Sdwd

[Lacy Blues]

I know I could ask this elsewhere on here but the "experts" whose advice I value are here.

I've been thinking about what to do about the chick starter "crumbles" and the waste that goes with them. Lord have mercy the chick coop smells bad and I will clean it tomorrow but how to stop the waste of feed on the floor? I was in TSC today and everything has gone up a dollar!

Would it hurt to mix it with water or milk? Of course I'd have to limit how much I give them each day. Does anyone here measure or limit a daily intake of feed?

Now the Dumor chick starter is 20% protein and the finisher is 14% I think and while the finisher is somewhat cheaper, should I just keep them on the 20% until they start to lay or move them to the finisher after ? how many weeks.

My Dels grow real fast , unlike these CR's from Scott that have yet to mature. Scott did say they take 6 mos. They are nice big birds too. Easily could give a JG a run for the money.

Cyn, didn't you keep any of Suedes kids?

There is a thread called "Fermented Feed for Meat birds" Fermenting their feed really helps cut down on not only the amount eaten but the smell and waste.

I will go to the thread and get a copy of the address and then add it onto here.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/644300/fermenting-feed-for-meat-birds/1080#post_9497147

 

[rancher hicks]

I do plan to mix the feed with prices the way they are but will only leave it out for them to eat what they want in a limited period of time. Perhaps in the morning and evening. The birds will have the yard for the rest of the time and any treats that get tossed from the garden. Just the young ones. Once they near laying they get pellets and the waste is not so much.

I completely understand about Suede. I've got to hatch and save one of Nicks boys. Right now I'm worried he isn't doing his job. I'll have to remove George and leave Nick with the girls by himself asap.

 

[wekiva bird]

With the feed prices going up. I will have to plant more food in the garden for us and the chickens.

 

[Lacy Blues]

I do plan to mix the feed with prices the way they are but will only leave it out for them to eat what they want in a limited period of time. Perhaps in the morning and evening. The birds will have the yard for the rest of the time and any treats that get tossed from the garden. Just the young ones. Once they near laying they get pellets and the waste is not so much.

I completely understand about Suede. I've got to hatch and save one of Nicks boys. Right now I'm worried he isn't doing his job. I'll have to remove George and leave Nick with the girls by himself asap.

You probably know this but I'll say it anyway in case someone doesn't.

Make sure your males don't have mites. It definitely affects fertility. Females too, but it seems to happen faster with the boys. I had a male this spring who I needed to breed. His first batch of eggs (from the girl I put with him) only had one fertile. I checked for mites and he had them. Not really bad though so it really affected him. I treated him for the mites and tried again... I have more chicks from him than anyone else this year. I was thinking at one point I might sell him so I wanted lots of chicks to choose from for a replacement and I think I've changed my mind and will keep him. He's such a good boy and a good daddy too! The hen I had him with went broody and hatched out a chick from a different mating. Anyway, she got tired of the chick when it was about 2 - 3 weeks old. She wanted out of the pen and was already laying again too. So, now the daddy is still with the chick and they are buds. Every night when I put them to bed, that chick gets up on and sleep on his back! It's so cute!

 

[speckledhen]

My Suede's problem is old age. The big boy is just tired and his big old heart is giving out. His own sire, Bama Chicken's Blue Boy, lost fertility about 3 1/2 years of age. Suede is going on 6 years old now, my sweet old man.

Never had lice or mites here on any of my birds, thank goodness. Hawkeye was the only bird here who had them when he came to me and we got rid of those when he was in quarantine before he ever had contact with the hens.

 

[rancher hicks]

You probably know this but I'll say it anyway in case someone doesn't.

Make sure your males don't have mites. It definitely affects fertility. Females too, but it seems to happen faster with the boys. I had a male this spring who I needed to breed. His first batch of eggs (from the girl I put with him) only had one fertile. I checked for mites and he had them. Not really bad though so it really affected him. I treated him for the mites and tried again... I have more chicks from him than anyone else this year. I was thinking at one point I might sell him so I wanted lots of chicks to choose from for a replacement and I think I've changed my mind and will keep him. He's such a good boy and a good daddy too! The hen I had him with went broody and hatched out a chick from a different mating. Anyway, she got tired of the chick when it was about 2 - 3 weeks old. She wanted out of the pen and was already laying again too. So, now the daddy is still with the chick and they are buds. Every night when I put them to bed, that chick gets up on and sleep on his back! It's so cute!

Thanks for the advice I never considered mites.
That pic is so cute.

 

[kathyinmo]

He's such a good boy and a good daddy too! The hen I had him with went broody and hatched out a chick from a different mating. Anyway, she got tired of the chick when it was about 2 - 3 weeks old. She wanted out of the pen and was already laying again too. So, now the daddy is still with the chick and they are buds. Every night when I put them to bed, that chick gets up on and sleep on his back! It's so cute!

Ohhh, just look at that ! Love the picture!

I do plan to mix the feed with prices the way they are but will only leave it out for them to eat what they want in a limited period of time. Perhaps in the morning and evening. The birds will have the yard for the rest of the time and any treats that get tossed from the garden. Just the young ones. Once they near laying they get pellets and the waste is not so much.

Tim,
The price of feed here is outrageous, too! I broke down and went to MFA, a local co-op and bought their feed (it is cheaper and reading the label impressed me). I was so dang mad when I opened up the first bag and found bugs and dusty feed. I am returning it all tomorrow..... all 12 bags. It was $13. a bag and that is the cheapest I have found around here.

I have quit leaving the feeders full all the time (except for the chicks). All my older birds free range and I just fill up their feeders once a day, sometime in the afternoon. In the mornings they are on their own, or they clean up what they left on the ground the day before.

I feed outside, to deter the mice. That keeps feed off the floors of the coops and helps with that. However, outside I have coons and possums. Since I quit overfeeding and keeping full feeders, I notice all the predators' populations have decreased too.

Milk - you mentioned milk..... A new girl at work - they have dairy cows! YAY for me! I will be getting fresh milk..... for me and for the chickens! William Bennett (Pine Grove) said they love soured-clabbered milk, and it is good for them, too. I tried it, and they DO love it! Leave it out on the counter for a couple days and then feed it. At my previous job I was able to get fresh milk and I have really missed it. Glad to have a source again! You can use either raw milk or pasteurized milk.

 

[crazyhen]

Kathy,
If you add a tablespoon of real yogurt to your milk you will have yogurt for your hens by leaving it out to clabber. Yeah! for you. My grandmother use to eat it with sugar.
I finally sold down the num. of hens I wanted to and have a neat num. of 15 hens and two roos for winter. Not many eggs this time of year though. With all the older hens molting and the
Pullets not laying yet . I decided it was time to worm them and prepare them for winter.
Feed here is outrageous too. 15-16 dollars a bag. I have planted greens in beds so I can supplement their feed for winter. I can not let my hens loose to range. Dadnabit. The man next door has ducks, guineas and stray banties. He gave some chicks to a friend of mine and they have corza. AGHHHHH That means mine have to stay behind fences and I have to be vigilant. My hb says that in 4 more weeks we will be ready to move my hens to their new coop and runs. I feel like jumping up and down in relief. They will be so close to the house that taking care of them will be even more of a pleasure. Do you have any of that beautiful weather that has come down from the North? Our air has dried out and the temps are wonderful. My kind of weather.
Are your emus still easy to handle. I have heard they can deliver a rather nasty kick. Yicks. Gloria Jean

 

[speckledhen]

Ah, Tom's grandmother called that "clabber", Gloria Jean. Tom has this most disgusting look on his face when he tells me about it, LOL.

New BYC member coming to get my D'Anver pairs and three chicks today. Shadow can quit hiding from hormonal Ace by this afternoon. The Purple Princess is not amused by his attentions.

 

[catdaddyfro]

Ohhh, just look at that ! Love the picture!


Tim,
The price of feed here is outrageous, too! I broke down and went to MFA, a local co-op and bought their feed (it is cheaper and reading the label impressed me). I was so dang mad when I opened up the first bag and found bugs and dusty feed. I am returning it all tomorrow..... all 12 bags. It was $13. a bag and that is the cheapest I have found around here.

I have quit leaving the feeders full all the time (except for the chicks). All my older birds free range and I just fill up their feeders once a day, sometime in the afternoon. In the mornings they are on their own, or they clean up what they left on the ground the day before.

I feed outside, to deter the mice. That keeps feed off the floors of the coops and helps with that. However, outside I have coons and possums. Since I quit overfeeding and keeping full feeders, I notice all the predators' populations have decreased too.

Milk - you mentioned milk..... A new girl at work - they have dairy cows! YAY for me! I will be getting fresh milk..... for me and for the chickens! William Bennett (Pine Grove) said they love soured-clabbered milk, and it is good for them, too. I tried it, and they DO love it! Leave it out on the counter for a couple days and then feed it. At my previous job I was able to get fresh milk and I have really missed it. Glad to have a source again! You can use either raw milk or pasteurized milk.

Yes my uncle used to have a milk cow too and everytime around milk thirty there was always a huge congregation of all sorts of critters show up to recieve leftover clabbered milk and spilt'd feeds and such. I remember this so much he taught us how to milk(squeeze the teet) to get results and if he caught you off-guard/not paying attention he'd squirt you with the milk too as he had an extremely high degree of accuracy at doing so too I might add.
And when I was in high school Mom used to get fresh milk a couple of times a week from my math teacher he had a couple of milk cows and a couple hundred egg layers, in fact he was where I got my very first start up in BRs and and talked me into ordering my very first New Hampshires from Stillwater hatchery(now defunct) they(NHs) were the it at the time. LOL

Jeff