Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Triple Willow]

BCMaraniac... that would be funny, even funnier under the circumstances. LOL I guess you had better have a phone stashed away to smooth things over. LOL

 

[TexasLisa]

LOL, sounds like my family! A couple years ago we got my sister a black Wii... But we also had a black Wii box lying around from our own black wii. So we wrapped a sweater in it and gave it to her much to her dismay. Then we gave her the Wii. XD It was priceless.

This year I re-boxed and wrapped most of my beau's prezzies in strange things and shapes. He has NO idea what he's getting!

Are you sure you aren't a Hoosier? I think you are kin. I love crazy get-togethers like that.

Ya'll have a nice evening!

Lisa

 

[Triple Willow]

Not that I own any roosters, mind you! XD So that sure would be crazy for m to get properly fertilized eggs! But I sure hope you get them!

So I've got an on-topic inquiry as I cook my solstice dinner of imported Australlian lamb (Mmmmm!)...

With modern hays you can get some really impressive nutrient levels out of them. Timothy tends to run around 13% protein, orchard around 15%, alfalfa can be anywhere from 16% on the low end to 22% on the high end... Has anyone thought of trying to feed chopped, fermented hay as a major part of their chicken's ration? It seems like the right general nutrients (lower on the fat, higher in fiber but still pretty good, and really nice calcium levels) to make up the bulk of a chicken's diet... Mix in some sprouts for diversity, fat and trace minerals... It seems like it would be a GREAT and cheap way to feed your chickens!

I haven't done that but a couple months ago I was reading about making small batches of silage. That sounded real interesting

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Awright folks! I promised some photos so here they are!







These kits are about 24 hours old now... They should be getting fed real soon as they're all looking a bit like they haven't been fed since they were born. They're only fed 1-2 times a day, so this isn't too unusual, but this is also Cana's first litter so I have no idea if she'll care for them. I MIGHT be able to foster them off onto my 2-week old litters (I've seen it done) but I'd rather that not happen. It would not be too hard to force nurse them if she refuses to feed 'em either... But only time will tell if she cares for them in any case. If they're still not fed by noon tomorrow I may have to intervene but that gives mama 14 hours yet to feed them.

You can just start to see the sheen of fur coming in on them over the pink. They're born bright red but get their fur fast. In 1-2 more days they'll be white. They're about as long as my thumb and a bit wider right now. They'll double their size in just a few days, too.

Her sister, Diamond, might be due this weekend too. She's been nesting but has been known to nest constantly for weeks without being bred. :3

Gotta say, love my rabbits.

My two-weekers are just starting on solids a tad. In two more weeks I'll be starting weaning and then I'll separate one out to try fermented rabbit feed. (lulz) Not sure how that will go since rabbits don't normally "do" acidic things well... But who knows unless we try, right?

We also seem to have fall earmites creeping up... Out comes the mineral oil!

 

[Beekissed]

How sweet!! I miss baby buns! Don't miss all that really downy fur...it always worked up my allergies.

 

[Triple Willow]

Can't wait to get started on rabbits!

 

[BCMaraniac]

Those babies are so sweet....and so helpless. It is amazing how quickly they gain independence. What is the gestation period for rabbits?

 

[ChocolateMouse]

BC, typically if you count breeding day as day "0" they will give birth on the night of day "32". However I have had some kindle at 30 days and some at 34. They open their eyes around10 days and are out of the nest around two weeks. It's chilly so they've been hanging out in there more lately, though.

Something really interesting that I find to be typical in mammals... Their gestation period is just a TAD longer than weaning. That's because in the wild animals tend to breed almost immediately after giving birth, so the first babies have to be out and on their own before the next set is born! I wean according to this principle, even if I don't re-breed that fast... Because I find the kits stop drinking mom's milk around 5-6 weeks even if I leave them in there. So at 4.5 weeks I take out the biggest kits and work my way down to the smallest at the end of 6 weeks so the littlest ones have a chance to nurse a bit longer and catch up some weight. Some people leave the kits in up to 8 weeks, but I don't see them nurse anymore by 6 weeks so I figure, what's the point? If they were wild they'd be weaned and completely on their own, chased away by mama, fending for themselves as a group at that point anyhow.

 

[Beekissed]

And you can really tell when Mama is getting annoyed by them....

That's when I take pity on the poor soul and move those kits.

 

[Angelicisi]

I'd like to try this. How fine does it need to be to avoid crop issues? Does it get creamy like a spinach or stay firm? Can I do it the same way I ferment my chooks feed? Alfalfa/ACV & water? I feed organic hay and never realized the % was so high. Always looked at it as a filler or keep um busy food..

Just a thought, Humans lose heat to major organs working in the cold. Not sure if chickens are the same...but after eating a meal, more blood is needed to make the organs digest and function properly. The blood is pulled from the surface to organs leaving skin and appendages at risk for colder temps.
BUT chickens obviously have different anatomy! I just thought I'd mention it could be somethin to keep an eye on.

I still want to ferment rabbit feed lol not ready to experiment yet but I will. But adding some hay with nutrition I like, my girls love when I mix up a different batch on occassion and knowing I'm not cutting my protein levels is lovely news. They free range woods and cleared land dawn til dusk so get plenty of natures insect supplements and have full access to greens year round.

I'll be up bright and early for church tomorrow morning.  Sundays are the only days that I'm up before the chickens.  I'll tell them it's supposed to start getting warmer now and they can start laying me some eggs again!  We'll see if they listen. 

I don't ferment alfalfa, but I do use the dried and cubed alfalfa in my chickens feed.  First I take a jack knife to it and chip the cubes into a dish.  When I get enough, I soak them in hot water to soften them.  I'm trying something on these cold nights... only soaking the alfalfa for about 10-15 minutes before draining it and mixing it into their fermented feed rations.  It's a little harder and I'm hoping it will make their digestive systems work  harder, thereby warming them up some on these cold winter nights.   I'm also working on some sprouts right now too.  That should make them nice and happy once they're ready.