The Old Folks Home

[ronott1]

I'm closing in on info overload

Thanks ronott1 that's important... Same for drakes I think.

It is easy really.

Use a grower or flock raiser feed--even a game bird type of feed. 18 to 20 percent is good
add a supplement like calf manna
provide free choice calcium
walmart and some discount stores sell kale in big bags. give the breeders some of the kale each day
Black oil sunflower seeds, a cup scattered on the ground each day

And of course make sure they do not have parasites.

You can just use the flock raiser and free choice calcium. Fermenting the feed actually does a bunch of the pro biotic stuff so you may not need the calf manna if using it.

 

[hennible]

Ok simple enough... The incubator is on its way! First we have to get rid of this favus infection, then a good worming, some healthy food and I should be all set for a New Year's hatch along...

 

[Alaskan]

Nutritional yeast is cost effect and simple, thanks good idea... Pumpkins and kale I got, perfect. Ok I'm feeding FF mostly, I guess the yeast can go in the dry feed but they choose to eat FF way more... Any thoughts on how to give them the yeast?

I just sprinkle the Nutritional yeast on top of their dry feed.

And ditto what @ronott1 said. It doesn't have to be super scientific.....

 

[vehve]

And a little of the yeast goes a long way... I don't know when we're going to get rid of ours. Karin bought a "small" bag of it, 20 kg... I add about a tablespoonful to their mash every day.

SCG, nice looking maple leaves.

We picked some more rowan berries yesterday. Then we boiled them up together with some apples, and this morning we made a batch of jelly again. We thought we would give some away as Christmas presents.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

oops! I forgot to say that yes, I wanna hatch too.... BUT NOT YET!!!!!


I am going to be doing lots of hatching this spring....I haven't decided yet when I want to start up.

I've found that the new years hatch is one of the best times of year for me to hatch. There's not much going on in January, so I have time to tend to the chicks. They do go outdoors as soon as possible, which for me is about at 4 to 6 weeks of age. No, it is not too cold for them, even in Maine. Then, I get POL pullets in mid-spring, which any extras are super easy to sell at that time, when everyone else has chicks. Excess roosters are big enough to start processing in summer. This year I waited too long and started to hatch in spring. Forgot about all the seed starting that was on my plate and ran myself ragged trying to do everything.

That jelly looks delicious. How long does it last in those jars?

lovely work I tried quilting but my stitches end up all lumpy.

If you want some help, PM me. Lumpy could be a lot of things, with a lot of fixes. If you got that far, a little adjusting of what you're doing could give good results.

 

[vehve]

Quote: Well, my first experience with canning anything was a week ago when we made a trial run at the jelly. But the screw top lids make a nice vacuum seal, and there's so much sugar in it, that I think they will last for maybe a year in a cabinet, a lot longer if they're stored in a cool, dark place. The spring lids probably aren't as tight, but we did get a nice seal on the test run, so that should store pretty well too. And the berries themselves had quite a lot of acid in them, that should help preserve it too. The whole jelly has been boiling for about half an hour, and we brought it up to 105 degrees C (221F), so most bacteria should have been killed in there. The jars were also heated in the oven, and the lids and seals boiled. The big spring lid jar I'm not too sure about, so I think we'll just give it to someone we don't like that much

Or maybe we'll just eat it ourselves quickly.

The first batch has been delicious together with different meats.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Well, my first experience with canning anything was a week ago when we made a trial run at the jelly. But the screw top lids make a nice vacuum seal, and there's so much sugar in it, that I think they will last for maybe a year in a cabinet, a lot longer if they're stored in a cool, dark place. The spring lids probably aren't as tight, but we did get a nice seal on the test run, so that should store pretty well too. And the berries themselves had quite a lot of acid in them, that should help preserve it too. The whole jelly has been boiling for about half an hour, and we brought it up to 105 degrees C (221F), so most bacteria should have been killed in there. The jars were also heated in the oven, and the lids and seals boiled. The big spring lid jar I'm not too sure about, so I think we'll just give it to someone we don't like that much

Or maybe we'll just eat it ourselves quickly.

The first batch has been delicious together with different meats.

Our food and safety people don't allow canners to use those kinds of jars with the spring loaded tops anymore so I was curious. When did you get those jars? What did the manufacturer instructions say on them as far as how long the food will last?

And boiling the food and sterilizing the jars will reduce bacteria and spores significantly, but they will still be there. Also the air in your kitchen isn't sterile, and packing the jam into the jars exposes the jam and jars to the air. I find it amusing that my mom canned when I was a girl without all these regulations, but then again I was able to ride in the back of an (open) truck when I was a kid, ride a bike without a helmet...

 

[BrooketheChook]

My kids think I'm replacing them with chickens and goats and such. Maybe I am, OH well. I come into the house when they are around.

I have 30 chickens and only use around 100 pounds of food a month! What kind of food are you using? Better food lasts longer because they eat less.

I was originally told that my two chicks would go through a 5 Kilo bag (11 pounds) of food in 'no time', they are 5 weeks old now and I still have 1/3 of the bag left. They are growing and are happy but I was worried that they may not be eating correctly; although, I never considered that the quality of food would influence how much a chicken eats, until I read your comment, it put that thought to rest. I feed them treats every couple of days, but they are never as excited to eat as when I chuck out the 'dregs' of the feeder bowl after a couple of days and put fresh stuff in (so I know they like the feed). They also get excited when I pull grass from the ground and offer them the white roots! They almost attack my fingers trying to eat them

 

[vehve]

If I were to sell the stuff I would probably have to be more careful. One trick to get them properly sterile, is to turn the jar upside down after putting the lid on, that way all inside surfaces will be subjected to the boiling jelly, and the air in there will heat up quite a lot too, that should kill most of the bacteria. But I'm pretty comfortable storing these for a while and just taking common sense precautions with them. If the jar has not been properly sealed, it should not be eaten, and you can notice many problems by just smelling the jelly after opening it. My grandmother used to make jam in a similar way, I think we found a jar of it last year that we ate, and she passed away in 2003. We're all still alive.

But yeah, the spring loaded tops aren't as secure as the screw tops, so probably we'll try to consume those over the winter, and we will be storing the stuff in the fridge. The spring loaded cans are good for chutneys though, since you have some vinegar in there, you should not let it come into contact with metal surfaces.

 

[chickwhispers]

This sounds like a wonderful place ! So is there room at the old folks home for a coffee loving, losing my touch, 29 year old ( ) ???