Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[ChocolateMouse]

TW, I am afraid I don't follow your religion... I tried that and it turned out to not be something I can participate or believe in. Mine is a different path and that's just how it is... I don't like being asked to follow someone else's. :/
In regards to my health, though, I am doomed to be in terrible shape as I age anyhow. Oh, believe me I'm doing my best... How could I possibly be not trying to be healthy when I am homesteading? XD But there's certain genetic issues that run in our family and cause serious joint issues. My oldest sister is in her 30's and is looking at having to have reconstructive surgery on her hips within 10 years. The sister two above me was an athlete most of her life... Swimming, ice skating, running, biking, fencing, weight lifting... She has just as much pain as the sister in between us who was far lazier and weighs half again as much. I have had serious joint issues since I was 14. If I turn out anything like either of my parents, the very hard work I do now and will do for as long as I can will be well beyond me by 60. So while I'll do my best and stay positive, considering I have five girls older than me with nearly identical progressions... Well... My chances of turning out much better are slim. It has a lot to do with the fact that most of us ladies are nearly 6 feet tall!
I don't regret being the way I am one bit though.... I love that my height and build makes it easy for me to do physical labor, and I am blessed enough to have a dad that's a brilliant mind working for NASA right now and a mom who is grounded in common sense to have made me smart and capable enough to put my body to work so I can accomplish anything! My beau told me yesterday; "Well.... That's why you're the brains of this team... And the brawn. And I'm moral support!". It makes me happy enough that at least for now I can do anything I set my mind to! And some day I'll have a lot of things I can look back on and appreciate that I did them all!

 

[Triple Willow]

TW, I am afraid I don't follow your religion... I tried that and it turned out to not be something I can participate or believe in. Mine is a different path and that's just how it is... I don't like being asked to follow someone else's. :/
 In regards to my health, though, I am doomed to be in terrible shape as I age anyhow. Oh, believe me I'm doing my best... How could I possibly be not trying to be healthy when I am homesteading? XD But there's certain genetic issues that run in our family and cause serious joint issues. My oldest sister is in her 30's and is looking at having to have reconstructive surgery on her hips within 10 years. The sister two above me was an athlete most of her life... Swimming, ice skating, running, biking, fencing, weight lifting... She has just as much pain as the sister in between us who was far lazier and weighs half again as much. I have had serious joint issues since I was 14. If I turn out anything like either of my parents, the very hard work I do now and will do for as long as I can will be well beyond me by 60. So while I'll do my best and stay positive, considering I have five girls older than me with nearly identical progressions... Well... My chances of turning out much better are slim. It has a lot to do with the fact that most of us ladies are nearly 6 feet tall!
I don't regret being the way I am one bit though.... I love that my height and build makes it easy for me to do physical labor, and I am blessed enough to have a dad that's a brilliant mind working for NASA right now and a mom who is grounded in common sense to have made me smart and capable enough to put my body to work so I can accomplish anything! My beau told me yesterday; "Well.... That's why you're the brains of this team... And the brawn. And I'm moral support!". It makes me happy enough that at least for now I can do anything I set my mind to! And some day I'll have a lot of things I can look back on and appreciate that I did them all!

Ouch CM, you know what I am talking about. I am so sorry that your problem is genetic. Mine is just from years of neglect and stupidity. I have no excuse whatsoever. I hope you can dodge that genetic bullet! But do take care of yourself as best you can. I took fairly good care of myself as far as what I ate (just not how much) and not doing some things that are known to be very bad for your health. But one hole in the boat is just as bad as another.
I didn't mean to offend you about religion. I really don't have any religion. I just know what I have seen work for me for a little over 40 years. It's like my boyfriend says, "back in the day" if he came across some good dope he wanted to tell all his friends about it and he wanted them to try it because it was so good. Then when he found what we are talking about he had to tell his friends about 'that' too, because just like that dope of long ago, 'it' was so good. But everyone has a choice to take it or leave it and their choice to leave it does not offend me.

 

[Triple Willow]

I had kids.  Both of them are grown and living on their own.  It is just my husband, me, one cat, and 14 chickens.  Once my hand is healed, I hope to pester my DH into getting other kinds of critters in here!!  

Lisa

Lisa you take care of that hand. I hope it heals up perfectly for you and I hope you get all the critters you want!

You do know those kids sometimes come back...? lol

 

[Beekissed]

I think you stressed them out when your hurt your foot! How are you doing in that area? Stay safe and warm!

Bee, Ken wants to know if you canned your chickens with the bones? He said his mom used to do hers that way.

Lisa )

I have done both, without the bone and with the bone. The last two dozen jars were with the bone left in because these birds were the oldest, biggest, toughest roosters I've ever processed in my life..it was like sumo wrestling to get the hides off~ I kid you not, some of their feathers were grown into the tendons over the joints and could NOT be removed..the whole joint capsule cartilage and tendons had to be haggled off to get the feathers off the meat!~ and the bird cut up,so I opted to leave those bones in and let the canner debone them for me.

Lisa you take care of that hand. I hope it heals up perfectly for you and I hope you get all the critters you want!

You do know those kids sometimes come back...? lol

Yes...take care of the hand or we come and BUD stick ya.....

TDubya, how's that foot today? Are you keeping it elevated, icing it, etc.?

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Yeah, I do know. When I was 14-15 was when the joint problems got BAD. I would have my hips literally pop out of their sockets almost every day, many days multiple times. I learned that I just had to move differently to avoid it. I can't do seemingly ordinary things with my legs or the joints grind, things like sitting cross-legged and moving from that position in the wrong way. Ordinary things. These days I haven't had too many problems, but if I get stressed out my hips start to ache. Last year when we were putting in the first garden beds and the deep litter in the chicken pen my hips were super sore and I took some pain killers and went out to start moving wood chips... I slipped and fell on the sore hip and was out for the rest of the day. The next day I went out and double dug the rest of the garden beds and moved all the dirt and wood chips with my friends anyhow. Then I spent the next two days in bed.
I am probably going to end up taking glucosamine supplements in the next year or so to see if it helps out. It's generally an issue with the shape of the bones and the way pressure gets applied to them because they are so LONG for the shape of my hips and stuff, but when the joints pop it damages the cartilage making it worse. My mom has severe degenerative arthritis and she has trouble doing a lot of things and it's a similar issue. It just gets worse as you age. I'm in my early 20's and sometimes I feel like an old arthritic lady. My knees hurt when I try to stand up from a chair, and my back aches and my hips pop out and it just gets really bad some days. It's just about powering through it and being grateful for what you CAN do. I'm excited to be able to work hard for the next 20+ years, even with the issues I have! I have too much I want to do to let it hold me back that much!

No, I am sorry. I avoid confrontations on it when I can but it still gets old to hear. Religion has caused problems in my whole family and with a lot of my friends. Some people have hated me for not following their choices. Not offended, just bothered because it's something I have heard my whole life and it's just not for me and I've gotten some horrendous reactions for it. Makes it a sore point.
I do agree that faith and spirituality is a great and amazing thing, though! I don't think I would be here right now doing what I do if it weren't for my own faith. :3 I'm really happy when people have theirs... I like it when people love their god or are spiritual, no matter what that is. It brings something invaluable into a life I think and puts things in order. Religion has been around since the dawn of man for a reason, and it wasn't beneficial and there was nothing to it, it would have died out a long time ago!

 

[Triple Willow]

Yes...take care of the hand or we come and BUD stick ya..... 

TDubya, how's that foot today?  Are you keeping it elevated, icing it, etc.? 

Hey there Bee. I believe it is a little better today. The brace thingy the doctor gave me to wear helps and it helps to remind me what's going on down there so I won't move it the wrong way and scream to where you can hear me. LOL Ice? Do you know how cold it is? Juuust kidding! lol I was out until dark trying to get the coops ready for the -0's we have coming in a day or so. Tarps and zip ties are such a wonderful thing! Grass string is pretty dang good, but zip ties - just so modern. lol

 

[TexasLisa]

I have done both, without the bone and with the bone. The last two dozen jars were with the bone left in because these birds were the oldest, biggest, toughest roosters I've ever processed in my life..it was like sumo wrestling to get the hides off~ I kid you not, some of their feathers were grown into the tendons over the joints and could NOT be removed..the whole joint capsule cartilage and tendons had to be haggled off to get the feathers off the meat!~ and the bird cut up,so I opted to leave those bones in and let the canner debone them for me.


Yes...take care of the hand or we come and BUD stick ya.....

TDubya, how's that foot today? Are you keeping it elevated, icing it, etc.?

How come I am threatened with the 'BUD stick" and TDubya isn't?????? MOM, you aren't being fair!!

Yeah, I do know. When I was 14-15 was when the joint problems got BAD. I would have my hips literally pop out of their sockets almost every day, many days multiple times. I learned that I just had to move differently to avoid it. I can't do seemingly ordinary things with my legs or the joints grind, things like sitting cross-legged and moving from that position in the wrong way. Ordinary things. These days I haven't had too many problems, but if I get stressed out my hips start to ache. Last year when we were putting in the first garden beds and the deep litter in the chicken pen my hips were super sore and I took some pain killers and went out to start moving wood chips... I slipped and fell on the sore hip and was out for the rest of the day. The next day I went out and double dug the rest of the garden beds and moved all the dirt and wood chips with my friends anyhow. Then I spent the next two days in bed.
I am probably going to end up taking glucosamine supplements in the next year or so to see if it helps out. It's generally an issue with the shape of the bones and the way pressure gets applied to them because they are so LONG for the shape of my hips and stuff, but when the joints pop it damages the cartilage making it worse. My mom has severe degenerative arthritis and she has trouble doing a lot of things and it's a similar issue. It just gets worse as you age. I'm in my early 20's and sometimes I feel like an old arthritic lady. My knees hurt when I try to stand up from a chair, and my back aches and my hips pop out and it just gets really bad some days. It's just about powering through it and being grateful for what you CAN do. I'm excited to be able to work hard for the next 20+ years, even with the issues I have! I have too much I want to do to let it hold me back that much!

Wow ChocolateMouse, you are dealing with a lot. I do admire your attitude. You keep on being tenacious. I will be pulling for you to succeed!

Lisa

 

[Beekissed]

Good! Rest and elevation, ice and gentle range of motion when you can think of it will do more than anything else and that brace can really stabilize it when you are bearing weight.

I love zip ties!!!

They have taken first place on my list of versatile things now and scooted duct tape down the list a bit. I've used thousands of zip ties in the past few years! Duct tape is my friend, but zip ties ROCK.

I'm going to move my old thermometer up in the coop tomorrow so I can measure temp differences inside vs. outside in this cold snap. Will probably zip tie it to the hoop.....

Mr. Sissy Butt Leg Warmers hasn't come out of the coop during this whole episode of snow and cold...I even had to force him down off the roosts at feeding time this morning. He's a pretty boy but he's nowhere as tough as BUD was. I kinda miss ol' BUD. He and I liked the same movies and the same seasoning on our popcorn, though he did like to hog the remote.

 

[RoseMarie1]

I have done both, without the bone and with the bone. The last two dozen jars were with the bone left in because these birds were the oldest, biggest, toughest roosters I've ever processed in my life..it was like sumo wrestling to get the hides off~ I kid you not, some of their feathers were grown into the tendons over the joints and could NOT be removed..the whole joint capsule cartilage and tendons had to be haggled off to get the feathers off the meat!~ and the bird cut up,so I opted to leave those bones in and let the canner debone them for me.


Yes...take care of the hand or we come and BUD stick ya.....

TDubya, how's that foot today? Are you keeping it elevated, icing it, etc.?

oh my goodness who hurt their foot?

 

[Beekissed]

oh my goodness who hurt their foot?

TW hurt her foot, turning her ankle on a frozen rut in the snow. She is wearing a brace on it now and they say nothing is broken but it will take awhile heal up properly, I'm thinking.