Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Beekissed]

Sweetums is looking good but barely has one spur bud on his leg...he's got a lot of growing to do, saw him trying to chase down a hen today...I'm hoping that means that hen will actually be laying an egg one year soon. Let them out in the afternoon for some foraging on this warm, fine day....going to snow the next couple of days. They will be on lock down for those days...I've been giving them plenty of BOSS for recreation while in the coop but you can still see their tortured souls looking out the mesh like prisoners on death row.

I think this rooster was born to be mild so not sure he'll be a final choice on a flock master but he'll do until something more suitable should come along. He sure is pretty, though.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Well, bleached my containers and restarted the fermenting. Giving it a few days to build up a nice fermenty smell before I try adding any grasses to it. I will be starting by chopping in my loose hay which is an orchardgrass Timothy mix. If that works out I will try the cubed alfalfa again. I will also be starting my fodder again, with small tubs trying to get some good wheat fodder going again. If I can figure out how to keep that from growing fuzzies (I have started by punching several large airholes on my containers on the sides) I will be considering switching both bunnies and chooks over to a diet of almost exclusively grass hays, fodder and other sprouted seeds.

And if that works out I will be adding a couple of mini rumenents to my farmette. :3

 

[RoseMarie1]

Just think of the bacon...or..uh...chacon we could make! And even some fine breakfast chausage.

um looks like all the rest of our unnatural foods these days.

;-)

 

[Triple Willow]

um looks like all the rest of our unnatural foods these days. :/  ;-)

Looks a little bit scary to me! LOL

 

[Triple Willow]

I like these bucket nests, the coop is not so bad either:

 

[LindaB220]

I just read on another thread that Hellbender's son is safe and in a Base in Germany. I know that he is relieved.

 

[Beekissed]

I like these bucket nests, the coop is not so bad either:

I'm betting he has birds sleeping on the lip of, and in, those nest boxes...they are higher than his roosts! I've seen the bucket nests before and think they are cute...may be using something like this when I expand the coop this spring. IF I expand the coop this spring....

 

[Beekissed]

Getting some really pretty snow right now...drove home this evening on some greasy roads, so it was sure good to get home to a warm fire. Love this place! We are so very blessed. I hope everyone is tucked into warm houses and riding out this storm well!

 

[armorfirelady]

Pretty snow here as well all day but the high winds and temps below zero can leave!!! Their heated dog bowl couldn't keep the food unfrozen I put a bowl of water in it tonight to see if it freezes as well. It a giant bowl so I am thinking instead of putting a bowl in it with food I will need to just put the bowl directly in it. The water in the other heated bowl is not frozen at all.

So I had to share something unusual.....I just went out to check heated dog bowl and decided I would take bird seed out with me and spread all over the DL so the girls can eat it in the morning when they get up.

The girls have been roosted for a couple hours now but Stella and Sophie jumped down from the roost to start eating the bird seed I threw down. Makes me wonder if their really hungry? They have never done that before........they were fed small portions of ff twice today so they shouldn't be that hungry I wouldn't think? Perhaps the frigid temps are making them want more food? They were busy making craters in the DL today so I'm sure they were eating things they found in it all day? Think tomorrow I'll dump in some more shavings for them then throw more bird seed in. Thinking a bowl of seed wouldn't be such a bad idea either till the temps get higher.

Thoughts?

 

[Beekissed]

My birds will jump down off that roost if they even think they are going to get fed....they are always hungry. I don't know that I've ever owned a chicken that wasn't always "hungry". I wouldn't worry too much...your gals seem VERY well fed.

Going to dip below the zero here in a couple of days too. I may feed dry then...and again, I may not. They seem to clean up the food before it can freeze anyway so I'll just play it by ear.

Went to Good Will today as I was needing a "new" purse and found a leather Carryland brand, didn't even look like it had ever been used....$2.50! LOVE a bargain!