Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Beekissed]

what size holes is that Bee? Looks like large holes like 2" or so. I need to make one of these to since mine are STAYING in their food. Constantly getting poop out of the food. Mine are back inside due to the cold night temps. HOPING I can get them BACK outside tomorrow since they are chirping and about to drive us nutz. lol not quite much at all.

mine to Bee. In fact they are getting IN the long plastic trough and scratching it out like grown chickens. I removed the metal things I have the trough sitting on this evening and tonight and made them clean up the food before I refilled the trough. They are growing like crazy.

Congrats Linda on your chicks!!!!

Yep....that's 2x2 woven wire and it's working like a charm....not one piece of feed on these meaty chick's chests or feet. I'm so glad your chicks are growing and loving their feed!

 

[RoseMarie1]

Yep....that's 2x2 woven wire and it's working like a charm....not one piece of feed on these meaty chick's chests or feet. I'm so glad your chicks are growing and loving their feed!

WOW that's awesome! Mine do NOT like the cover over their feeder. I decided to try putting it back on there tonight because the other day I put it on there and I saw some sticking their heads in so I said ok the others will follow suit. Well the silly things didn't figure it out like I thought they had. In 2-3 hours I went back to check on em and they were squawking to high heavens. I thought they were cold cuz they were wadded up under the light. nope they were HUNGRY..... hadn't figured out HOW to get at the food! ughhhhh they went at it like they hadn't eaten in a month of Sundays.

SO tonight I have been watching them and not all of them are eating out of it yet. Most are so I think the others will when they get hungry enough.

 

[Beekissed]

WOW that's awesome! Mine do NOT like the cover over their feeder. I decided to try putting it back on there tonight because the other day I put it on there and I saw some sticking their heads in so I said ok the others will follow suit. Well the silly things didn't figure it out like I thought they had. In 2-3 hours I went back to check on em and they were squawking to high heavens. I thought they were cold cuz they were wadded up under the light. nope they were HUNGRY..... hadn't figured out HOW to get at the food! ughhhhh they went at it like they hadn't eaten in a month of Sundays.

SO tonight I have been watching them and not all of them are eating out of it yet. Most are so I think the others will when they get hungry enough.

What kind of feeder at your using for your chicks, Rosemarie?

 

[Beekissed]

Checked the meat chicks tonight and the ambient temps are 44*....all chicks snuggled under the heating pad brooder as if under a mama. They are eating and drinking well and growing well too....they love their little hay bale brooder!

 

[Beekissed]

Just fed my little butterballs and am very pleased with the size and growth of these chicks compared to that last batch I had. Will be very excited to see how big these get and how well they forage.

 

[LindaB220]

Just fed my little butterballs and am very pleased with the size and growth of these chicks compared to that last batch I had. Will be very excited to see how big these get and how well they forage.

Love to see your babies more. I can't get good pics right now. Will have to buy a new camera. My babies were screaming their heads off last night when I went to check on them. 3 solid hours hard rain on tin roof. But great today. Quietest babies ever. they like their extra space. Haven't used it much. I left my Hydro/therm. under the heat lamp and it melted. The temp part still works but it shows how easy to overheat. It was 100 today and 80 outside so I turned the lamp off. Will put it back on later. Their little feathers are coming in on their wings. Sure enough I miss counted and I only have 18. The little devils run so much it's hard.

 

[Beekissed]

Love to see your babies more. I can't get good pics right now. Will have to buy a new camera. My babies were screaming their heads off last night when I went to check on them. 3 solid hours hard rain on tin roof. But great today. Quietest babies ever. they like their extra space. Haven't used it much. I left my Hydro/therm. under the heat lamp and it melted. The temp part still works but it shows how easy to overheat. It was 100 today and 80 outside so I turned the lamp off. Will put it back on later. Their little feathers are coming in on their wings. Sure enough I miss counted and I only have 18. The little devils run so much it's hard.

Those heat lamps are some serious stuff....I had my winter gloves on once and had to screw in a loose heat lamp bulb that had been on but was flickering when I moved it. The mere seconds it took to tighten that bulb burnt a hole in my glove and hurt my fingers. They are scary hot!!

I'll try to get pics of these butterball chicks tomorrow when I change a few things in their brooder...they are feisty!!

 

[RoseMarie1]

Those heat lamps are some serious stuff....I had my winter gloves on once and had to screw in a loose heat lamp bulb that had been on but was flickering when I moved it. The mere seconds it took to tighten that bulb burnt a hole in my glove and hurt my fingers. They are scary hot!!

I'll try to get pics of these butterball chicks tomorrow when I change a few things in their brooder...they are feisty!!

that is scary Bee, man that could cause a major fire to. Glad you got it tighten and it didn't fall out. I might have to use my heating pad to make me one for these chicks. Wanting to move them outside sooo bad. Tired of cleaning up the mess behind them inside even though they are in a box I have to clean it every other day or it gets to stinking to high heavens.


Got a ? for you guys..... do you know what is in the stuff they call pick no more lotion? It's for feather picking and I was trying to find something that wouldn't taste good but wanted something natural and thought about mixing up some coconut oil and some other things and smearing on them, something that wouldnt taste good.

 

[RoseMarie1]

What kind of feeder at your using for your chicks, Rosemarie?

its just one of those plastic store bought ones with the cover over it and has holes for them to stick their heads into. They are FINALLY getting the hang of it I think. They're in a box here inside or they'd have a trough feeder. lol

 

[Beekissed]

its just one of those plastic store bought ones with the cover over it and has holes for them to stick their heads into. They are FINALLY getting the hang of it I think. They're in a box here inside or they'd have a trough feeder. lol

I'm glad they are finally getting the hang of it. If they start to show bald places on their heads it's due to the cover on that style of feeder...someone on the other FF thread had that happening with his meat chicks while using that type of feeder. Guess it's because they are so aggressive and eat so often the sticking their heads in and out of those holes wore all the fuzz off their little heads.

Are your birds STILL picking one another??? That is such a mystery! All that room, free ranging, FF and such...why in the world are they picking feathers??? You've examined them for lice and mites and have dusted just in case?

I'd slather those bare spots with castor oil or NuStock to encourage feather regrowth and also discourage further picking and see what happens.