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

[Cluckysnap123]

well, for meat, IDK, I'm vegan, but the best COMPANION for the apocalypse goes to the Silkie.

 

[carolb5]

Ah Daisy, sorry the meat fell through. Linda has some good ideas, I like the BOSS myself. I also have at times sprouted or actually planted the grain seeds in flats of dirt. I put the tray in with my baby birds and let them have at it. They love the roots also. Do look outside the box as they say. You may find something else.

Linda, my 19 layers get a 3 pound coffee can of fermented whole grains and a small cottage cheese carton of ground meat. I also boil potatoes (we have tons) on the wood stove every other day or so and feed them, old cabbages, squash, pumpkin also.

I'm brooding 25-4 week old white leghorns also. They eat the same.

When I get my cornish X I will ferment in a large tote, or 2. We'll play it by ear.

I have great birds, healthy and productive. I am always learning tho. Oh, and I do give oyster shell.

Love your post, don't shut up!!!


Carol

 

[LindaB220]

Ah Daisy, sorry the meat fell through. Linda has some good ideas, I like the BOSS myself. I also have at times sprouted or actually planted the grain seeds in flats of dirt. I put the tray in with my baby birds and let them have at it. They love the roots also. Do look outside the box as they say. You may find something else.

Linda, my 19 layers get a 3 pound coffee can of fermented whole grains and a small cottage cheese carton of ground meat. I also boil potatoes (we have tons) on the wood stove every other day or so and feed them, old cabbages, squash, pumpkin also.

I'm brooding 25-4 week old white leghorns also. They eat the same.

When I get my cornish X I will ferment in a large tote, or 2. We'll play it by ear.

I have great birds, healthy and productive. I am always learning tho. Oh, and I do give oyster shell.

Love your post, don't shut up!!!


Carol

Thank you, when I get on a roll I tend to talk and talk. There I go again.

Your chickens are eating good. I am attempting to grow a garden. We only moved to the sticks last year so I can have what I want. I live with my daughter and her family (husband and grown son). She owns and operates a dog grooming and boarding shop on the property. So If my chickens get loud she can't say anything. Her business is going gangbusters and has a lot of boarders. A lot of barking . Good thing we are not REAL close to neighbors. I plan on breeding either White Rocks or Lt Sussex. I wanted white Dorkings but they are too fragile in my zone 8b Louisiana weather. I'm outside of Shreveport. You girls tells me about yourselves. Or guys if there are any.

 

[Whoopsie daisy]

Great. As long as you feed the layers oyster shell on the side. No need for layer feed. They do well on 16% Meat birds need more and it sounds like you've got it going on. I have a neighbor that had an old freezer full of meat that she was planning on giving me. Grandson moved in when she went to a nursing home. Don't know if I still can have it. Gotta check. She was giving me the freezer but it's old and going to be a bugger to move next door. /
The idea of fermenting is so good. How much do you feed ff for the amount of birds you have. I have 16 2 wk old chicks had more but.... I feed one gallon about 3 days. And another 25 coming within a few weeks. I'll be making it up in 5 gal containers. But on one of the big Fermenting for meat birds thread one lady uses a 33 gallon trash can and uses a shovel to stir. When it gets to about 1/5 from the bottom she adds a LOT of water and stirs. Then starts adding grains. And adding.

She gets it to the consistancy of oatmeal over a period of an hour. And it ferments overnight. Stir daily. That's how good this stuff is. She feeds all that they will eat all day If they don't finish it she backs off a little the next day. She has had the same can going for almost 2 years. Never spoils or needs to start over. And it cuts way down on the amount of water that your CX's are going to need. Be sure to keep the water raised high enough and the feed high enough that they must stand up to get to it. Keep it across the area from each other. Make them walk. If you are able to free range them so much the better. I've noticed that by running with the layers they tend to learn more about scratching and bug hunting.

Ok I'll shut up now.

Please don't shut up

Talk and talk and talk and fill our heads with great information lol.

Ah Daisy, sorry the meat fell through. Linda has some good ideas, I like the BOSS myself. I also have at times sprouted or actually planted the grain seeds in flats of dirt. I put the tray in with my baby birds and let them have at it. They love the roots also. Do look outside the box as they say. You may find something else.

Linda, my 19 layers get a 3 pound coffee can of fermented whole grains and a small cottage cheese carton of ground meat. I also boil potatoes (we have tons) on the wood stove every other day or so and feed them, old cabbages, squash, pumpkin also.

I'm brooding 25-4 week old white leghorns also. They eat the same.

When I get my cornish X I will ferment in a large tote, or 2. We'll play it by ear.

I have great birds, healthy and productive. I am always learning tho. Oh, and I do give oyster shell.

Love your post, don't shut up!!!


Carol

Oh wow, think outside the box I did! I've even considered breeding mice and feeding them the babies, like snake/reptile owners do (a bit creepy and cruel for me though), breeding crickets and mealworms is an option, but alas, I do not have time to set up the size operation to have enough bugs for 50 meat birds! I may still buy the meat though, as it won't have to make up their entire diet so feeding it with sprouted grains or fodder will still cut the price. Plus they will be ranging from the start, as the weather is still nice and sunny here even though it's the middle of fall in Cape Town. We just had one week of hectic rain and now the weather has taken us right back to mid-summer! Weird... I'm looking forward to doing this, it will be so awesome seeing our own chickens grow, have a (although short) happy life, running around and scratching for bugs. I do hope the layers will teach them how to do this well. My layers are doing very well free ranging (the fence is not around their yard yet so they truly free range) They stopped eating their layer feed altogether, so I started feeding them scratch grains and oyster shell and they seem to prefer that. I can also talk up a storm given half a chance!

 

[Whoopsie daisy]

Thank you, when I get on a roll I tend to talk and talk. There I go again.

Your chickens are eating good. I am attempting to grow a garden. We only moved to the sticks last year so I can have what I want. I live with my daughter and her family (husband and grown son). She owns and operates a dog grooming and boarding shop on the property. So If my chickens get loud she can't say anything. Her business is going gangbusters and has a lot of boarders. A lot of barking . Good thing we are not REAL close to neighbors. I plan on breeding either White Rocks or Lt Sussex. I wanted white Dorkings but they are too fragile in my zone 8b Louisiana weather. I'm outside of Shreveport. You girls tells me about yourselves. Or guys if there are any.

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.

 

[LindaB220]

Please don't shut up

Talk and talk and talk and fill our heads with great information lol.

Oh wow, think outside the box I did! I've even considered breeding mice and feeding them the babies, like snake/reptile owners do (a bit creepy and cruel for me though), breeding crickets and mealworms is an option, but alas, I do not have time to set up the size operation to have enough bugs for 50 meat birds! I may still buy the meat though, as it won't have to make up their entire diet so feeding it with sprouted grains or fodder will still cut the price. Plus they will be ranging from the start, as the weather is still nice and sunny here even though it's the middle of fall in Cape Town. We just had one week of hectic rain and now the weather has taken us right back to mid-summer! Weird... I'm looking forward to doing this, it will be so awesome seeing our own chickens grow, have a (although short) happy life, running around and scratching for bugs. I do hope the layers will teach them how to do this well. My layers are doing very well free ranging (the fence is not around their yard yet so they truly free range) They stopped eating their layer feed altogether, so I started feeding them scratch grains and oyster shell and they seem to prefer that. I can also talk up a storm given half a chance!

Morning Daisy and Carol, Today is beautiful in NE Louisiana. It got down to 46F last night but today it will be 80 or so. Daisy, they will get about 30% of their needed protein from free ranging but will need more than scratch. It's only 9% protein. Try them on sprouted oats. 3 or 4 day sprout. A little tip I heard about, take a few 2x6" boards and put them in your run. After the chicks are in their coop, turn them up and place thin slices of carrol along the board. Cover for a few days. Then turn them over one by one and you'll have worms clinging to the carrots. Chicks will go crazy and dig and eat. Now, girls, understand that what I say is all research. My babies are 3 wks old and most of this I'm in the process of doing or planning.
Another tip I've heard about on the threads is to get bones and offal from hunters, fishers, butchers and pressure cook them. The bones turn to mush. Zip in food processor or whatever and portion out in freezer bags. Take out to add to feeding. One fella even uses road kill. They notify him when a deer has been hit by a car and he processes it. Lots of free protein.
I have, have, have to get a freezer. Living with my daughter, putting bags of bones and "such" in her tiny fridge freezer is a no go .

 

[Whoopsie daisy]

Wow, that is a great idea about the bones and things, and also about the boards with the carrots! Do you mean the grain and free range is not enough protein for the layers? Because they seem to be doing great on it and I'm getting really beautiful large eggs from them. There are a lot of mice running around here and I've seen a chicken finishing up a mouse more than once! I also toss out any kitchen scraps to them and sometimes that includes meat that we haven't touched for a day or two but still fine for the chickens.

 

[LindaB220]

Wow, that is a great idea about the bones and things, and also about the boards with the carrots! Do you mean the grain and free range is not enough protein for the layers? Because they seem to be doing great on it and I'm getting really beautiful large eggs from them. There are a lot of mice running around here and I've seen a chicken finishing up a mouse more than once! I also toss out any kitchen scraps to them and sometimes that includes meat that we haven't touched for a day or two but still fine for the chickens.

In that case, they may very well be getting total nutrition. Adding the extra meat in the kitchen scraps is probably enough to do it. Chickens are definitely meat eaters. One of my buddies saw her hen swallow a 9" snake whole. Some scratch portions are different. Some have more wheat and less corn. A little more nutritious. I bought Purina scratch and checked the bag to get protein level. Ha They didn't have anything on it. Not even the types of grain. All they said was a mixture of healthy grains. Period. Well, I could see that.

 

[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.

Me too. But at the same time, I don't have any yet and I certainly can't afford farm raised ones from people. I buy at the grocery and in fact, made BBQ chicken for supper. Funniest thing, My grandson is 20 and saw me fixing this last week. Leg quarters. He told his mom "why is she doing this. She knows I only eat boneless skinless white meat." Needless to say, the boy had NEVER had dark meat. He told his mama " This is the best chicken ever". So when Aimee came home from grocery shopping, for the 1st time she brought Leg quarters home. I died laughing. I've been telling them for years it tastes better but she always made a remark that I was just trying to save money because it's cheaper. Vindicated.

 

[carolb5]

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