Soy Free Feed/Goat Milk Trial Batch - Week 7 Update

[scubaforlife]

Quote:
Why would they get pneumonia? I plan to put my meaties out as soon as possible. Its pretty warm in Ohio.

In the first 2 weeks chicks can catch pneumonia really easily with just a damp draft. Then if you get damp weather (I am here in Ohio and its raining today) they can catch it if they are standing on damp pasture all day. Just a word of caution, that's all.

 

[bigredfeather]

Quote:
I'm mixing it right in with their feed. The ratio I am using makes a soft mash. When looking at it, you can't see any liquid. I checked on it 18 hours after feeding, and it was still nice and moist.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

is it spoiled or sour 18 hours after feeding? just curious how you are handling that.

 

[bigredfeather]

Quote:
It is soured but not spoiled. Soured milk is not harmful. Now spoiled milk could be. If you are unfamiliar with raw milk, it takes a long time to spoil. I intentially left some out for over a week to see what happened. After a week on the counter, I opened it and it wasn't offensive at all. It smelled sour, but wasn't growing anything or stinky at all. Now had that been pasturized milk, it would have been rotten, growing mold, and offensively foul after the same time frame. Raw milk gets a bad rap, but in all actuallity, it has a longer shelf life unrefrigerated than pasturized milk. Seems odd I'm sure, but the public opinion of raw milk has been so distorted, I can see how someone would question it. I guess that is a entirely different topic, and don't even get me started on it.

 

[dancingbear]

I don't know what percentage of the feed is milk, but unless you were feeding a really large amount of milk, I doubt the fat content would be an issue. Raw milk, especially goat's milk, is an excellent food. So's kefir, so if the poops look like normal, healthy poops, I wouldn't worry about it. They're getting good probiotics in the goat's milk/kefir. Do you give any raw apple cider vinegar?

What breed(s) are these cockerels?

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
It is soured but not spoiled. Soured milk is not harmful. Now spoiled milk could be. If you are unfamiliar with raw milk, it takes a long time to spoil. I intentially left some out for over a week to see what happened. After a week on the counter, I opened it and it wasn't offensive at all. It smelled sour, but wasn't growing anything or stinky at all. Now had that been pasturized milk, it would have been rotten, growing mold, and offensively foul after the same time frame. Raw milk gets a bad rap, but in all actuallity, it has a longer shelf life unrefrigerated than pasturized milk. Seems odd I'm sure, but the public opinion of raw milk has been so distorted, I can see how someone would question it. I guess that is a entirely different topic, and don't even get me started on it.

I love this topic! I buy raw milk from the Amish nearby. Each week I put a gallon out on the counter to sour. After 3 or 4 days I take it outside and mix it in with commercial chicken feed, and feed it to all my chickens. This is very healthy for poultry!

 

[bigredfeather]

Quote:
Right now they are getting a pint a day mixed with 4 pounds of feed. I don't think that is a large amount of milk for 50 chicks.

No Raw ACV. I have considered it, but never gotten around to it. It is rather expensive isn't it? Or maybe I'm thinking about the organic raw ACV.

Breed - Cornish X's.

 

[dancingbear]

ACV can be expensive, but if it keeps your birds from getting sick from Cocci or other things, not so much. I usually give some to newly hatched chicks, for a few days, as well as giving them poultry vitamins, acidophilus, sometimes powder mixed with fed, sometimes I give them yogurt. Depends on what I have handy. I want to try the mixed probiotics made for goats. ACV helps them absorb the vitamins better, helps the digestive system get a good start. Yours may not have any problems at all anyway, because they have the good probiotics and a good diet.

 

[bigredfeather]

I noticed a difference tonight in these compared to soy fed. There is absolutely no bad smell in the brooder yet. The droppings are small and are dark brown in color, not a big blob of poo which has been typical before.

 

[eKo_birdies]

Quote:
can't complain about that!!!