i KNOW i DON'T NEED TO ADD ACV EVERY DAY AND DON'T TO MY MAIN FERMENT BUCKET BUT i DO ADD IT TO THE BUCKET i SCOOP MY FEED IN TO FEED. mY PROBLEM IS SINCE i STARTED FEEDING FF (sorry cap lock was on didn't know) Anyway since I started feeding FF my chickens don't drink any water so putting acv in the water is not an option for me. That is why I put it in the feed just before feeding. That way I know they get it. I have been offering water but I put a line on the waterer when I fill it and the water level never moves. I will see if that changes this summer.Hi Angela- newbie here. I've only had my hens since August.
But I do know you don't need to add vinegar every day. When you first make the FF you add water and a flu of ACV with mother, let it sit a few days in a warm spot and it should be fermenting. You will have to add water a few times as the crumbles soak up the moisture but not vinegar. I rarely add ACV vinegar to my mix even when refilling the bucket. (I did make that error at the beginning and it got to vinegary tasting for the hens) just add water when you add more food. And you have to add enough for a layer of water over it when u initially start. Mine is kept at a oatmeal cookie dough consistency and you can see the water on the sides & bubbles when you stir. The Mother is at the bottom of the bucket feeding on the little bit of food that seeps through the holes eating away and making the food fermented. Once a month or so I scoop all the slimy gooey stuff in the bottom bucket into the top bucket. My FF has been on the same mother since September![]()
Delisha & Mumsy I love the chic picture. So adorable. Almost makes me want to get chics from the feed store........I picked up a pamphlet so I could look at what they are getting but that's as close to chics I am getting lol
My BCMs seem to have very good temperament. They forage well they lay a medium to large egg some really dark some not so much as I would expect. Only the darkest will be incubated. Mine are still young received end of August. I have 16 pullets am getting between 3 and 6 eggs a day now. I'm sure that will increase when it warms up more plus some I received were older that others by maybe as much as 4 weeks. Maybe I should also mention that I only see the waddles dropped on 6 of them and every once in a while I get 1 egg that day I think the others are resetting when that happens. Bottom line I love them they are beautiful birds. I did get some frost bite (not bad) on some of e cockerels combs this winter. My fault the trailer I moved them to was leaky and we went from 40 and rain to 20 below over night so to much moister. I sometimes look at them and say sorry I should have fixed it the day before. I don't know if this is typical but I give eggs to my dad and he said they tasted great but the shells were so hard I had to use a chisel and hammer to get them out. They are hard takes a good whack on the side of the counter to crack them. Oh mine are feather footed.What do you guys think of this barn? Just a bit bigger.
http://blog.mcmurrayhatchery.com/2011/09/29/chicken-coop-photos-and-description-from-maria-beason/
Someone has asked us to take images of the loss. I have documentation, but didn't think anyone would ever want to see it.
What is everyone's experience with Black Copper Marans? I want to know how they forage. How well they lay. What their personalities are like, etc. I am considering adding them when we rebuild. I have always wanted dark eggs.