Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Beekissed]

Got a question for you guys. I bought crushed oyster shells and the things are huge. My chickens just will not eat them they are so large. Went to Tractor supply to get dog food this evening and noticed they have some on sale. Look all over the store and never did find a bag. Asked 2 different people and one tells me it's showing they have 3 bags but he couldn't find them. So here I am a good 30 plus miles away from this store and wont be able to just ride back up there tomorrow to try and get a 5 dollar bag of oyster shells.

said they might get in some more in the next day or so.
So tonight, (got home dark time almost) I go out there with the hammer to see IF I can hack them to pieces so they could have some oyster shells. I did manage to break some of them up.

Are most all of the oyster shells like this? This is the only bag I bought and am needing some more and would like to have a brand I wont have to hammer to pieces for the girls to be able to eat them. Can't keep them in their eggs shells 24-7 so they GOTTA have some calcium from some where with the eggs these little ladies are producing.

Still digging and looking for other resources for calcium and found this. http://www.poultryindustrycouncil.ca/pdfs/factsheets/fs_133.pdf

Watcha needin' all that calcium for, Rosemarie? You free ranging your gals? Feeding a layer ration? Feeding their shells back to them? Should be enough calcium intake there to get them by.

Yes, IME, the OS is always that big. Haven't bought any for years, though, so not sure if it's gotten bigger since then.

 

[RoseMarie1]

Watcha needin' all that calcium for, Rosemarie? You free ranging your gals? Feeding a layer ration? Feeding their shells back to them? Should be enough calcium intake there to get them by.

Yes, IME, the OS is always that big. Haven't bought any for years, though, so not sure if it's gotten bigger since then.

They don't get their own eggs shells every day to eat Bee.

With 15 hens it's hard to keep them in egg shells. They were picking their feathers and the poor roo has been picked again.

So I figured they were needing some calcium. Those OS were so large they wasn't eating them. they free range to but not as long as your girls do and with it winter time I don't think they were finding enough bugs as hard as they are trying to. You should see that run out there. I didn't get to free range them today and you'd swear a hogs been in there or more than one hog. lol

 

[Beekissed]

They don't get their own eggs shells every day to eat Bee.

With 15 hens it's hard to keep them in egg shells. They were picking their feathers and the poor roo has been picked again.

So I figured they were needing some calcium. Those OS were so large they wasn't eating them. they free range to but not as long as your girls do and with it winter time I don't think they were finding enough bugs as hard as they are trying to. You should see that run out there. I didn't get to free range them today and you'd swear a hogs been in there or more than one hog. lol

So you think calcium will stop the picking? Keep us posted if that will do it....

Sure is a mystery why they are going that as good as you feed them and as much space as they have. Someone once suggested putting a little salt in the water to stop feather picking...said it worked like a charm.

 

[armorfirelady]

Rosemarie try some meat protein for a few days a week for a couple weeks and see if that helps with the feather picking. Raw or cooked red meat, chicken, turkey my girls love it all

I've seen others say it helps them. I've always fed the meat protein so I haven't seen any picking problems. Ok well except Stella's head but she gets pecked because her head is always first in the food bowl & the big girls peck her to try and teach her some manners

 

[TexasLisa]

Rosemarie try some meat protein for a few days a week for a couple weeks and see if that helps with the feather picking. Raw or cooked red meat, chicken, turkey my girls love it all

I've seen others say it helps them. I've always fed the meat protein so I haven't seen any picking problems. Ok well except Stella's head but she gets pecked because her head is always first in the food bowl & the big girls peck her to try and teach her some manners

Poor Stella! Did you ever see 'A Streetcar Named Desire' with Marlon Brando? He is yelling up the stairs, 'STELLA'! Now I know why, "STELLA get your head out of the food bowl! I know, I know, that was really bad.

Lisa

 

[LindaB220]

oh my goodness. I'd just had to knock it in the head or something or got hubby to. Can't afford those kinds of things.

And the follow up on this situation is yes she did and had x rays done also. Hahahaa about it. And seriously not one person said anything about it. Like it never was posted.

 

[Beekissed]

Wait a minute.....she took it to the vet for all that money and still killed the thing?

 

[armorfirelady]

Poor Stella!  Did you ever see 'A Streetcar Named Desire' with Marlon Brando?  He is yelling up the stairs, 'STELLA'!  Now I know why, "STELLA get your head out of the food bowl!   I know, I know, that was really bad. 

Lisa

That's funny She is featherless on both sides of her comb so I keep telling her she has a mow hawk

 

[KuroKitsune]

today my bucket of FF developed a white or white-grey film or something on the surface and was wanting to know if my FF was still good or if i need to toss it and start again

 

[Beekissed]

today my bucket of FF developed a white or white-grey film or something on the surface and was wanting to know if my FF was still good or if i need to toss it and start again

It's still good...that's the scoby...the good stuff. Just stir it back into the feed and carry on. It means you have successfully fermented your feed and have a good colony of beneficial microorganisms to digest your feeds.