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So... TSC didn't even have 24% feed. I left with nothing, best I could have gotten there was 20% and that's not enough for turkey poults, right? Looks like I'm going to be calling around other places tomorrow.

Okay, I didn't leave with nothing, I spent $124 but I didn't get any food for the poults.
 
Did they have any chicks? The TSC up north are not getting or keeping chicks at all! Am getting a shipment of chicks tomorrow and wanted to buy more and age them together, hoping they get some in. (whatever they will be, they don't know) :(
 
At one in the morning, I am doing what any normal person does. I'm researching ways to make a sourdough starter. It began with some flour and water, but I then began looking at other recipes. Worse, other "rules".
After three hours, I am convinced that the Internet was designed to cause anxiety, and that all four of my bread recipe books were written by lawyers (a lot of fancy words, but little actual information).
So! If you do sourdough, do you make the starter stiff like dough or runny like batter? That is the most important question.
 
My starter has been going for years. I got it from my wifes grandmother, not sure where she got it. It is a runny batter. I mean runny, almost water like, not like a beer batter thick.
 
dheltzel said:
I have not been able to find a 26% protein starter crumble for turkey and guineas, except stuff that is medicated with strong antibiotics for keeping overcrowded BB turkey poults alive. There is a mill that will make it in 1 ton lots and it ends up pretty cheap that way. Does anyone know of a local source (TSC has 24% and that's what I'm using now), or would anyone be interested in buying some of this if I get a ton delivered to Pottstown?
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Turkey starter seems to be hard to find. We get our quail and pheasant feed from Agway and it is labeled as Turkey and Gamebird. A good Gamebird starter should have the protein needed for turkeys, but not sure about the rest of Turkey nutritional needs.
 
My local Agway is not well stocked with that sort of thing. My local choices seem to be 24% at TSC for $18.50 or 30% Purina at Pickering Valley for about $25. If I buy a ton of 26% from the mill, it's much cheaper (and delivered). I can of course feed it to about everything (since I don't have waterfowl), so I might go that route anyway. It seems like others might be in the same boat, so I thought I'd ask here.
 
My sourdough starter varies a little, I mostly maintain a thick batter consistency and that seems to work best. I didn't start from scratch though, I got my starter from a local foodie and I've kept it going for years. It's a survivor, I shared some with my sister a couple years ago and she was too intimidated to start using it (thank you internet), so it sat in her fridge for a year unfed. When I helped her move, she asked me about it and it was all dried out and hard on top. I scraped a little soft stuff that was left and fed it and within 12 hours (and two feedings) it bubbled right up! I feed a variety of flours as well since I like to bake a variety of breads and don't want to maintain a starter for each type, I think my starter is more robust that way.

In other news... DH went all fire hazard crazy and wouldn't let me run the heat lamp over the bigger brooder last night so the poults are still in their box (sometimes, lol... the one week olds have jumped out and explored the house several times already). Obviously they can't be down in the cold basement/garage without heat so I need to come up with a compromise before the meaties get here next week. I decided I would just build a quick brooder box with a lid so that the lamp cannot fall into the bedding. I'm hoping to get out to Lowes today for supplies so I can have it done for tonight. I was thinking of just making some wooden frames out of 1x1 or 2x2 and stapling some hardware cloth to the opening and then bolting the frames together to form a box, that way I can unbolt it and stack the frames together for storage.

Questions: What size brooder box would I need for 25 meat chicks and 4 turkey poults?
Can you link me to your favorite brooder for ideas? Wire floor okay to eliminate need for bedding... 1/4" hardware cloth okay? How tall should the brooder box be (remember that that light will be above/outside the lid so I don't want to make it too tall)? I'll wrap the wire walls with cardboard or plastic to keep the heat in/eliminate drafts.
 

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