Whew! I have just finished scanning this thread from page 1! Yes I am a crazy chicken lady! I have a mixed flock of different ages, 3 barred banties that are probably about 1 1/2 yrs old, a full size Buff Orpington Rooster that is a little younger; maybe 9-12 months, 4 BO pullets just starting to lay, Welsummers, 3 hens and a roo that are 4-5 yrs old, 10 Muscovy ducks that are 4 months, a Welsh Harlequin drake and 3 mixed WHxrunner drakes and 4 Welsummer chicks, 2 weeks.
I am trying to avoid GMO products; organic anything is impossible here; yes the feed store will order it, but at nearly double the price, which I can't afford. So I have been doing this, starting small chicks on non-medicated chick starter and then moving them slowly to sprouted grains. I buy a wild bird seed mix containing no corn or soy and recently began adding wheat to it. I soak for 24 hours then begin draining and rinsing. So sprouts are about 3 days old when fed. The size of the sprout depends on how warm it is. I also get spoiled produce from the grocery store on my days off from work. If there are a lot of spoils to feed then I sometimes skip the sprouts.
When I got the ducks I bought game bird/turkey food for them, knowing they need a higher protein level. Several of the Muscovys developed angelwing; when I checked the feed tag the stuff had 28% protein! So I fed less of it until it was gone, they have been just on sprouted grains and spoils for a couple months now. I do raise earthworms and when I only had 5 birds fed some every day for the protein, but with so many the worm box can't keep up with the appetites so I mostly feed as treats and to the younger birds.
Now I know the protein level in plain grain is only around 12% and this has had several effects. The old hens are molty and are very slow about it. I know it could just be the birds but also think it is the lower protein level since feathers are all protein. The Muscovys at 4 months are only weighing 4-6 pounds live weight and I think they should be heavier.
So here's my experiment that I am beginning. I will ferment the chick starter, with a mix of yogurt and homemade ACV, adding grains and alfalfa cubes to the mix as they grow, gradually weaning them off the starter (since I know it has corn and soy in it, which are of course GMO since it's not organic)
For the rest of the flock I will continue the sprouts and spoils but in addition I will do an FF feeding each day, a mix of the bird seed, which is millet, milo, BOSS, along with whatever other whole grains i can get, such as rolled barley and wheat. I'm also going to try adding alfalfa cubes, to up the protein a bit and provide more greens when there's no spoils.
I started a bucketful day before yesterday, as above, with ACV and yogurt; it's bubbling nicely this morning. I fed a little last night and the everybody scarfed it up, but the ducks especially went wild for it; the Muscovys are hogs, they were even knocking the rooster out of the way to get to it!
I want to see if I can get the molty girls back to lay quicker; right now only 1 banty is laying and 2 of the BO pullets just started this week. I also want to get some meat on those drakes as I need to thin out the pens next month when the weather cools off a bit more. I'm going to set up a separate smaller ferment for the chick starter.
This has been a great thread and I've loved all the info and stories, especially interested in the ones where you give statistics on raising meat birds. Most of you seem to be doing cornishX or freedom rangers. Have any of you done a batch of dual purpose birds with the idea of eating the roos and keeping the girls for laying?
However, a nail file would probably work for cockerel's developing spurs!
