Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Beekissed]

Hi everyone; long time no post. Been busy, been lazy, computer been on vacation... My chickens ain't laying, pretty much down to zero. I got one last night and there was a 3 day stretch... nuttin! wife tried to tell me some breeds quit for good earlier than others, but hens that just started laying around this time last year, shouldn't be done already. what do y'all think? I can't remember if I've posted since, but I swapped the goats for an old lawmower (so I don't have to push 11/2 to 2 acres next year) and the meatys new home. I done in my meatys and they are in their new home. I made some chicken n dumplings which my wife loves and she said she hasn't tasted dumplings like mine for 40 or so years, when a neighbor made them for her as a kid. ( that's good right?) I also made home made chicken noodle soup for the first time, right from the stock down to the noodles../ I'm becoming quite the "Julia" eh? Bee I do not envy you processing in this weather, my hands don't tolerate the cold 'specially wet-cold, the turn white in minutes, then hurt like crazy when they turn back pink. Putting them under armpits don't help, even fire doesn't help right away, bad circulation and beating them up all my life i guess. Even on a cool damp summer day it will happen now. I found about half a pail of FF that I forgot about that must be about month month and a half old, will it still be good, it's been in the garage that is cool but not freezing. [end of rambling]

Walt

Hey, Walt!!!! Good to see you!!!

I think your wife is right on the laying issue and I'm thinking she must be right on your dumplings also...they sound delish!

What does that FF look and smell like? If it still looks and smells like FF, you could try refreshing it with fresh feed and water and see what happens....if nothing happens, I'd dump it. If it's dark and has an "off" smell that doesn't resemble anything you've found previously in your FF, I'd dump it. If it starts to act and smell like a good ferment once refreshed, I'd feed it out. Now, that's just me...some folks are a tad more cautious but I trust my nose and it's never let me down yet.

Don't be such a stranger!!! I hope you have warm, safe holidays. That description of your hands sounds like Raynaud's Syndrome: http://www.medicinenet.com/raynauds_phenomenon/article.htm#what_is_raynauds_phenomenon

 

[Beekissed]

Last year my dog found a whole deer skeleton and drug it home. He didn't eat all the bones so I had to gather them all up before I mowed in the spring.

I remember one time watching out the window and laughing at him. He had a huge fresh ham bone in his mouth walking around the yard trying to decide where to hide it. You could tell on his face that he was thinking so hard! LOL Yep, on fresh kills they eat the head first. I don't know what that's all about.

Brains! They are tasty and have loads of protein and vitamins! My dogs do the same thing when they are looking to hide some bones....that desperate pacing of the yard all day, digging, burying, moving it later, etc. is what I call "exercise" for the dog.

 

[BCMaraniac]

Brains! They are tasty and have loads of protein and vitamins! My dogs do the same thing when they are looking to hide some bones....that desperate pacing of the yard all day, digging, burying, moving it later, etc. is what I call "exercise" for the dog.

Gives a whole new meaning to the term "brain food".

 

[Beekissed]

 

[Triple Willow]

Reminds me of Mrs Kay on Duck Dynasty eating squirrel brains. lol I had an aunt whose favorite part of the squirrel was the head. That gnawing on the head might be alright for a snack but I want some meat! LOL

 

[Windy Bay Farm]

Isn't that a parenting issue???

Perhaps it is hehe. I guess some of us do have a tendency to spoil the little critters !

Your description of storms rolling in over the Gulf sounds beautiful!!  Any pics?

Stay safe and warm everyone!!

Lisa

Ditto! Sounds pretty, before it gets there of course. lol Yes, pictures please!

Unfortunately I don't have any pics but I will for sure try and get some next time and post 'em for ya'll. I once took video of a beautiful lightening storm out over the gulf but I can't seem to find where I have saved it... It was gorgeous

 

[Beekissed]

Back in our homesteading days, the squirrel brains were much fought over as to who would get them....I could never bring myself to try one.

It just seemed like eating the very soul of the animal...couldn't wrap my head around it. If I were very hungry and times were hard, I'd change my view on that real quick and in a hurry, but I just couldn't bring myself to taste one back then or now.

 

[TexasLisa]

Back in our homesteading days, the squirrel brains were much fought over as to who would get them....I could never bring myself to try one.

It just seemed like eating the very soul of the animal...couldn't wrap my head around it. If I were very hungry and times were hard, I'd change my view on that real quick and in a hurry, but I just couldn't bring myself to taste one back then or now.

Bee... you 'couldn't wrap your head around' brains??? That just struck me as punny!!

Lisa

 

[Beekissed]

Was wondering if anyone would catch that one! So good!

I love a good pun. I remember one day I was gathering corn alongside my mom and one of my sisters and the sis said how much she hated being in the corn field because of all the scratchy leaves and bugs there, said it was "eerie".... and I started laughing and couldn't stop. She wanted to know what was so funny and I pointed out the great pun. She was not amused.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Well guess what guys! Ten new chickens came home with me today. Six nine month old production reds and four nine month old CX's! O_O These birds are like 12lbs each or something insane like that. Gianormo. They're all pretty shabby looking right now of course. Nobody really keeps chickens like we do it seems. The best looking of the CX's is already bleeding out on my fence while I take a break. The other three are going to get a few days of clean ground and fermented feed to clean them up before butcher. Besides which it gives me a bit of time before I have to butcher them which is good because I don't have the coop for the other six birds made yet!

The six production reds are also a little shabby looking but not nearly as shabby as Tender and Nugget were when I got them. They had a lot more space then the sad 15X15 pen and 4X8 coop that Tender and Nugget were crammed into with 20-30 other birds. It also didn't smell as bad with 10 birds in the car as it did with just those two last time.

I gave my sister $15 in gas to get these birds. I ask $15 for a single whole CX or a small rabbit when I sell them. And I got four giant ones plus 6 hens for that.

Here's some photos!



Pretty shabby CX's.


Less shabby production reds!