Home Feeding Ideas and Solutions Discussion Thread

[greenegglover]

Well major bummer today......my feed went up $3.00 per 50 lbs. WOW is all I can say, egg prices will be going up in the store soon too!

 

[ducklucky]

Already, huh? Oh well, we all knew it was going to happen. Starting in the midwest and spreading east and west. If I find that ours went up as well tomorrow, I will ask them when they got their shipment in. Not going to pay more before I have to. But $3 WOW that's a lot overnite...

 

[Lacy Blues]

I just found this today... if anyone else is considering raising fish for feed.

Instructions to make Fishmeal

Cook the fish to separate solids from water and oil. Cooking also coagulates the tissue proteins and sterilizes the product. Cooking is a critical stage in preparing the fishmeal and is usually done using a commercial cooker.

Remove the oil, water and soluble protein mixture, also known as the "liquor," from the solids by pressing. This is commonly done in a perforated tube with increasing pressure. During the pressing step, water and oil is squeezed out through the perforations. The solids separated from the liquor are called the "presscake" and make the main ingredient of the fishmeal.

Take the liquor and remove oil from it by centrifugation to get a mixture called "stickwater." This contains about 65 percent of the raw material. Then evaporate the stickwater until it reaches a consistency of a thick syrup.

Add the stickwater syrup and the presscake together and dry. The drying process removes excess moisture to allow the fishmeal to be stored and transported without mold or bacterial growth. You can use a direct or indirect dryer. Direct drying involves a cylindrical drum tumbler where hot air of up to 500 degrees Celsius is passed over the material. Indirect drying involves a cylinder with steam heated discs to tumble the material.

Grind the dried material to get fishmeal with consistent mass. The fishmeal is now ready to be used or bagged for transportation and storage.




Of course they don't tell you HOW to cook the fish. Should it be boiled? steamed? baked?

Or should I save myself all this trouble and just scoop out 20 fish a day to feed, live, to my birds? I know the protein content is much higher when it's been dried (because all the moisture has been removed) and I guess if I ever have too many fish in the pond at a given time, I might just do this. But until then, I think I'll choose the low road. Thought y'all might find the info helpful... maybe?

 

[fowlsessed]

yea, that's great.. I was wondering about that. does seem like too much work though, I'll just freeze them.

 

[Kassaundra]

That seems aweful involved and using equipment most people don't have in their kitchen. If I get to the point of growing fish (which I eventually do intend) I plan on feeding fresh, but if I have to store for seasonal harvesting I think dehydrating it would be fine. It would be easy to reconstitute and feed out.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

That seems aweful involved and using equipment most people don't have in their kitchen. If I get to the point of growing fish (which I eventually do intend) I plan on feeding fresh, but if I have to store for seasonal harvesting I think dehydrating it would be fine. It would be easy to reconstitute and feed out.

I agree, yet I found the description of the process fascinating. Also, a few weeks ago I had the pH bottom out on my tilapia tank and I lost two good sized (~1lb each) fish which I fed whole to the chickens. They picked them clean.

 

[Lacy Blues]

I'm thinking what I'll do is have a shallow pan with water in it, in the birds' yards. Then I'll catch several fish from my pond (to be

) and put them in the pans and let the birds catch them. That will be some fun chicken tv for me!

As soon as this weather cools down I'll be having my strapping young son start digging a big hole for a concrete pond. Then, hopefully before winter, I can get it stocked with some fathead minnows and they can do their thing and make lots of babies for my birds!

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

I'm thinking what I'll do is have a shallow pan with water in it, in the birds' yards. Then I'll catch several fish from my pond (to be

) and put them in the pans and let the birds catch them. That will be some fun chicken tv for me!

As soon as this weather cools down I'll be having my strapping young son start digging a big hole for a concrete pond. Then, hopefully before winter, I can get it stocked with some fathead minnows and they can do their thing and make lots of babies for my birds!

That sounds awesome!

Especially the part about the personal pond-digger. Gotta love that!

 

[sck279]

Increase your protein... scratch is generally only 8-11% and to increase production get them over 20%... I use cat food 1:5 crumbles am/pm, scratch is only used minimally in afternoon/mid day for energy and treat. I have over 200 chickens and this method always works for me. If the cat food is a bit large for bantams, just crush it a bit with hammer.

Give them a couple weeks to recouperate from low protein diet and you should see molting finish and egg production start again. Also, LOTS of water, they need it to fill those eggs... Best of luck to your flock!

 

[fowlsessed]

Has anyone thought about raising tadpoles for the chickens? The kiddie pool that was just sitting out full of filthy water is full of them, should make decent chicken food? I haven't put serious thought into it, but might work.
Has anyone heard of or tried the BSF? I've got to try the black soldier fly grubs, they self harvest and you don't have to worry about the egg laying adults, they come to your bin and don't take up any of your room or time. Oh, and feed is free, just give them manure and/or kitchen scraps. GREAT