Wow, okay I stand corrected. I've never had them hatch light and turn dark. If they hatch light they stay light from what I've seen
Cute chick there. Love the colouring
I think the bowling helps them get going. I've been told not to hatch in cartons. Let me know your hatch rate. I just got 100% on the six that hatched yesterday
I have 140 birds. I use 10 feet of vinyl gutter cut in 2 so there are 2 feeders. I also use heated dog bowls for groups up to 30. You could use that for the FF. Depending on what breed of birds you are feeding.
This one holds enough feed for 4 turkeys and three roosters for over a day. Turkeys eat a whole lot more than any chicken.
I put a big fire log in front of it, so they get up on it. Or cinder blocks. They don't have an issue
Ooooh super cute! What a beautiful Mama! What color is the rooster?What beautiful photos of your silkies! I have just hatched 16 baby silky chicks. Here is a piccy of my favourite and 3 of her babies
So you put the bucket with holes in it inside another bucket to catch the water? If so do you use that in the new feed or the old feed? I think I'm confused. Is this the only food you feed them? Along with any treats.https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/644300/fermenting-feed-for-meat-birds Here's a link to the Fermented feed thread. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/729605/the-natural-chicken-keeping-thread-ots-welcome Here's another where we talk about it often. What you do to break it down here (a few regular silkie thread posters do it as well) Take the amount of feed you would use in a 2-4 day period (I do more), soak it in water with a few glugs of unpasturized, unfiltered, raw Apple Cider Vinegar with 'The Mother' and stir. Let it sit for 24-48 hours, stir occasionally (once a day or more if you feel like it). It should start to smell like sour dough bread if it is cooking at the right temp. Most people keep it in their house, but I made a little closet down at the barn for winter to keep it cooking. If you have a small number of birds, in the mud room or laundry room is where I hear a lot of people keeping it.This is what my feed looks like after a few days cooking. You stir daily. I have whole grains and grower at a 40/60 ratio (grains to grower). You'll see BOSS in there as well. I use 2 buckets, with the top one drilled all over and the bottom holds all the good juices that are packed with probiotics. Another benefit of this method of feeding I've noticed is very little to no loss in chicks. I haven't lost any since I started. They feather out faster, and grow like little weeds.
Some of my 4 week old chicks to prove the feather rate. Amazing, yes? Also noted that my hatch rate has gone through the roof. I've been above 90% ever since I started FF. And one more thing, more girls than boys hatched. 4/17 boys hatched last time. There is talk about the ACV changing the PH and allowing for more girls, though it's just a theory. Some people swear by it. I'm just going by what is my experience in the last hatch. That's the first time I've ever been that girl heavy!
SO much easier than dragging the big feeders in daily. Also, they consume 75% less water as there is a lot of water in the feed itself.
Thank you for making that clearer. Do you use this food for new baby chicks as well? About how much ACV do you use for a five gallon bucket? I don't have that many birds, only about 30, at least till more hatch.
These are my 2 buckets. The bottom bucket acts as a holder of the juices, and once you add fresh feed and water, the bottom juices come back through the holes and get to work on the new fresh feed you put in. so when you go to stir, and you pull the feed away from the sides of the buckets, the water can be seen coming up through the sides of it. Like so. Do turn down your volume before you watch. My sheep are BAAING really loudly here... And terrible radio music lol. I use a shovel to mix the feed up. One bucket feeds my 140~ birds every day. I have geese, turkeys and ducks eating it as well.
