Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Leahs Mom]

I found extray heavy duty tubs at Walmart. They easily hold 50# of food without a problem & there is still room for more. They stack very nicely & dont take up much space. Black bottoms yellow lids. (was trying to find a pick of them) I havent any problems with mice, squirrels or chipmunks getting into them & they will get into anything they can

This is one place that I DO use DE... to keep buggies from hatching in my stored feed and grains. Of course that won't keep the rodents out!

I think, if I'm not mistaken, this whole thing of adding DE to feed was really for the purpose of keeping the weevils, etc. out of the feed and that someone misunderstood and thought you were supposed to feed it to the animals to keep THEM from growing buggies!!!!

 

[aoxa]

This is one place that I DO use DE... to keep buggies from hatching in my stored feed and grains.  Of course that won't keep the rodents out! 

I think, if I'm not mistaken, this whole thing of adding DE to feed was really for the purpose of keeping the weevils, etc. out of the feed and that someone misunderstood and thought you were supposed to feed it to the animals to keep THEM from growing buggies!!!! 

Why does everyone use DE?

I never suggest it to anyone. It's such a waste of money IMO. Costs $10 for a freezer bag full.

I'll stick to wood ash.

 

[Leahs Mom]

This is one place that I DO use DE... to keep buggies from hatching in my stored feed and grains. Of course that won't keep the rodents out!

I think, if I'm not mistaken, this whole thing of adding DE to feed was really for the purpose of keeping the weevils, etc. out of the feed and that someone misunderstood and thought you were supposed to feed it to the animals to keep THEM from growing buggies!!!!

Why does everyone use DE?
I never suggest it to anyone. It's such a waste of money IMO. Costs $10 for a freezer bag full.
I'll stick to wood ash.

Like I said...I think someone originally misunderstood the purpose of the stuff and it just escalated from there.

Can you use ash in feed to deter weevils? I only use a little DE in a bag of stored grains since I purchase and store them for several months at a time. Otherwise I would NEVER use DE!!!!!

 

[Pozees]

Even before the chickens, we had dogs and cats. Very definitely pets and part of the family. When sick, we did (do) the best we can to help restore their health. However, a line needs to be drawn at some point. For example, I would never ever treat a dog for cancer. First, it's far too expensive for us and second, the dog has no idea about anything except that it feels awful...you can't explain to them why it has to be so. My tack is to keep them feeling as good as possible, but when the time comes, it's kindest to send them to "the bridge". Of course, it's different because I don't have to dispatch them myself; they go to the vet and I can hold them as they just drift to sleep. I would hope though, that if there were no other option, I'd dig deep enough to do what's right for the animal...a quick, painless death seems far kinder to to drag out an illness where they just hurt and waste away.

We have 6 chickens who are hale and healthy and are planning to breed rabbits for meat come spring. DH has said he'd do the dispatching, but I will also watch and learn in case I have to do it when he's not available. Not looking forward to it but I feel responsible for the animals. We may be going to butcher them for food, but until that time, I feel bound to make their lives as comfortable and happy as possible, and to make their demise as quick and painless as possible. It's not something I'll take lightly and will undertake it with gratitude. Really, the only way to get around it is to become vegetarian and I'm not prepared to do that

I do understand where Gale's coming from...it's really hard, especially if you become attached to the animals. My chickens aren't pets although I'm fond of them. I'm thinking it'll be more difficult with the rabbits though...all that soft cuddliness. I'll try to get around that by not getting too attached...not naming them or handling them too much. The breeding stock will be different, since they'll be around a lot longer. Still, there will come a day...

Back to the subject...picked up my grains yesterday. I want to get a batch started soon, but at this point, I think we need to find something to store them in before opening them...don't want to send out an invitation to the neighborhood mice! For their pellets and corn, we had them in a large heavy plastic garbage can (the kind the trash company gives you when you sign up). It worked well for two bags, but we now have 4 more and I don't know where to put 'em! LOL

We probably have 1/3 bag of pellets left...I'm assuming I can use them in the ferment as well? I'm also going to grow some wheat and barley inside for them so they have fresh greens all winter.

Nicely wrapped up. I have had to have dogs and cats euthanized, and after the first, my most dearly beloved, who I kept alive longer than I should have because I could not bear to part with her, I learned that it is hard no matter how long you wait, and making the animal suffer for your own sake is cruel. I stay with them and say goodbye, I cry, and sometimes for days, weeks, and months afterward, I hope I did the right thing at the right time because you can't take it back. It is a fact of animal ownership, and in some cases it is just a fact of living on the planet if you come across a wounded or sick animal. One of our obligations as inhabitants of the planet, as I see it anyway, is to end suffering when we can.

I don't think this is the same thing Gale was talking about, my perception is that she would not let an animal suffer, I think she was referring to killing chickens who were not young and/or productive for the purpose of overall improvement of the flock. If you only have layers and are not breeding, and you have a personal affection for a hen that just isn't as productive as she might be, as long as she isn't sick/suffering in any way, it is really the flock keeper's decision to feed a less productive hen, and the flock keeper's decision to place that hen's life above maximum efficiency. I know many here have zero patience for that, it is painfully obvious, and quite understandable; their goals are different from Gale's, their experience is different from Gale's, and thus their position is going to be different. I am not convinced either one is wrong.

I would point out that it is unfair to characterize someone who has chickens in the city where humans are killed every day as someone less caring about human life than chicken life. Having lived in both the city and the country I can say when one has no control over idiots who shoot guns where people are almost certain to be in the way, one develops a protective shell so as not to live in a constant state of mourning. I am back in the country and hope I NEVER have to live in a city again. Some people love it or don't have a choice, and I feel lucky I did have the choice.

Mickey - if you don't have cats, ask around or post on Craigslist for empty litter buckets. They hold about 20 or so pounds each, have snap down plastic lids and carrying handles, stack well if you get all the same type, and are too big to be processed at most single stream recycling plants, so they are trash unless they are repurposed. I have found a multitude of uses for them, and storing grains and crumble are the latest.

On the topic of FF, I have to agree with all who say their flocks prefer a less wet final product - I once gave it almost soupy and they refused to touch it until I dumped it on the ground, whereupon the liquid soaked into the dirt and they gobbled the solids immediately. Also find approximately 50% ratio of whole grains makes it easier to manage and much more attractive to the girls. I do wonder about the calcium in the layer falling to the bottom of the FF liquid, so I put down a container of oyster shell, but as far as I can tell it's barely been touched, so I'm probably worrying about nothing.

 

[Pozees]

Bee, can you describe how you dislocate their necks? It sounds like the most painless way to kill. I have never had to do it, but I will have to at some point and would like some instructions, if you wouldn't mind sharing. The one other place I actually read instructions I didn't feel I understood, and the last thing I want to do is to have to try more than once to get the job done.

 

[Ashdoes]

This is one place that I DO use DE... to keep buggies from hatching in my stored feed and grains.  Of course that won't keep the rodents out! 

I think, if I'm not mistaken, this whole thing of adding DE to feed was really for the purpose of keeping the weevils, etc. out of the feed and that someone misunderstood and thought you were supposed to feed it to the animals to keep THEM from growing buggies!!!! 

That's a good idea. I use the DE on my dogs, and was wondering how I was going to use up all I have. Since I have a plastic trash can full of feed I was wondering if it was going to take my chickens too long to go through it. I'll dump a little DE in there and hope it does it's job.

 

[aoxa]

Bee, can you describe how you dislocate their necks?  It sounds like the most painless way to kill.  I have never had to do it, but I will have to at some point and would like some instructions, if you wouldn't mind sharing. The one other place I actually read instructions I didn't feel I understood, and the last thing I want to do is to have to try more than once to get the job done.

The dislocation of the head is how many people who've been doing this a time do it. I am friends with the curator of the zoo, and this is how they kill the chickens before feeding it to the zoo animals.

I would like to know.. I just can't axe them myself, and this would be easier for me to do myself if need be.

 

[Miss Lydia]

That's a good idea. I use the DE on my dogs, and was wondering how I was going to use up all I have. Since I have a plastic trash can full of feed I was wondering if it was going to take my chickens too long to go through it. I'll dump a little DE in there and hope it does it's job.

This is where I put DE also, 2 cups to 50lbs of feed or grain. The only reason i would see for using DE would be to keep bugs out of the feed/grains.

 

[mickey328]

armorfirelady, did you mean the rectangular Rubbermaid type containers? I never even thought of that, even though we use them for about everything else around here, LOL

I agree, Pozees...having cats & dogs and other household pet isn't the same as chickens for most folks. And it does depend on so many factors. We only have 6 hens (all we're allowed) and we have them for eggs. So since we're not breeding there isn't the necessity to cull quite as much. Ours are less than a year old, so unless one gets really sick, we should have at least a year or two before we have to face that decision. Since we can only have 6, we won't be in a position to keep any around who aren't productive. And you're right...it's totally up to the individual; what is "right" for one may not be "right" for another. As long as there's not a lot of suffering going on, it's all good

Kitty litter buckets, eh? I'm thinking I may need to post on freecycle for some. We could use the larger ones for main storage and the buckets for smaller amounts. I'd be able to lift those and scoop from them as needed, then just have hubby do the heavy lifting of the bigger tubs when the buckets need refilled.

DE seems quite controversial I know lots of folks ingest it and also give it to their animals; I'm not sure what the benefits are supposed to be. I didn't find it expensive at all and we use it sparingly in the chickens' dust bath tubs and in the coop. When we first brought them home, they were covered with mites. After about 10 days' exposure to the DE, the mites were gone and since then, I've seen no sign of another. I'd not thought of mixing it with feed or even flour and stuff in the house, but I think I'll add some to keep those creepy crawlies out of stuff!

 

[Pozees]

armorfirelady, did you mean the rectangular Rubbermaid type containers? I never even thought of that, even though we use them for about everything else around here, LOL

I agree, Pozees...having cats & dogs and other household pet isn't the same as chickens for most folks. And it does depend on so many factors. We only have 6 hens (all we're allowed) and we have them for eggs. So since we're not breeding there isn't the necessity to cull quite as much. Ours are less than a year old, so unless one gets really sick, we should have at least a year or two before we have to face that decision. Since we can only have 6, we won't be in a position to keep any around who aren't productive. And you're right...it's totally up to the individual; what is "right" for one may not be "right" for another. As long as there's not a lot of suffering going on, it's all good

Kitty litter buckets, eh? I'm thinking I may need to post on freecycle for some. We could use the larger ones for main storage and the buckets for smaller amounts. I'd be able to lift those and scoop from them as needed, then just have hubby do the heavy lifting of the bigger tubs when the buckets need refilled.

DE seems quite controversial I know lots of folks ingest it and also give it to their animals; I'm not sure what the benefits are supposed to be. I didn't find it expensive at all and we use it sparingly in the chickens' dust bath tubs and in the coop. When we first brought them home, they were covered with mites. After about 10 days' exposure to the DE, the mites were gone and since then, I've seen no sign of another. I'd not thought of mixing it with feed or even flour and stuff in the house, but I think I'll add some to keep those creepy crawlies out of stuff!

Yes the best thing about the kitty litter buckets is that those of us who are no longer youngsters and might have back issues can usually still lift and carry one of them

My understanding of DE is that it slices open the soft bodies of insects, so in areas where slugs are prevalent it is commonly used in gardens, and many use it on dogs and cats to kill fleas and ticks. The issue in using it in deep litter, as Bee has mentioned, is that it kills indiscriminately, so the good bugs are killed along with the bad. Using it in feed containers would limit infestation of the feed. The thing that makes me cautious is that it can be inhaled if used carelessly and I can't imagine it's good for lungs. I do have some here that I have used in the garden for extreme infestations before chickens, but I'm not sure I will use it again. Just makes me nervous.