Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[ChocolateMouse]

Bee, thanks for the nice thoughts! They're probably the saddest image of poultry I've seen outside of factory farms. They weren't much better; more space than any factory bird but they were indoors 24/7 being free fed dry scratch for months and months... The looked worse than my hen did after 2.5 months of broody and immediately moulting after hatching chicks. :\ Their combs are so pale from being indoors they're almost purple. I figure at nine months old these birds won't change for the worse in flesh quality if I give them a few days on good feed with sunshine and fresh air so why not?

 

[RoseMarie1]

These larger breed roosters must have been ancient! Tough as cobs to cut up but absolutely HUGE thighs and breasts....big ol' heavy boys. Lots of meat on them and will tenderize right down like a CX in the canning process, but with a better flavor. Am cooking the bones and less meaty parts right now for stock and no strong smells noted to the cooking meats. This FF sure does clean up a bird's smell and taste, even these old roosters with their dark meats and strong tissues. Can't wait to have the rest of them done, in the jar and the finish of this project.

Next spring...meat rabbits, if the Lord is willing.

So you got em butchered huh? Tickled for you having some in those jars!
Well I put the castor oil on the girls and I guess I need to do it again in the next day or so. Looks sort of dry again on their skin. Thinking about making them some of those little aprons. lol

 

[Chad Cool]

Let me ask Y'all this. Do you hatch you Meat birds or buy them from a hatchery? Which seems to be easier on the money 6 week Birds or 12 week birds? or do you go for tast over cost? I'm thinking a 6 week bird would be cheaper because it would not eat as much food unless it eat twice as much in 6 weeks.

Need to get to question anwsered by more poeple. One person is not enogh. there is alot of people with experiance in the room please help.

 

[Triple Willow]

Need to get to question anwsered by more poeple. One person is not enogh. there is alot of people with experiance in the room please help.

Chad one thing to consider is, are you going to free range the CX if you go that way? How would you feed them? The most economical way I have see is the way Bee did one group, make them forage all day then feed them what they can clean up in 15-30 minutes in the afternoon when you put them up. No way would I free feed or 12 on/12 off feed CX - too expensive not to mention the bird losses.

 

[NikonD2xer]

I got my cornish cross from a hatchery. I had 26 to start, lost 1 chick early on. No problems after that. Fed chicks high protein for the first two weeks then they went into a tractor. I restricted feed to 12 on 12 off. I will be doing the same thing in the spring. The only thing i will change is feeding FF the next go around.

http://www.welphatchery.com/cornish_rock_care Here is some info on care and chart that shows feed intake. Mine were very close to what you will see in the chart.

 

[Beekissed]

Let me ask Y'all this. Do you hatch you Meat birds or buy them from a hatchery? Which seems to be easier on the money 6 week Birds or 12 week birds? or do you go for tast over cost? I'm thinking a 6 week bird would be cheaper because it would not eat as much food unless it eat twice as much in 6 weeks.

If by "meat birds" you are referring to Cornish Cross, no one hatches those at home...those are a the end product of multiple pairings of two different parent stock to produce a particular kind of bird. Those come from the hatchery. As for 6 wks or 12 wks, that depends on how you are feeding and raising them. You can stuff them full of high pro feeds for 6 wks to get a round ball of chicken(some may die), or you can feed them a less intense feed and feeding schedule and keep them much longer for a more healthy specimen, but it all works out to the same price in the end, so six of one, half dozen of the other.

You might read up in this meat bird section a little before making a choice on meat birds and how you will feed them because it sounds like you are starting out without much groundwork. If you are looking for a quick turn around on meat birds, this particular thread might not be the best choice for information...most folks here are growing slower and longer, rather than fast and short.

 

[LindaB220]

It is really good for you. I've never made it with the grains but I plan on getting some and starting. My stamina could use some HELP! LOL Where did you find your grains? I wish I had a source for raw goat milk to make it with. My source moved.

I will have to ask the Mennonites and Amish if any of them have any milk goats and extra milk. I hope so!

I didn't like local distributor. Grains were puny. So I just ordered on Ebay. $7 or so shipped. They look really good. I don't remember who though.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Chad, I bought CXs from meyer (they're local but a huge supplier). The hatching eggs are 2Xs the price of the chicks so I got chicks. Roos were done at 10 weeksish. Hens took 15. Same approximate feed intake to carcass size. I did 24 hour feed the first two weeks, 12 on 12 off the third and on week 4 they were outdoor 24/7 and were getting two 15 minute meals a day. The only loss was a hawk kill.

 

[hellbender]

Chad, I bought CXs from meyer (they're local but a huge supplier). The hatching eggs are 2Xs the price of the chicks so I got chicks. Roos were done at 10 weeksish. Hens took 15. Same approximate feed intake to carcass size. I did 24 hour feed the first two weeks, 12 on 12 off the third and on week 4 they were outdoor 24/7 and were getting two 15 minute meals a day. The only loss was a hawk kill.

I have a couple question about the CX's. Aren't these the same birds that is sold in super markets? When considering expense,
and labor, is it not cheaper to simply buy them from the store, unless there is a marked difference in the quality of the meat and taste...is that the case?

 

[Angelicisi]

Feeding 4 week old CX fermented feed