Maine

[buckabucka]

Lazy gardener, I can't answer any technical forum navigation questions (it is already a struggle on a mobile device), but I did try fermented feed once. I like the idea, I was just too lazy to carry it out properly. I read that you should drill a bunch of holes in a five gallon bucket, and nest it inside a bucket without holes. You can ferment the feed in there and then just lift out the holey bucket to drain the water. Neat and easy.

I did not follow those instructions, however. I just put the feed In bucket and tried to use a strainer to strain it. But my strainer wasn't big enough for the amount of feed, and it was a big messy project. I don't even know if I let the feed sit long enough to ferment. I can say though, that the chickens were crazy for this sloppy mess I created! I would like to try it again, but not really in the winter.

Annabanana, I also had a hassle with the Meyer website. I think I tried to create a new account, since I couldn't get in, and then they complained that someone else already had my email address (me, of course). I've only ordered from them once, but we did it by phone. If you are ordering a variety, they can let you know if one breed will hold up your order, or answer questions etc., so that's what I would recommend if it keeps giving you a hassle.

This warmer weather has me convinced it is spring, even though winter is far from over. I keep thinking about garden plans, and of course I am still obsessing over hatchery/breeder/chicks/shipped eggs/this breed/that breed/the other breed. And then DH, who is at a low point in his census job, says, "maybe I should build a bunch of breeder pens and breed chickens instead". Ha! I don't really think he is serious, but this could get scary. We have 70 acres here.....

 

[bwockbwock]

UGH! I am trying to set up an acct on Meyer Hatcherys website so that I will be ready to place my order soon and I am having an IMPOSSIBLE time getting it to work!!!!! SO FRUSTRATING!!! Every time I get a msg telling me that my log in info is invalid.

Anyway, on another note, I am seriously thinking about raising a few turkeys this spring and was hoping those of you with turkey experience might be able to give me some info on them. What breed would you suggest? How do they compare to raising chickens? If you have processed them yourselves, how did that compare to doing meat birds?

Thank you!

I have raised a few Royal Palm, and Black Spanish. I have learned to love turkeys, they are so humorous, and quite friendly, Out of the 10 chicks I have had, only one died for unknown reasons.
I had a banty hen that hatched and raised two of them, it was a sight to see as they got older and tried to get under her wings. Mine free range around my yard, they love to gobble up Japanese Beetles. I have tow boys right now and they 'advise' me of any visitors. They will gobble back when you make noises at them, and one of them stamps his foot when really annoyed. My hens get broody and will sit on anything you put under them, they are good moms. i don't know if this is the kind of info you wanted, but this has been my experience. I have never tried the broad breasted types of turkeys. I had mine processed for me. Yum!

 

[Keric]

We do process them the same way as cornish cross rocks except we don't leave many whole. In the freezer we have whole bonless breast, wings, drumsticks and ground turkey that comes from the thigh and also any trim. After the meat is cut from the bone it goes in the oven and further striped to make turkey sandwiches and such. Make a good stock also.

We usually only do 5 per weekend to make this system work.

 

[CoopChick719]

MustardTiger--Hope you feel better soon!

Keric--Yaaayy for hatching silkies!!

hoppy's right!! Many packages are not treated very well.

 

[annabananaandfamily]

I knew you guys were the ones to talk to
Thanks for all the tips, keep em coming! I have just been drawing up plans for a new and improved coop for the hubs to build come spring. Its a good deal larger than the one we brought when we moved in here and would house all the chickies I plan on having...plus it would free up the current coop for all kinds of fun stuff!

 

[CoopChick719]

new topic: I don't know how to navigate around in the maine thread. When I've tried to post a new thread, it sends me back to the all state site. What am I doing wrong?

Question of the day: Are any of you Maine folks using fermented feed? From anecdotal info, it sounds like it would be great to condition breeders for higher quality eggs. Aside from the freezing issue, and the increased mess, any down sides or up sides that you can think of?

Hi Lazy Gardener, I started using FF a few weeks ago. They loved it! But then stopped gobbling it down. I only have 6 so I think I overestimated how much they would eat over a 2 day period. I'm not sure if it got too fermented or what so I started a new batch. I really don't see any downside too it. It is supposed to be very good for them and provides a lot of vitamins. I'm using Beekissed's method that I got from this link. http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com/p/fermented-feed.html

 

[lazy gardener]

CC719 AND BUCKABUCKA: THANKS FOR INPUT RE: FERMENTED FEED.

 

[CoopChick719]

Good Luck LG! I'm using 2 buckets (1 small to fit inside the bigger one) almost like children's beach pails. Shhh...don't tell my DH but I used his soldering gun to melt holes into the small bucket. It heats up hot, fast & makes a perfect hole.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

UGH! I am trying to set up an acct on Meyer Hatcherys website so that I will be ready to place my order soon and I am having an IMPOSSIBLE time getting it to work!!!!! SO FRUSTRATING!!! Every time I get a msg telling me that my log in info is invalid.

Anyway, on another note, I am seriously thinking about raising a few turkeys this spring and was hoping those of you with turkey experience might be able to give me some info on them. What breed would you suggest? How do they compare to raising chickens? If you have processed them yourselves, how did that compare to doing meat birds?

Thank you!

I have bourbon reds. They're fairly slow growing, and are 8 months old now, and I'd say finally big enough to be worth it to process. They're pretty much the same as chickens but much, much stupider. Raise them with chicks so they learn how to eat and drink. Mine had to be shown for months how to get into the coop (where the food and roosts were) until finally one day they just got it (thankfully! Even the ducks go to their house on their own). The worst night was one day that we came home late, and they were roosting on the fence. Us coming home and trying to grab them scared them, which made them start running off into the woods, blindly. BF chased them for about a half hour, until finally getting them circled around and back to the coop. Because they're so big they can reach areas that the chickens couldn't reach. We had one area on the ceiling of the chicken coop that we couldn't get a piece of plywood up there easily to cover the insulation, and it wasn't a big deal until we got turkeys. Now the turkeys are intent on destroying it.

 

[MustardTiger]

Thanks for all the well wishes. After a week I am finally, sloooowly getting better. This was a bad one. I just started a new job so I couldnt really call out to rest which probably made it worse!

All this talk of turkey antics makes me excited to watch their stupidity this spring