Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Beekissed]

No, mine always looks like this...I was just showing the composition of the FF and general appearance, not the lack of ferment.

 

[smyers32]

Ohhhhhh, ok. Good deal. I did notice mine was smelling a little...ummm....funky...today, then I noticed it was a bit dry, so i added more water, it mellowed the funk a bit.

 

[Island Roo]

BeeKissed on Free-Ranging:
......
Can't remember if it was DragonLady or Gargoyle who suggested 50# clear filament run overhead. (MANY THANKS FOR THIS!) Now my flock has a large run with this stuff run over the top. Twice since putting this up (what a snap) I have watched hawks do a U-turn or side detour (and that's just when I was out there) . It was the junior bald-headed eagle that was scouting them that really got my attention in the first place. Huge things they are.
.....
In the spring will be creating at least one parallel run to allow the other to recup its grass after the ravaging's done. Maybe even plant something more nutritious in the other (suggestions?)

Yeah - thanks for the info on free-ranging Bee - very helpful.

Chickabee - How did you set up the fishing line? A grid? How far apart?

As for forage, I planted drought-resistant goat forage grass mix, white clover, crimson clover, field peas, and buckwheat and winter rye. We'll see how that works out in the spring.

 

[mickey328]

Has anyone tried FF with rabbits? Minus the corn, of course. We plan to grain feed our bunnies on wheat, barley, oats and beet pulp, and I wondered if fermenting it might be of any benefit.

 

[Beekissed]

I doubt it. Rabbits are a little like ruminants in the fact that they eat some of their undigested poop again~sort of like chewing a cud...they just don't regurg a cud like a cow or deer. I don't think they would need the fermentation and it would be very hard to feed them a wet feed. I would, however, use the mother vinegar in their water at all times and provide some good quality hay to balance their diet of grains.

 

[Pozees]

Right now I've 55 birds. I did have 75 but just had to cut the flock down due to cost of feed. I've 5 full blooded Blue Cochins. Love them! I've 3 Silkys, 2 Showgirls. 5 RIR, 4 Brown Leghorns, 1 Barred Rock, 2 Dominique, 1EE hen & 2 EE Cockrells. 3 Buff Orps. 1 Light Brahma, 1 LB mix. 1 Silver Laced Wyandotte. 1 Salmon Faverolle Cockerell. 7 Mixed Cochens. 2 lovely grey chicks from a Black Silky over an EE hen. 4 or 5 Black Sex Link, A few other mixed chickens and possibly a Black Copper Maran hen (dark egg given to me to hatch) & 2 cockerells from her & a Blue Cochen Rooster. 1 Light Brahma over Barred Rock cockrell. He thinks he's special. Also have 2 Burbon Red Turkey, 1 Blue Slate & 1 Broad breasted Bronze turkey. I do have 3 extra cockrells that are old enouch for the crock pot, but haven't got around to doing that yet.

2 things - I have one blue cochin, and I adore her, I sometimes refer to her as Li'l Lotta' when she runs Pure delight. Also, I am thinking about getting some brown leghorns in the spring, do you have any experience specific to them you might share?

Your flock sounds lovely!

 

[Leahs Mom]

WHOOPS!!! POSTED IN WRONG PLACE. MOVING TO OT THREAD.

For Bee and others that take out 1 bird at a time...

How do you process your single bird for cooking? I guess what I'm thinking is that processing would be different if you're doing one vs a whole batch.

I've never done ANY, so I only have book knowledge. But most of what I've read and watched via video is for doing a large batch at a time.

Anyway... I'd like to hear direction, see photos, etc., for the process for a single if someone is willing to comment.

 

[Beekissed]

When I'm doing a single and wish to eat it, I don't bother with scalding or plucking. I just dislocate the neck, hang it for the bleed out and open a vessel. I then just lay it on it's back, split it up the breast and peel back the hide like one would open a jacket. I remove the breast filets, yank down the sleeves a little and remove the top of the wing, yank down the pants(this requires a horizontal cut from the middle of your jacket zipper outwards along the waistline a bit. I yank down the pants just enough to take out the thigh and leg~sort of looks like you are diapering a toddler at this point and getting the pants down enough to change the diaper.

In the end, all is left is a head attached to some skin over the rib/spine area and skin attached to some lower legs...all of one piece. No gutting. This carcass I just toss. I am left with skinless, boneless breast filets, winglets, thighs and legs. That pretty much covers the meat on a dual-purpose breed.

 

[Island Roo]

I created a threat here about the taste of eggs (blind taste test):

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/720076/egg-taste-challenge-blind-taste-test

I'm providing the link here because I mentioned fermented feed as being one of the variables.

 

[galefrances]

When I'm doing a single and wish to eat it, I don't bother with scalding or plucking. I just dislocate the neck, hang it for the bleed out and open a vessel. I then just lay it on it's back, split it up the breast and peel back the hide like one would open a jacket. I remove the breast filets, yank down the sleeves a little and remove the top of the wing, yank down the pants(this requires a horizontal cut from the middle of your jacket zipper outwards along the waistline a bit. I yank down the pants just enough to take out the thigh and leg~sort of looks like you are diapering a toddler at this point and getting the pants down enough to change the diaper.

In the end, all is left is a head attached to some skin over the rib/spine area and skin attached to some lower legs...all of one piece. No gutting. This carcass I just toss. I am left with skinless, boneless breast filets, winglets, thighs and legs. That pretty much covers the meat on a dual-purpose breed.

Bee, have you ever thought of making a video? Some people, such as myself, are more visual and learn faster when they can watch someone with experience.