INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Old Salt 1945]

Free Feed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now that I have your attention.....................

I have a neighbor who has a brother-in-law that is a farmer. When the corn is harvested, he runs it through a dryer which tumbles the corn as it is being heated to drive off the moisture. While it is tumbling, small bits of corn, crud, and cob dust fall through the sieve holes in the tumbler. This stuff is called "fines". It is trash to the farmer. At the end of the season, it is scooped up and scattered on the field to get rid of it.

Left: Grain silo complex Right: Grain dryers (note fines piles at below and left of orange control box)



The fines piles don't look like much. Very closeup of fines in the pile.


Those 2 little piles made 10 bags of fines. Each weighs about 60-70 pounds.


It makes moderately good chicken feed. I know of some farm workers that feed it exclusively to their chickens because it is free.
The chickens haven't died yet. (My usual test of whether something is good or bad.)


They like it.



Very close up. I estimate 90% food; 10% fiber/crud.


I have 4 buckets fermenting right now.

Sooooooooooooooo, how do you get it?

Find a silo near you and see if anyone is around it. Park where you won't be in the way of truck loads coming and going. Always keep in mind that these people are trying to make a living and you are asking for a favor. Ask for permission to glean their "fines" from the dryer.

When they clean the dryer, they scrape out the fines onto the ground. Once they are rained on, they will begin to mold and rot.

Use a foot or shovel to determine the quality of the fines on the ground. You may need to shovel the whole mess into a truck or trailer and haul it off to get rid of the moldy stuff and wait for the next cleaning. Check for it the day before rain is forecast.

Provide your own shovel and bags or buckets or barrels or whatever. Skim off the good stuff and leave the grass, gravel, rain-soaked crud. Smell it. If it smells sour, it's no good.

It's not super easy, but I have, with little effort, 29 60# bags of feed for free.

Don't forget, the farmer is working 20 hour days harvesting. Don't get in his way.

John

If there is soybean in it, it must be boiled or roasted or it is toxic to poultry. Obviously not worth the effort.

John

 

[toodlesmom]

Thank you! It's especially stressful for my Dad -- the last few weeks have been particularly bad & he's started the process for some Adult Day Care services. Don't know what kind of insurance coverage there is with Medicare for dementia -- hopefully something to help with what will soon become more expensive care. My daughter (almost 15) can remember Grandma before when she was "normal", but my son (12 y.o.) doesn't really remember her before the dementia started kicking in. It kinda feels like you've lost your parent -- certainly the parent you grew up knowing. It started fairly early for her -- in her mid 60's. I always think about it whenever I can't remember something & hope it's not hereditary!

I know how you feel. My mom isn't quite as far along as yours yet, I think, but she is losing her memory, both short term and long term, It is as if she is disappearing. She would not come to live with us and lives in a senior retirement center where she gets the care she needs. I spend the day with her once or twice a week, but my siblings won't come at all because they get bored with her. She is at an argumentative stage where she insists things did not happen or whatever. She calls to ask about things she has misplaced or forgotten about, and it is so sad. I now am constantly questioning my own (numerous!) memory slips! My husband's father died with his memory entirely gone, so he worries, too. Guess our kids should really worry with dementia on both sides of the family!

 

[toodlesmom]

HELP!! I remember someone talking about the wonderful electric coop door with light sensor that they had installed, but I can't find it to get the name. Please can anyone recall the name of that marvelous electric door?

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Janet: I am now among the Fermented Feeder Bunch.




I just started it Sunday morning. It is made from corn fines.

I used a paint stirrer to mix it up. It should be ready to go Thursday or Friday, right?

John

Start it now john! So glad to see you are "IN" the chickies will love you 10X
I keep a few days ahead. It is so good for the birds digestion.
If i didnt ferment I would be broke. Its very healthy for all the birds.

Quote: You are so right. Its very hard to accept.

Quote:
The strangest thing for me is my mom not recalling her natural hair color. It was brown in every picture I have seen of her since her wedding until I was about 9. Then she went blonde and the roots came in dark. I remember all of the trips to the salon with her as mother daughter time when those dark roots were made blonde. well now her gray is made blonde. But she insists that one of my children get's their blonde hair from her. I have not had the heart to show her the old photos even if I did look at them several times to make sure I was not going insane. I just can't figure how all that time we spent together while she was getting her hair bleached is just gone in her mind. But that is about the only major forgetful thing right now. Then there are those tiny things like ohh you went to the store yesterday, I was going to ask you to pick up a jar of pickles. But mom I did get your pickles I just have not had time to drop them by yet.
I also think please don't let me forget the easy stuff or the memories.

My husband and I have moved in with my 92 yo blind dad who is now going downhill slowly and needs someone there 24 hours. We have some home help during certain hours also. (Husband and I both work.)
Oh my... we did much the same.

I cannot say enough talk to your parents.
I care for mom full time. Dad has to have a valve replaced. He has finally agreed to do it. Bless your heart it is very hard to do.
He has dementia and is a real handful, I am the only one he will listen to... usually.
Dads not doing well at all. He keeps refusing the surgery, then changes his mind. had several bypasses in the early 1980s, its time to REPAIR.

surgery

Quote: Thats the best way to find out. she just isn't ready!

 

[Mother2Hens]

She is a LF Cochin. She is just blue as far as I know. Thank you. I think she is very pretty also. The babies are, three LF mix chicks, all Gus' babies. Minorca, wyandotte, and EE mixed with him. So the two chipunks and the larger black chick. Three silkies, black blue and white. The little guy trying to get under her while she was bathing is Chance, the little black silkie that couldn't walk. After a day in hobbles under momma, he is running around like crazy. They are very entertaining. It was a long video. I was hoping they would maybe join in, but after five minutes of being pummeled with sand and having my shoe pecked at by Pebbles the wyandotte, I gave up. I had to keep cutting the video because the dust was blurring the image. She hadn't dust bathed since the chicks hatched last week, so she was really enjoying it.

kab~ I just thought Lavender might be a splash because her neck and head are darker, but I guess that's just the normal shading. I don't know much about all that stuff. I was just teasing about the length of the video-- I enjoyed all of it! It's a whole new world to me and I find chicken behavior very fascinating and entertaining. That's so great that Chance's foot healed so quickly.
gunchief~ That reminds me that I need to get some of my neighbor's mulch from the giant tree they unfortunately had to cut down. It's nice because it's mixed with dirt. Hopefully it's not some kind of biohazard, but it's from across the street and they never had animals. Your flock looked like they were having a good time!


Old Salt~ Your illustrative photos are very nicely done. You could make instruction manuals in your spare time. Then you could add another thing to your list of experiences. I like this photo of your shiny birds including a polite rooster who lets the ladies eat first.

 

[racinchickins]

HELP!!  I remember someone talking about the wonderful electric coop door with light sensor that they had installed, but I can't find it to get the name.  Please can anyone recall the name of that marvelous electric door?

http://adorstore.com

I love it!

 

[gunchief25]

M2H~ Yes they were having a blast scratching around in that stuff. I didnt think they were ever going to go to the roost last night.

 

[vickichicki]

Thanks for sharing the grain info John, tis much appreciated.

Been following Kabhypers ups and down and it has been great. Thanks for sharing e experience with us all. Still waiting for my guys to make an appearance, should be this week.
Momma is looking rough, she has lost all colour in her face, can not tell about weight loss yet, but I guarantee it. Probably going to pick her up some electrolytes today, see if that helps her out any. Been spoiling the girls with 'hand fed' canned veggies, neither seem interested in e chicken food.

 

[vickichicki]

Diggin around the chickens this morning, I hear peeping......

Might be late for work darn it.... But... I don't care..... e

 

[racinchickins]

Diggin around the chickens this morning, I hear peeping......

Might be late for work darn it.... But... I don't care.....

I share your priorities!!!!