Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Beekissed]

From what I've been reading in this and other threads, a large number of roosters have suffered frostbitten wattles and/or combs in recent weeks.

I sure hope you're right about this crazy weather, it can take a hike anytime it so desires.

Today was beautiful here; 45 f and lots of sunshine ! I got the chance to give the coop a good cleaning and dump a bunch of clean, dry litter in as well as change all the nest boxes with fresh, dry hay. The girls and Rodney were out in full foraging force today from daylight until dark and even when dusk fell there were a number of last minute stragglers that seemed mighty hesitant to head into roost for the night... They were thoroughly enjoying the Spring like day we had. Makes me long for warm, sun filled spring/summer days which I know are ahead... I can almost smell the beauty of Spring and I'm sure the girls can too !

It was like that here today also~simply lovely....but buckle down. Supposed to get a return to super cold weather again but not as severe as this last one, from what the weather channels are saying. Said the winter vortex will hit us one more again before it clears out of here.

I think severe weather and weird temp. swings are going to be the world's new normal from here on out and we are going to be kept hopping to keep up with it all. Might as well prepare for the worst and not need the preparations then to need them and not have them. Trying to keep birds of the short comb varieties or even dubbing the large combs and wattles of the breeds we have might become not so much of a choice, but a necessity, in the time to come.

Coops that are very adaptive to cold and warm weather living and can be adapted rather quickly might also be a prudent move. Another thing to consider is how one is going to keep things thawed out if the electric grid should go out for some time...need to have something in place before it happens instead of trying to scramble to adapt when it happens.

Naturally hardy breeds and birds are always a must in my playbook, but I think it's going to become more essential to those whose birds have to adapt to varying weather patterns on a daily basis and the breeds that need pampering to live are going to require more and more assistance to maintain health and productivity.

Those people and breeds/birds that can adapt quickly are going to be the winners in that game, so anyone out there whose system and birds rely heavily on a lot of bells and whistles to keep the birds alive and producing need to reevaluate their methods and try to work towards a little more self-sustaining modes of poultry keeping if they want to stay on top of this.

 

[Triple Willow]

@WindyBayFarm... It sounds like you have had spring fever with all that cleaning today! Feel free to come here tomorrow. LOL You are so right, there are a whole lot of people talking about frostbite. I wonder how all the wild birds made it through those temps. I saw a flock of geese fly over that first day or so headed east. I guess they were trying to outrun what was coming. Hope they made it.

@Bee... I'm afraid you might be right on the weather. We all may need to start doing a lot of things differently. Well at least I know I do. Chhicken keeping here is tricky enough with the cold temps, 100' temps, RAIN, and the high high winds we have off and on all year (especially in the spring and fall). If I could keep the water out of it and keep it ventilated, an underground coop would be great. lol

 

[Beekissed]

@WindyBayFarm... It sounds like you have had spring fever with all that cleaning today! Feel free to come here tomorrow. LOL You are so right, there are a whole lot of people talking about frostbite. I wonder how all the wild birds made it through those temps. I saw a flock of geese fly over that first day or so headed east. I guess they were trying to outrun what was coming. Hope they made it.

@Bee... I'm afraid you might be right on the weather. We all may need to start doing a lot of things differently. Well at least I know I do. Chhicken keeping here is tricky enough with the cold temps, 100' temps, RAIN, and the high high winds we have off and on all year (especially in the spring and fall). If I could keep the water out of it and keep it ventilated, an underground coop would be great. lol

TW, I once saw a coop someone had made out of an old school bus that they had buried up to the windows! That was the coolest thing. They left an open area so they could get into the door of the bus but the rest was buried and grass planted on the soil so it looked the lawn just ate that bus.

Here's one done that way to make a cellar....but the chicken coop one was only buried up to the windows.




I'm thinking a hay bale/cob coop would be something you could work on that would be an easier to thing to accomplish and be a fun build. I saw one once and it was so cute...the nests were formed right in the cob on the wall like bowls filled with straw.

http://www.cobbuildingwithmaya.com/bull-cob-chicken-coop.html

If I were planning on sticking around on this old Earth, I'd probably do a combination of straw bale/cob coop with a cattle panel hooped topper covered in heavy duty plastic to let in light. My end caps/gables would be completely open in all seasons and I'd have plenty of window at the front of the coop.

 

[Triple Willow]

@Bee... I bet that school bus coop was really neat. That's something to think about. The wind couldn't blow it away. One day I had a big dogpen just flipped over and the dog just walk away from it. It had a tarp over part of the top for shade so the wind just picked it up. Perdy funny then but wouldn't be funny if it had been a chicken coop!
I'm not familiar with cob building. I'll have to Google that.

 

[Triple Willow]

Ahhh, the pic just showed of the school bus. Cool!

I thought about using a storage container and bury it in the side of a hill.

 

[Beekissed]

Ahhh, the pic just showed of the school bus. Cool!

I thought about using a storage container and bury it in the side of a hill.

I posted a few links and pics to the cob coops I found but I couldn't find the really pretty ones I've seen.

 

[Beekissed]

Here's another vid of a chicken coop....

 

[TexasLisa]

Good Morning Fellow Fermenters!!

Here is an interesting article re. GMO crops:

http://www.offthegridnews.com/2014/...g-gmo-seeds-and-the-reason-will-surprise-you/

Ya'll have a GREAT day!

Lisa

 

[Arielle]

Quote: Bee I think you are right.

I remember years ago worried that the economic bubble would burst-- it was way past when it should yet on and on it built up, and when it all cam crashing down , with more companies crashing over the years, I felt sick. Sick because I was right. I have been felling the same way about the future weather and the effects on our food and way of liffe. We have built a system based on stability and now lack the thinking--we need to be adaptable and willing to change, and try a new way.

THe birds I like -- the buff orpington and the speckled sussex -- are not from a region similar to mine. In reality the clime in southern England is much milder than New England. Add the extreme weather and that is not good for a bird with a single comb and large waddles. I love the foraging ability of these birds and the colors and the winter laying but . . . .

I'm phasing out the older stock : the hatchery bred, the single combs. THe single combed roosters make me feel sad. I'm responsible for these creatures and some have a frost bitten comb. THough a few do not-- and I'm baffled as to why not. I would like to replicate the conditions that saved the rooster from that pain.

I am looking to my own land for more food. IT won't be easy. IT will be a long process. I don't daer contact the extension office as they are usually old school-- strip the land and plow thinking. I'm moving to smaller livestock as well. like the chickens and turkeys. I learned to butcher my own meat and found that selfsufficient skill to be liberating.

I'm getting buckeyes to replace the birds leaving; a line bred for meat; and a project meat bird that has almost no comb. I should be able to produce all our poultry needs year round. IF I buy feed from the feed store. And this bothers me-- I don't have a good answer yet. While truck deliveries are pretty regular there have been instances in which they are out of feed and then I feel panicky. We have moved away from keeping silos of feed, months of feed, stored and replenished on our own farms. Sure makes me think.

Chantelers and Buckeyes, and wyandottes-- all good dual purpose heritage breeds from long ago that , as I see it, have a good future.

 

[Windy Bay Farm]

It was like that here today also~simply lovely....but buckle down.  Supposed to get a return to super cold weather again but not as severe as this last one, from what the weather channels are saying.  Said the winter vortex will hit us one more again before it clears out of here. 

I think severe weather and weird temp. swings are going to be the world's new normal from here on out and we are going to be kept hopping to keep up with it all.  Might as well prepare for the worst and not need the preparations then to need them and not have them.  Trying to keep birds of the short comb varieties or even dubbing the large combs and wattles of the breeds we have might become not so much of a choice, but a necessity, in the time to come. 

Coops that are very adaptive to cold and warm weather living and can be adapted rather quickly might also be a prudent move.  Another thing to consider is how one is going to keep things thawed out if the electric grid should go out for some time...need to have something in place before it happens instead of trying to scramble to adapt when it happens. 

Naturally hardy breeds and birds are always a must in my playbook, but I think it's going to become more essential to those whose birds have to adapt to varying weather patterns on a daily basis and the breeds that need pampering to live are going to require more and more assistance to maintain health and productivity. 

Those people and breeds/birds that can adapt quickly are going to be the winners in that game, so anyone out there whose system and birds rely heavily on a lot of bells and whistles to keep the birds alive and producing need to reevaluate their methods and try to work towards a little more self-sustaining modes of poultry keeping if they want to stay on top of this. 

@WindyBayFarm... It sounds like you have had spring fever with all that cleaning today! Feel free to come here tomorrow. LOL You are so right, there are a whole lot of people talking about frostbite. I wonder how all the wild birds made it through those temps. I saw a flock of geese fly over that first day or so headed east. I guess they were trying to outrun what was coming. Hope they made it.

@Bee... I'm afraid you might be right on the weather. We all may need to start doing a lot of things differently. Well at least I know I do. Chhicken keeping here is tricky enough with the cold temps, 100' temps, RAIN, and the high high winds we have off and on all year (especially in the spring and fall). If I could keep the water out of it and keep it ventilated, an underground coop would be great. lol

I also am with you two on this, I think our storms will be more frequent and severe as time goes on and I for one will aim to be more diligent in being prepared, better to be proactive than reactive.

I was telling the other half over the week that with all the wind we have been getting that I want to build a home and outbuildings underground ! Would make me feel safer and I wouldn't have to contend with the dang wind so much !