OHio ~ Come on Buckeyes, let me know your out there!

[DeckDuck]

I think it's about time I join this thread. Hello my fellow Buckeyes!

Here's another one for keeping chickens and horses. I was unaware that it was possible to choose between just one or the other! I have an APHA mare whom I trail ride kind of dressage style with. I also keep bantam chickens and laying ducks.

Wild grape season is here. Does anybody else pick those? You have to make sure there's no Moonseed in the bunch, and you have to let the tartaric acid (major irritant) settle to the bottom of the juice and then decant the edible stuff off the top, but then you have an intensely flavored, deep purple grape juice that makes fantastic jelly.

 

[loveourbirds]

I don't understand why anyone buys scratch. I give layer crumbles, fresh veggies, every now and then some wild bird seed, and they have large areas to run in the grass. buying scratch would just be another bill I don't need. and they don't need it.

i will attempt to answer this, keep in mind everyone has their own methods. the scratch grains became more popular when the major feed companies started raising the protein in the crumbles and pellets. most chickens need around 16% protein average in their diets, by memory a lot of commercial blends run 18%. to much protein will cause kidney problems, possibly even urinary tract infections (not 100% sure about this in chickens). the idea is to keep the chickens eating with a filler, to lower the protein. it also will minimize cannibalism/pecking, and promote scratching which is important in digestive health.
it also should lower your feed cost, but if your paying $13.00 a bag for your pellets and $15 a bag for your crumbles you may need to re-evaluate using them. several of the lower cost crumbles/pellets are now only 16% protein. feeding the scratch grains will cause a decrease in egg production with these crumbles. an exception to this would be if your feeding table scraps, especially with meat. i haven't researched meat proteins, but i know you can overdo the needs of a chicken easily with meat.
in the case you mention, where the chickens have plenty of grass and insects; scratch grains would be a waste of time. their primary use is when the chickens aren't running free, and the coop floor has been reduced to dirt.

on a side note, I've recently started fermenting our feed. if you fermented scratch grains averaging 12% protein, on free range chickens; i think it would give them plenty of nutrition. if your chickens are caged in groups like mine are, you would have to supplement some animal fat/protein, along with some grass, or alfalfa cubes.

 

[minihorse927]

i will attempt to answer this, keep in mind everyone has their own methods. the scratch grains became more popular when the major feed companies started raising the protein in the crumbles and pellets. most chickens need around 16% protein average in their diets, by memory a lot of commercial blends run 18%. to much protein will cause kidney problems, possibly even urinary tract infections (not 100% sure about this in chickens). the idea is to keep the chickens eating with a filler, to lower the protein. it also will minimize cannibalism/pecking, and promote scratching which is important in digestive health.
it also should lower your feed cost, but if your paying $13.00 a bag for your pellets and $15 a bag for your crumbles you may need to re-evaluate using them. several of the lower cost crumbles/pellets are now only 16% protein. feeding the scratch grains will cause a decrease in egg production with these crumbles. an exception to this would be if your feeding table scraps, especially with meat. i haven't researched meat proteins, but i know you can overdo the needs of a chicken easily with meat.
in the case you mention, where the chickens have plenty of grass and insects; scratch grains would be a waste of time. their primary use is when the chickens aren't running free, and the coop floor has been reduced to dirt.

on a side note, I've recently started fermenting our feed. if you fermented scratch grains averaging 12% protein, on free range chickens; i think it would give them plenty of nutrition. if your chickens are caged in groups like mine are, you would have to supplement some animal fat/protein, along with some grass, or alfalfa cubes.

alfalfa pellets work great too. I typically use the pellets as I buy them for the horses anyways so they are already around. The ducks love alfalfa pellets, they are not much on cubes unless we wet the cubes. Then the ducks turn into big green wet messes with them.

 

[minihorse927]

I think it's about time I join this thread. Hello my fellow Buckeyes!

Here's another one for keeping chickens and horses. I was unaware that it was possible to choose between just one or the other! I have an APHA mare whom I trail ride kind of dressage style with. I also keep bantam chickens and laying ducks.

Wild grape season is here. Does anybody else pick those? You have to make sure there's no Moonseed in the bunch, and you have to let the tartaric acid (major irritant) settle to the bottom of the juice and then decant the edible stuff off the top, but then you have an intensely flavored, deep purple grape juice that makes fantastic jelly.

never tried wild grapes. I know the previous owners of my place had a grape vine going. Tons of grapes, found out they were wine grapes the hard way. LOL. They are BITTER.

I didn't know I could choose either between the horses and the chickens! If it came down to it the chickens would be the ones to go before the horses ever would but I try to do everything in my power to keep everyone going. I have had to sell almost all of my flock before and it SUCKS. I sold over 300 silkies to various individuals all over Ohio, most of them were young juveniles and a few chicks. I kick myself now for that cause most of the people I sold to with conditions on I could buy some chicks or adults in the future at bargain basement prices because that was what I sold them to them for went and sold out of silkies! They have no clue where they went either. Kinda why I was curious where the blacks shaybaby brought me came from because I am kinda wondering if they are from my original stock.

 

[loveourbirds]

alfalfa pellets work great too. I typically use the pellets as I buy them for the horses anyways so they are already around. The ducks love alfalfa pellets, they are not much on cubes unless we wet the cubes. Then the ducks turn into big green wet messes with them.

i was having alfalfa pellets mixed in at a rate of 50 lbs to 775 lbs of feed. they did work well, with exception of some of my smaller bantams wouldn't eat them. rabbit feed will also work. with the cubes i put them in the fermented feed about an hour before i feed, it softens them and the chickens seem to love it.

 

[Janalynyorkies]

Hi Brian, dumb question here, why are you fermenting your feed? Are you just soaking it to make it soft? Also, do the hens need to be on layer food to start laying or will they still start while on starter food? Thanks, Jane

 

[OHhappychicks]

But then you collect more hens and then you need more roos. Then you decide you want to separate your hens by breed and get a roo for each breed and next thing you know you're consumed with chickens and they eat you out of house and home and then you think i might want a duck, so you buy a duck. No harm done, right? Wrong! You have to get a breeding pair so they are not lonely then you realized how cute those ducklings are and next thing you know your pair turns into 20 and then your feed bill goes way up because ducks eat so much more than chickens. Then somehow you end up with Guinea keets! Can't say how that goes yet as these are young but heck, what started out as 6 hens and 1 rooster all of different breeds in a backyard flock turns into this life consuming, chicken and duck poo covered, money sucking, poultry collecting madness!

Sister, You are so right!!

It truly can get to be quite an addiction!!

 

[loveourbirds]

hens will lay on any feed, but if they are close to the right age, layer crumble is recommended to help prevent calcium defeciency. - exception to the rule, if your chickens are getting a lot of green grass, they are probably getting enough calcium from it.

fermenting the feed is supposed to release more of the protein and vitamin content in the feed. the resulting process of the fermentation also produces a probiotic that is excellent for chickens. (sorry i cannot remember all the details.) as a result, you are supposed to use less feed, for better health and weight gain. we started this past monday with it, i can tell you that the test group's combs are redder, and the chickens seem more content in 6 days of feeding it.

i was mixing ACV in my water once a week anyways, i figured it wouldnt hurt to try.

here are a couple of links:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/no-strain-hot-water-easy-fermented-feed-method-w-video
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/644300/fermenting-feed-for-meat-birds
http://www.gardenbetty.com/2013/05/why-and-how-to-ferment-your-chicken-feed/

i cant tell you that im doing the right thing, but it looks good so far. other than some mess.

 

[Janalynyorkies]

Well, just came in from the coop. Got my FIRST EGG!!! Don't know who presented it to me but it is the cutest thing I have ever seen. I don't think it is even as big as a ping pong ball! Was waiting on them to finish the starter feed but will go ahead and start layer and oyster shells tomorrow. Brian, thank you for your reply. I will check out the links you sent. Hope you are able to come to the Delaware swap. Would love to meet you. I can't make it to the Sept swap, have a baby shower in Chicago for new Grandson.

 

[Inkheart]

Welcome we are the new comers