Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[wolfpup]

Perhaps she is going thru a molt now? Do you see any new pin feathers coming in?

I've never heard of a hole under a wing from a feather eater. Perhaps something got after her? I'm glad to hear it healed up nicely.

The feather loss was due entirely to my feather plucker/eater. She had plucked and eaten the feathers of all my other girls - she was the only one with all feathers intact and glossy looking - so I knew it was her - then I saw her at it. Since I got rid of her I have only seen two feathers in the coop and nest boxes and none in their run (don't have the land to free range). The run is totally fox and vermin proof.

The girl I am talking about was the favourite victim of the feather eater - she was plucked on her back, sides and under her wings - I actually saw the feather eater reach under middle Bev's wing and repeatedly peck at it. It took me hours to catch her, when I managed to grab her and really looked there was a bloody hole just smaller than a silver dollar (I still have two from my last visit to the States 30 odd years ago). I am not expecting them to go into moult for another 6 months - and they show no signs of moult. I can see no pin feathers at all - and was expecting to.

 

[Triple Willow]

I knew it wouldn't be long before these CX could fly up on this 4 foot tall kennel...

 

[beverly evans]

Quote: Well, since they are those CX's like Bee has it won't be a problem for too long as they will get so big so fast that flying will no longer be an option, right?? At least as they are famous for getting overweight and slow moving when they get near butchering time, you won't have long to wait for there high fying days to be over. Just guessin' .

 

[beverly evans]

I save organs we don't use up from CX processing and feed back as treats once or twice a week to the layer flock. Extra livers are their favorite, kidneys, they don't eat the gizzards and seem to snub the hearts too

maybe if I cooked them...

But my birds don't raid the plucker feather pile anymore since regularly feeding a meat and their feathers are so shiny I love it. They used to dig thru a feather pile and I was scared they'd get an impacted crop or somethin sharp lodged, looking up feather eating pointed to a lack in protein absorption. Quickest protein that was natural for me to obtain was the livers

we have about 8lbs of them each processing we save some for the animals and some for us, our dogs coat stays matt free and soft too from excess CX meat as treats.
Quote: Good solution for more protein, but I won't do it. I've read that our eggs are more nutritious and have considerably lower cholesterol than store bought eggs. I like that and know that we are told to stay clear of organ meats if our cholesterol is high or if your don't want it to get that way. So the organ meats will likely up the cholesterol in their eggs and their meat. Logically, speaking. If it matters to you. Just saying.

 

[beverly evans]

Bee,
Beautiful thoughts on heaven. Thanks

A very sad day in our coop. Mike got home from work and let both coops out at once. A first as the meaties are not as fast as the layers, and I worry that they will be picked on. Of our 18 meaties about five are quite active. The other stay close to the pen and feeder. Even when the feeder is empty, they stay close. They go a few feet and sit, a few feet and sit again. The few that range farther have much better personalities. They come running when we head out there. The rest wait. So Mike stayed with the chickens for a while to make sure they wouldn't be picked on. An hour after he got to the house the neighbor called. We had three dead meaties on the ground. One torn apart and partially eaten. Two have fatal bite wounds. All of our dogs were in the house with Michael. The neighbors dogs were, out, but with the neighbor, and no sign of blood etc. Plus he was with them the whole time. No other dogs near by. We have a group of five cougar. This looks more raccoon like. When the layers went to roost I found my rooster in a nest box. Not an usual behavior. All the layers look fine. At 9pm we went down to check on him. He has several broken feathers along the back of one leg. Similar to where at least one dead chicken suffered it's injuries. Perhaps one small wound that is scabbed over. I think that he fought back for some of the chickens. Hopefully he will be himself tomorrow. I like him better every day.

Mike cleaned one bird by skinning it. It was pretty badly torn up so he didn't even try to pluck it. The other one he dipped in boiling water, then plucked, and cleaned. Good learning experience. The water was too hot. He partially cooked the outer layer of the breast meat, and toughened the skin. The meat is not overly tender, but it took some time to process, and didn't bleed out as quickly as a slaughtered bird would be. I parted out the carcass and shake and baked it as it was late. Nice size parts. They are ready for butcher. 10 days to go. Still sad that they died that way. Can the way they died effect the tenderness of the meat?

Any ideas on what attacks at the back end/legs?

Bless you ! Sorry you experienced such a massacre. What animal kills and maims so many without eating them? Do coons do that? We have coons, possums and hawks. How does one ever protect chickens from cougars?? With really big dogs? What kind would a cougar not take on? I guess you would need more than one.??

 

[Triple Willow]

Well, since they are those CX's like Bee has it won't be a problem for too long as they will get so big so fast that flying will no longer be an option, right?? At least as they are famous for getting overweight and slow moving when they get near butchering time, you won't have long to wait for there high fying days to be over.  Just guessin' .

Well Bev, I did move the ladder because they wouldn't stay off of it then today they were flying up on this 4 foot tall dog kennel. I usually set their feed up there out of the way while I let them run around and eat bugs/grass. I guess that won't work anymore. These things can fly up on my shoulder! And they are so tame they won't leave me alone. Weird chickens.

 

[LindaB220]

I am currently on post 6061 (started at the beginning) - I have been giving my girls FF for around 5 weeks now (which they loved from day one) and have an odd question please.

Four weeks ago I got rid of a feather eater - one of my girls had all the full feathers ripped off her back and under one wing had a large hole bored into her skin (which has healed nicely) she still has the smaller soft downy feathers so her back is not bare, but all her shiny colored feathers are gone. I had hoped to see some new feather growth by now but can see nothing. She started laying in November for the first time and has not moulted yet. About how long should it be before I see new top feathers growing??

She is very active, scratching around for bugs etc, and is in otherwise perfect health - she just looks so dowdy without her shiny blue/black feathers

Sweetie, at least jump to page 1000 or 1200. Catch up with us

 

[beverly evans]

Quote: I just might have to have one of those! Being the man in my house I have all the necessary tools for whatever, but getting older means tools that make the old jobs much easier are a real boon to these old bones! Are they very expensive?

 

[beverly evans]

Quote: Too bad they are for eating, they sound fun! My favorite rooster jumped up on my back yesterday. Good thing my shirt was thick! Not just because he loves me, but because I had a chicken in my lap I was protecting from him. He has one ragged, on the way to being like Rosemarie's. Why theyu pick out one and give her all of their attention? Maybe she is just too slow? : (

 

[beverly evans]

I am currently on post 6061 (started at the beginning) - I have been giving my girls FF for around 5 weeks now (which they loved from day one) and have an odd question please.

Four weeks ago I got rid of a feather eater - one of my girls had all the full feathers ripped off her back and under one wing had a large hole bored into her skin (which has healed nicely) she still has the smaller soft downy feathers so her back is not bare, but all her shiny colored feathers are gone. I had hoped to see some new feather growth by now but can see nothing. She started laying in November for the first time and has not moulted yet. About how long should it be before I see new top feathers growing??

She is very active, scratching around for bugs etc, and is in otherwise perfect health - she just looks so dowdy without her shiny blue/black feathers

Chickens learn by copying. Make sure no one else is pecking out those new tiny (delicious?) pin feathers before you even have a chance to see them. Her bare back is naturally a temptation to the others, coat it with something. Sun screen or as Bee tells us, castor oil. ??