Foraging And Feed Effeciency Comparing Breeds

[gjensen]

THanks for the share Beer can. Where did your family have their farm? NY?

I will have to remember to give the rabbit some branches to munch on. I dont have apple, but maybe he would like some birch. We have plenty of that.

They like willow, mulberries, etc. Didn't you have some mulberry trees? Mulberry leaves are good for rabbits.

 

[Beer can]

Yeah, upstate ny. Not much of a farm though, just chickens and rabbits.
I don't recall how many, maybe around a hundred rabbits and 30 chickens. My mother used to flour and pan fry the rabbit meat, it was good. My father used to take chicks and bunnies to farm auctions just before easter and do pretty good.
We don't have mulberry around here, but I bet they would like elderberry branches. My kids have a pet rabbit and I give it a apple branch for a treat once in a while, wild apple trees grow all over here. I have five on our tree line, two produce apples you can use for pies, the others and the one by my pond are just deer food, yuck. I have used wild apples for hard cider, its the best because you need some tart ones to make it good.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: I'm still working on growing mulberries. 5 inch high baby mulberries is all I have right now.

In the summer we give raspberry and blackberrry branches to the rabbit-- he can take what he wants and we toss the rest into compost. Just not as much to pick from this time of year.

 

[Arielle]

Yeah, upstate ny. Not much of a farm though, just chickens and rabbits.
I don't recall how many, maybe around a hundred rabbits and 30 chickens. My mother used to flour and pan fry the rabbit meat, it was good. My father used to take chicks and bunnies to farm auctions just before easter and do pretty good.
We don't have mulberry around here, but I bet they would like elderberry branches. My kids have a pet rabbit and I give it a apple branch for a treat once in a while, wild apple trees grow all over here. I have five on our tree line, two produce apples you can use for pies, the others and the one by my pond are just deer food, yuck. I have used wild apples for hard cider, its the best because you need some tart ones to make it good.

Glad you have not cut down the one for the deer food-- other uses such as cider as you mentioned.

THat reminds me that I had wanted to buy roost stock and scions to start some new fruit trees. BUT not sure I am ready to take on that task. Certainly need the holes dug and ready or at least have a huge pile of pots ready . . . .

ANy farm counts!! Around here no farms are left. We have just a little hole in the woods, and last night I was freaked out by a light in the woods, in a direction that has never had a light. When we moved here only one neighbor had a light we could wee. Now many more houses have gone up and we are almost surrounded by porch lights. Just the state land has no porch light , lol .

I know in NY you still have many farms and many acres of land still open. Hurray!! Mass i mports its hay from NY, sad but true. THe hay fields pushed up houses and the few remaining have gone to bushes with a rare number that are still hayed. Love to see those fiels growing, then the grass short and green again growing for the next cut.

Rabbits and chickens are great homesteading resources. Probably the most economical in terms of feed to meat. I have one rabbit but I could not do him in. He is rock solid.

 

[gjensen]

I'm still working on growing mulberries. 5 inch high baby mulberries is all I have right now.

In the summer we give raspberry and blackberrry branches to the rabbit-- he can take what he wants and we toss the rest into compost. Just not as much to pick from this time of year.

They like blueberry cuttings to. I like to give rabbits what I prune in the winter. Thy would not be especially nutritious in the winter, but they get a little out of it, and it gives them something to do.

The mulberries grow fast, so it will not be long. If you kept some as shrubs, you would have plenty to cut and carry. I have thought about planting a row.

I like how easy it is to supplement a rabbit's diet. With a mineral block, you can really make their feed stretch.

The difficulty with poultry is their ultra high metabolisms. They require a lot of energy, and seeds is where they get it from. Intensive rearing of poultry largely followed the mechanization of grain harvesting. Can you get bulk grain where you are? I am sure you could. Both rabbits and chickens do well with oats. How much is a 55 gallon drum? 350lbs? We can purchase a drum for $40 here.

 

[Arielle]

Honestly George I still need to source such stuff. I keep an ear out for co-ops and such. NOthing near me yet.

Blue Seal will not deliver bulk grains anymore in to my area so . . . when I talk to my feed dealer who is a private mill, he keeps takling me out of buying bulk milled grain. His beleif is that ground feed should only be kept for a couple weeks. ANd he is probably right. WHen I talked to Mr Rhodes, he keeps his milled feed for a couple months. Perhaps in a silo rather than bagged, and maybe that makes a difference.

Given that I have horses and sheep too I have been toyinng with creating ONE mix. I get talked out of it because each species needs its own custom mix. HOnestly I am thinking this is propaganda from feed mills to get us to buy this and that.

Recently I have thought of getting a mix of whole grains, which means only corn and oats.

I do think rabbit pellets has some merit as chicken feed for the alfalfa content, as a supplement replacing fresh grass in the winter. As the rabbit pellets is already fortified with a vit/mineral mix it seems like a good idea.

MOst of the farms are gone here. Only in western MAss is the agriculture booming. THats about an hour and a half drive. If the gas prices keep coming down, the drive will be worth it.

 

[islandgirl82]

I've enjoyed reading people's experiences with different breeds and glad this old thread has new life.

I began my chicken adventure several years ago just for eggs for my little family. We started with Easter Eggers (sold as "Americaunas" - but what did I know?) chosen for the egg colors of course because what could be more fun than finding blue, green and pink eggs in a nest when you're 6 and 2 years old? We lost all but one hen to fox, then added a few more and lost another couple so we had just 2 hens for about a year and a half; my lone survivor EE from my original flock and a SLW who joined her later on. This spring I decided it was time to add some more girls but I had trouble deciding on the breed/s; I hadn't become a member here yet but read an overwhelming number of breed reviews but just went with what I already knew. However, the day I went to pick up my 3 EE pullets, I ended up trading one out for a Golden Spangled Hamburg...a breed I had decided AGAINST due to the negative reviews I had read. I am so glad I didn't remember those reviews that day!

I never tire of watching my flock go about their day pecking around the yard and among the gardens but while the majority of the flock bathes in the flower beds, preens on the patio and lazes about in the sun, this little Hamburg never stops her search for tasty morsels and she eats what the others turn their beaks at. She prefers foraging over feed although she makes sure she's practically in my lap when I offer up the BOSS and she stakes out the wild bird feeder to fend off the squirrels from the falling seeds. She's also the one to call out the warnings when there's potential danger and when she hides, unlike her flockmates, she remains silent and perfectly still. She also flies quite well (I named her accordingly - Amelia Earhart) and I'm not one for clipping wings so they have as many means as possible to escape in the event of a predator attack while they're out ranging.

As for laying, she'll go for 8 to 10 days straight before having a day off. The only drawback is that her eggs are rather small (but so is she - though still LF) so when I bake, I use twice as many but that's not a problem for me and originating from Holland, she should do quite well during our winters.

Despite the bad reviews and initially deciding there was no way this was a breed for me, I've already ordered GSH chicks for this coming Spring and will be refining my flock down to these beauties and a DP Heritage breed (though that lone EE survivor is here for the long haul).

 

[gjensen]

Honestly George I still need to source such stuff. I keep an ear out for co-ops and such. NOthing near me yet.

Blue Seal will not deliver bulk grains anymore in to my area so . . . when I talk to my feed dealer who is a private mill, he keeps takling me out of buying bulk milled grain. His beleif is that ground feed should only be kept for a couple weeks. ANd he is probably right. WHen I talked to Mr Rhodes, he keeps his milled feed for a couple months. Perhaps in a silo rather than bagged, and maybe that makes a difference.

Given that I have horses and sheep too I have been toyinng with creating ONE mix. I get talked out of it because each species needs its own custom mix. HOnestly I am thinking this is propaganda from feed mills to get us to buy this and that.

Recently I have thought of getting a mix of whole grains, which means only corn and oats.

I do think rabbit pellets has some merit as chicken feed for the alfalfa content, as a supplement replacing fresh grass in the winter. As the rabbit pellets is already fortified with a vit/mineral mix it seems like a good idea.

MOst of the farms are gone here. Only in western MAss is the agriculture booming. THats about an hour and a half drive. If the gas prices keep coming down, the drive will be worth it.

I do not know what is like where you are. We still have some farmers that sell direct. 10 cents per pound is better than .30 if used right.

I would be cautious about milled grain in long term storage myself. Especially in the summer.

Rabbit pellets can be used in a feed mix @ 5%-10%. The salt is limiting. Plain alfalfa pellets would be better, but ironically they cost more here.

 

[Beer can]

Plain alfalfa pellets would be better, but ironically they cost more here.

Cracked corn use to be cheap here, that is all my father ever fed his chickens when I was a kid and what they could free range. Now I find layer pellet is cheaper than corn. Must be the ethonol industry and the Bush/Obama subsidies.

 

[gjensen]

I've enjoyed reading people's experiences with different breeds and glad this old thread has new life.

I began my chicken adventure several years ago just for eggs for my little family. We started with Easter Eggers (sold as "Americaunas" - but what did I know?) chosen for the egg colors of course because what could be more fun than finding blue, green and pink eggs in a nest when you're 6 and 2 years old? We lost all but one hen to fox, then added a few more and lost another couple so we had just 2 hens for about a year and a half; my lone survivor EE from my original flock and a SLW who joined her later on. This spring I decided it was time to add some more girls but I had trouble deciding on the breed/s; I hadn't become a member here yet but read an overwhelming number of breed reviews but just went with what I already knew. However, the day I went to pick up my 3 EE pullets, I ended up trading one out for a Golden Spangled Hamburg...a breed I had decided AGAINST due to the negative reviews I had read. I am so glad I didn't remember those reviews that day!

I never tire of watching my flock go about their day pecking around the yard and among the gardens but while the majority of the flock bathes in the flower beds, preens on the patio and lazes about in the sun, this little Hamburg never stops her search for tasty morsels and she eats what the others turn their beaks at. She prefers foraging over feed although she makes sure she's practically in my lap when I offer up the BOSS and she stakes out the wild bird feeder to fend off the squirrels from the falling seeds. She's also the one to call out the warnings when there's potential danger and when she hides, unlike her flockmates, she remains silent and perfectly still. She also flies quite well (I named her accordingly - Amelia Earhart) and I'm not one for clipping wings so they have as many means as possible to escape in the event of a predator attack while they're out ranging.

As for laying, she'll go for 8 to 10 days straight before having a day off. The only drawback is that her eggs are rather small (but so is she - though still LF) so when I bake, I use twice as many but that's not a problem for me and originating from Holland, she should do quite well during our winters.

Despite the bad reviews and initially deciding there was no way this was a breed for me, I've already ordered GSH chicks for this coming Spring and will be refining my flock down to these beauties and a DP Heritage breed (though that lone EE survivor is here for the long haul).

The reviews are not worth much are they? I try recommending trying them for ourselves and going with what interests us the most. We should enjoy what we have. I have my opinions to, but yours would be different. Plus one experience with one strain does not necessarily describe them all. Much is strain based.

Personally, I have come to appreciate the lighter breeds and their active industrious nature.

I enjoyed reading the description of your Hamburg. It is a beautiful breed.