Raising Meat birds on alternative feeds (ie CHEEP-ly)

[jjmurphy1993]

Hi, Ladies. I've loved reading this thread. I'm starting meat birds for the first time this year with one batch of 25 and a second batch of 50. I've got 16 layers that we've had for a couple of years, and I'm excited about venturing into meat birds. I do have a couple of questions, tho. For some reason, I never thought about giving my chickens meat. Not sure why, but always thought of them more as vegetarian bug eaters!

After reading this thread, I'm thinking I need to learn more about what the meat breeds need for nutrition. So, I've got two questions:

1. What is the sprouted grain mix one of you was writing about, how much do they eat of that? I'm confused...
2. How much meat are you giving your meat birds on a daily basis?

Thanks so much for your help!

 

[LindaB220]

All girl here too. In the mountains of Montana, farm hay and raise a few beeves for us. Grow all our veggies, can and freeze. Getting into fermenting, make kraut, will do pickles and green beans. I have a 20x50 greenhouse to start my plants in. Use propane and wood for heat in greenhouse. Just wood in our home. The snow just left. Close to freezing at night, 60 for a high. Have a new chicken house. Real tall. Our old house was very short ( as am I) and I always hit my head. Landed in poo many times. So am figuring out how to use the new house to the best advantage. 8 x 16 enclosed with 8 x 16 roofed run. Am planning to divide in two and put a brooder box in one half. We decided not to do the chicken tractor this time. Love the idea, but not this time. Just use the chicken house and clean like crazy.

We also will pick up road kill. Raising birds isn't cheep. We make beef broth out of our bones for the humans.

I can talk a bunch but find I speak in shorthand. Hope you girls can understand my dribble.

Carol

Hey, Carol, you sound like you have it going on. Haven't tried the kraut yet but love fermented radishes. Yum. Really planning on getting into the canning this year. I'm officially one month behind on starting my garden. Rain, rain,.... If I don't do anything but dig a tiny hole and plant a few seeds I'm going to do something today. I had it tilled 3 weeks ago and it is a brick now. I live in clay country.

A have a ton of seed and just need the stamina to get out and do it. I'm older. I moved in with the daughter and her family a couple of years ago and NO SPACE. So a few months ago I bought a store house for my stuff. Right now it's where my brooder is, but when they are out, I plan on having a freezer, crock pot and burner so I can cook what I want. I want to can a lot of bone broth and such and it's go easy in the crock pot. Except family doesn't like the smells 24 hrs in a row. I bought an AC this month for it so it can be livable in the 100 degree heat of summer. I pay $100 mo for 2 yrs for a new 10 x 12 storage room. Not much but I can afford it and it will extend my space for my hobbies. That's what the kids call it, hobbies. You know, gardening, cooking, raising chickens, putting up food. Shoot, I'm planning for SHTF and they aren't even paying attention.

Seriously, who knows when layoffs will happen. If I can have chickens and 6 mo of canned veggies it might mean the difference in having a good life and just existing. One good thing you ladies should check out is mulberries and comfrey. Google them. A good site is Coecomfrey.com. Gives you a background.

 

[LindaB220]

Definitely a girl over here

I'm from Cape Town, South Africa and my hubby and I live on a farm where he works. I have some layers and Silkies to incubate eggs and my plans are to be as self-sufficient as possible. I'm planning a Spring garden, even though that seems like forever away I know it will come sooner than I think. I have 4 New Zealand white rabbits as well and soon our little yard will be planted with a hedge of Tree lucerne to feed them and their offspring. They will also be bred for meat. I also plan on getting two Nigerian dwarf goats for milk and totally get us off the pasteurized, homogenized, RBST horomone milk, and then make some yoghurt and learn to make cheese! The goats will also be fed Tree Lucerne. If I could fit a small flock of sheep in this yard I would've done that as well! I'm soooo looking forward to getting off the hormone-filled, factory farmed meat and dairy products and raising our own meat and growing our own vegetables.

Hi Daisy, yesterday I went to the feed store to buy some more chick starter for my babies. (Got 25 more coming in a month) I also bought a bag of forage oats. They use it for horses. Plant it. But I bought it for sprouting it. Sprouted oats seem to be the BEST thing around. The seed is triple washed and there's much better success rate than just feed oats. Plotspike is the best brand but I had to make do with another. Google that and it will tell you where to buy it. Tractor supply for sure. Old books tell of making a above ground garden using 2 12' 2 x 6" boards. Cut 4' off each one and nail into a 4' x 8' bed You can add dirt or just turn over what you have. It says to add a bushel (about 50 lbs) of soaked (8 hrs or so) oats. Sprinkle dirt on top slightly. Sprinkle good with water daily for 4 or 5 days. Start using by digging a shovel full at a time. Use the dirt too because it has worms. Chickens go wild. My tip for the day. .

 

[LindaB220]

Hi, Ladies. I've loved reading this thread. I'm starting meat birds for the first time this year with one batch of 25 and a second batch of 50. I've got 16 layers that we've had for a couple of years, and I'm excited about venturing into meat birds. I do have a couple of questions, tho. For some reason, I never thought about giving my chickens meat. Not sure why, but always thought of them more as vegetarian bug eaters!

After reading this thread, I'm thinking I need to learn more about what the meat breeds need for nutrition. So, I've got two questions:

1. What is the sprouted grain mix one of you was writing about, how much do they eat of that? I'm confused...
2. How much meat are you giving your meat birds on a daily basis?

Thanks so much for your help!

Hey jjmurphy,

Good to have you. I love this thread because it's small and just us girls (what's your first name) Put it in your comments. ha
None of us are super knowledgeable about breed,( yada yada arrogance of spouting our brilliance) like you see on some threads. They have their place and have earned it by dozens of years of breeding, raising and learning chickens. All three of us are passionate about our families and taking care of them. Raising chickens to the best of our ability. Canning, baking storing. Learning. That's the ticket. Learning things we didn't know that ultimately we will need.
One of the best things you can do is search for the threads at the top for Deep litter and fermenting feeds. I have researched them and can answer your questions but the other girls know a lot about raising gardens, chickens and self sustaining. Maybe we can help you.
Kitchen scraps are good. Meat is usually about a hamburger sized bunch for about 10 or so chickens. More or less will do. You don't even have to do it daily. Maybe 4-5 times a week. I always have leftover meat scraps from supper.
Sprouting is a good thing. Feed sprouted 2-3 days you feed like scratch, throwing in the coop to get the girls scratching for goodies. It's treated as part of their daily grain portion. Ones sprouted 4-8 is considered grazing for chickens that don't get out of the run. Chickens tend to eat 1/2 to 2/3 cup each daily of grain. Bump it up a little if it is sprouted or fermented (it swells). With both you don't have the wasted grain that's thrown out and wasted. Saving money.

Daisy you have started such a good thread. If you feel that I'm being pushy let me know. PM if you want. I just have so much fun learning new things and plan to learn a lot from you girls.

 

[Whoopsie daisy]

Hey, Linda

You're not being pushy at all! You answer questions well and thoroughly and I really enjoy it. I've followed Kuntrygirl's thread on raising broilers on fermented feed. Wow, what a great thread and it's inspired me to start raising meat birds. And then I got to following some really great blogs, like Kitchen Stewardship and I got hooked on that one! You see, I'm very overweight, have been since childhood and I've tried every weight loss trick and supplement in the book. I just ended up hungry and binge eating on all of them. I've had some success on Weigh-Less about 10 years ago, but I was still living in my mom's house back then and she was footing the bill for the expensive foods

I'm on a tight budget so hubby and I tend to eat cheap chicken, bread, cereal, potatoes and some frozen veggies some night.

My inspiration for all this is switching over to a real, whole foods way of eating. I've already cut out most sugar in the last 2 weeks (hubby keeps forgetting I don't take sugar in my morning coffee anymore.) and also cut out white flour. I'm lucky that I found a product here that comes from a mill that grinds whole wheat into flour and doesn't bleach it. They're called Eureka mills, but they're a local company here in SA. They grow non GMO wheat and then stone grind it into whole meal flour, so I've been baking bread daily with that. I want to make a chicken bone broth and thinking about sacrificing two young cockerels for that purpose. They were hatched on the 2nd of January, one is a Rhode Island Red and the other a little mutt cockerel. I've read that free range or pastured birds are the best for bone broth as they contain a lot more nutrients. Or I'll use the annoying wild rooster that comes over and kicks my poor Silkie roo every day...

Reading about whole food eating has inspired me a great deal. I really want to be healthy and able to start a family, first priority. My weight is uncomfortable but I've never really wanted to be skinny as that is so ugly to me! I want to just be healthy and able to carry children. Hubby and I have been married for almost 3 years now, managed to get pregnant once, but had a miscarriage very early on in the pregnancy - it was devastating and I vowed not to try again until I'm healthy. Can't live on processed and hormone-filled junk and expect your body to carry and nourish a little life.

Anyway, now you girls know a lot about me! Thanks for your tips on the chickens, Linda. I do appreciate it and although I don't reply to all of it I do read it and try it

Between caring for all the animals, having a job (part-time, thank goodness!) and now also trying to cook more things from scratch and keep a (mostly) tidy home, I rarely get time to hang out on the net anymore. But there's so much great information to be absorbed that I do make time!

 

[carolb5]

Hi all, I will be short on posting for a while. Gardening is starting. Priorities. Will post more when the meaties get here at the end of the month. Picking up 1000 # of cracked grains in bulk today. 1/3 each of wheat, oats and barley to ferment for my meaties. I haven't figured the cost yet. Will post later. With the meat, we should be good to go.

Keep posting all.

Carol

 

[Whoopsie daisy]

Wow, that's a lot of grains! Good luck with the gardening Less than two weeks before my meaties arrive - I'm excited! I figured I will start them on starter feed for the first few days, fermented of course, along with the meat meal. After that I'll switch them over to fodder, sprouted grains and meat meal.

 

[carolb5]

1000 pounds of cracked grains cost $150. I feed 19 layers, 25-4 week old leghorn chicks and soon 50 cornish cross. I'll probably watch that grain disappear right before my eyes. Also feed meat and hard boiled eggs to the chicks. There is my update. Have a good day folks.

 

[LindaB220]

Wow, that's a lot of grains! Good luck with the gardening Less than two weeks before my meaties arrive - I'm excited! I figured I will start them on starter feed for the first few days, fermented of course, along with the meat meal. After that I'll switch them over to fodder, sprouted grains and meat meal.

Be sure and keep some of the grains fermented. I'll be using the deep litter method in the coop. 4-6 inches of wood chips. When I sprout my oats I'm going to do them 4 days and then throw into the coop so the girls can scratch and get their morning exercise. Also, keeps the litter turned. Twice a week I'll add another small layer of chips. You only have to clean it out once a year. If you live in a dry area, you can sprinkle water on it occasionally to keep dust down. It ferments also and brings in a lot of worms and bugs. Babies love it. The poo simply disintegrates in a few days. I've been doing this in my big brooder in the store house. They are three weeks old and there is still no odor. Amazing.
Meat birds are no different from other birds. If allowed they will run jump and forage a lot. If you keep them penned up be sure to use deep litter. And put the water across the pen from the feed. Place it on a board so they have to stand up to eat. Same with water. This build the leg muscles and you have less problems later. I forgot, were you planning on using a tractor pen? If so no deep litter. ha Keep in touch when you can.

 

[LindaB220]

1000 pounds of cracked grains cost $150. I feed 19 layers, 25-4 week old leghorn chicks and soon 50 cornish cross. I'll probably watch that grain disappear right before my eyes. Also feed meat and hard boiled eggs to the chicks. There is my update. Have a good day folks.

Carol, good luck with your meaties. I'm so envious about both of you girls getting meaties. I don't have the freezer space right now or I would. My babies are doing so good. I gave them a treat yesterday. They've only had FF chick starter so yesterday I mushed up some boiled chicken, boiled egg whites and peeled green grapes. Just a handful. They were so funny. Came running when I put the plate down. Dead stop. Looked at it. Look at me. Finally one of my golden comets tried a peck then another. The rest came forward to see about eating some. She threw her leg out to stop them from getting closer. They would run at it and take a peck and run like crazy. She couldn't get more because she was running so hard to get rid of them. Funny, funny. A lot of joy in my babies. Can't wait to get them outside.
The feed question is how long do you think 1000 lbs will last. Pretty good until the meaties hit the equation. Kuntrygirl or someone said that they fed 1 bag of feed the first week for 50. 2 the second week and so on until 6-8 wks and processing. Oh my gosh, that's 10 bags the first 4 weeks and 26 bags the second 4 wks. 36 50 lb bags for meaties alone. But I'm sure that's dry with no sprouting or fermenting to grow in bulk. Also a lot might be wasted on throw out from feed bins. I think when I do start raising them I will stop at 6 or so weeks. I like a dressed out bird less than 4 lbs. That way I can raise more with less feed. Cracked grains and rolled and crimped oats will ferment fine but will not sprout. Need whole grains for that. Whole grains also ferment great and birds have no trouble swallowing.
Planting my garden this week so you ladies have a fine time and check in when you can. Quote me or something so it will pull up on my email.