Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[BCMaraniac]

So, only posting here because I can't seem to find a relevant thread elsewhere, and I don't want my heiny handed to me by the Heritage group 'cause I'm thinking to do something obnoxious. By pure chance, have a silver Birchen Marans cockerel (feety tufts, hate em. Love the color) and a Lavendar Orp pullet. And some research shows that if I push it, I could end up with silver Birchen Orpingtons. No feety tufts; both nice meat birds. Not that I need a project. But I can't find anyone who wants either or both birds. So been toying with the idea, and eating them next year after a couple of generations thru. Am I insane? There's one guy in WA state that MIGHT not hand me my keister for just asking, and will PM him also... Heh.
-Aleta G.

I've got a Lavender Orpington roo, and BCM hens. Crossed them this year.....got chicks with feety tufts and chicks without, all black. I also got cuckoo barring in some of the boys, none with feety tufts. The boys from the BCM/LO cross are really big and I caponized them. My avatar shows one of them at 25 weeks. The black capons got some coloring around their hackles, but not across the saddle. However one of the capons is looking as though he is a slip, and as his comb has begun to redden to indicate testicular regeneration, he is getting a lot more color across the back and saddle. So some of the coppering came through, but all of them were black except for the cuckoo barring. If you crossed yours, and if the coloring genetics are the same, then I would imagine that you could get the silver, but somebody elso would have to help get the genetics figured out to get the lavender too. I hope I have explained the VERY, VERY limited observations of mine.....LOL

 

[armorfirelady]

I've never had tufty feeted birds before but have a few in these rooster lots I've brought home and they seem to do well on deep litter and out on free range, but maybe not so much in a typical chicken run?  Too much mud maybe?  It would be a nightmare for sure to keep such things free of mud build up. 

I have a BCM (she just laid yesterday at 33'weeks) and an BCM/EE mix with foot feathers. They got a little mud when the rain was here but nothing horrible. I rarely see anything stuck to them. I thought maybe they would be out in the snow more than the others but it's their first winter & they are not sure what to make of it. Lol. But I did find out when they molt the feathers on their feet molt also.i really didn't know if they did or not.
But she sure does lay a beautiful dark egg. It's the top one.

She is very pretty and is coming out of shell and becoming very vocal

 

[BCMaraniac]

I've never had tufty feeted birds before but have a few in these rooster lots I've brought home and they seem to do well on deep litter and out on free range, but maybe not so much in a typical chicken run? Too much mud maybe? It would be a nightmare for sure to keep such things free of mud build up.

My BCMs have been in a muddy environment in a run, and really haven't shown any problems with build up of mud, and we had lots of rain this past summer. They originated in France in marshy areas near the Atlantic coast.

 

[Lacy Blues]

I think it depends on the mud. When it rains here, I get mud stuck to my shoes an inch thick. In fact, the longer I'm outside in it, the taller I get! The stuff is like glue!

 

[BCMaraniac]

I have a BCM (she just laid yesterday at 33'weeks) and an BCM/EE mix with foot feathers. They got a little mud when the rain was here but nothing horrible. I rarely see anything stuck to them. I thought maybe they would be out in the snow more than the others but it's their first winter & they are not sure what to make of it. Lol. But I did find out when they molt the feathers on their feet molt also.i really didn't know if they did or not.
But she sure does lay a beautiful dark egg. It's the top one.

She is very pretty and is coming out of shell and becoming very vocal

They do lay pretty eggs. You need to take those two eggs, break them side by side in a skillet, and see if you can tell a difference in the yolk color. My hubby can tell you which is which, and he swears they taste richer than the other eggs.

 

[Triple Willow]

If it floats, it doesn't mean its bad, only that its old.  The older an egg is, the drier it gets inside and the air cell at the top gets bigger and bigger.  Still edible.  Just not fresh.

Thanks you Lacy. I still don't know how I have kept one long enough for it to float. With more laying I guess I better start keeping up closer with how old they are.

 

[Triple Willow]

Oh, I wish I did..My friend used to make the BEST pickled eggs & beets..I wish I had gotten the recipe from him but sadly he took it with him when he moved on. 
If you do get one I would love to try it as well!

If I find a good recipe I'll post it. I recall trying to make pickled eggs one time. They turned out like rubber! Had to feed them to the dog. LOL

 

[Triple Willow]

So, only posting here because I can't seem to find a relevant thread elsewhere, and I don't want my heiny handed to me by the Heritage group 'cause I'm thinking to do something obnoxious. By pure chance, have a silver Birchen Marans cockerel (feety tufts, hate em. Love the color) and a Lavendar Orp pullet. And some research shows that if I push it, I could end up with silver Birchen Orpingtons. No feety tufts; both nice meat birds. Not that I need a project. But I can't find anyone who wants either or both birds. So been toying with the idea, and eating them next year after a couple of generations thru. Am I insane? There's one guy in WA state that MIGHT not hand me my keister for just asking, and will PM him also... Heh.
-Aleta G.

Well... I would help you but that is all over my head. lol Howeva' I will suggest a hot wax job on those hairy legs. hehe

 

[AletaG]

I've never had tufty feeted birds before but have a few in these rooster lots I've brought home and they seem to do well on deep litter and out on free range, but maybe not so much in a typical chicken run? Too much mud maybe? It would be a nightmare for sure to keep such things free of mud build up.

Quote:

I think it depends on the mud. When it rains here, I get mud stuck to my shoes an inch thick. In fact, the longer I'm outside in it, the taller I get! The stuff is like glue!

This is the thing. Super clay soil. There are local peeps in the Willamette Valley that actually fire pottery from that clay. I'm sure there are parts of NV where that works, too. And it don't come out of white anything or off the bottom of shoes... AGH! When we lived in OR, the mud would well up *between the grass plants* .... I still have nightmares. The BLOB has nuthin' on that clay.

I've got a Lavender Orpington roo, and BCM hens. Crossed them this year.....got chicks with feety tufts and chicks without, all black. I also got cuckoo barring in some of the boys, none with feety tufts. The boys from the BCM/LO cross are really big and I caponized them. My avatar shows one of them at 25 weeks. The black capons got some coloring around their hackles, but not across the saddle. However one of the capons is looking as though he is a slip, and as his comb has begun to redden to indicate testicular regeneration, he is getting a lot more color across the back and saddle. So some of the coppering came through, but all of them were black except for the cuckoo barring. If you crossed yours, and if the coloring genetics are the same, then I would imagine that you could get the silver, but somebody elso would have to help get the genetics figured out to get the lavender too. I hope I have explained the VERY, VERY limited observations of mine.....LOL

My understanding is to get the Birchen (or copper) back, you need to go back to the Birchen parent, to get .25 Birchen, the first gen will all look the same. You'd be after the Lav, so would want to go back to a Lav parent.

http://kippenjungle.nl/kruising.html?mgt=E:E^R/E^R,S:S/(S)&fgt=E:E/E,Lav:lav/lav

Hope the link works. If I spoke the language, I wouldn't need to bother anyone LOL.

 

[Triple Willow]

@Armorfirelady... Pretty bird! She looks a lot like my Aussies. Beautiful egg too! I need some of those.