood bath that would not end 'til every chicken was dead. These dogs take care of night time predators by 'culling' them.

 

[beverly evans]

Got the cheap meat roos today and also the two new BA pullets. The roosters are a hodge podge of breeds, some very heavy and older, and several young, mixed Leghorns that are small, slender, 13 roosters in all. All were literally crawling with lice and mites, poor things...can you imagine having that many insects biting you all the time where you cannot reach or scratch? They'll feel better by morning, as they were thoroughly dusted, legs and feet oiled up with castor oil and an oral dose for good measure. They tucked into FF like it was caviar and though there will be scuffles for a couple of weeks, I've clipped the sharpest points off of spurs and I think they will soon settle down to bachelor existence. Some have frost bit combs and wattles, so I greased those up with castor oil as well. Some greasy and dusty birds will be sleeping in a bed of leaves on a full stomach tonight...we'll see how it goes.

The new pullets are carbon copies of my BA, Fanny, and though the man said they were laying, their vents say otherwise. He said they were born late spring but could not give the date...I could have just got taken, but who knows? Got to go on faith and see what happens. They look healthy enough and seem pretty stunned to be outside of a pen/run...I don't think they know just what to make of it all. Pretty soon they'll be as wild as the rest of the flock and foraging like mad and will have forgotten confined life altogether.

Interesting to note that my flock acted like these two strangers have always been here...no fighting or attacking. My flock has never done that to strangers, so I'm left scratching my head when others ask how to introduce new birds to the flock...I've always just turned them loose and let them join the flock. The only birds that seem to have problems is males and if they don't learn who the top roo is, but even that gets settled very quickly and without blood shed or unusual violence.


Side note: My nipple bucket setup is keeping the water thawed, but not the nipple cup, so aimed a light on that tonight to see if it will stay thawed with the warmth of the light but may change back to just the heated water bowl if I have to run a light as well...kind of defeats the purpose. I'll figure something else out to keep debris out of the water. Just gotta keep working on it!

So a BA is what? A Barred Australorp or a Buff Australorp, since a BO is a Buff Orpinton I've discovered. Still learning.