Morning all!
Got the chores done and the flower bed all watered. It's going to start to get hot....
so I figured best to water before I don't really want to venture outside....
Other then that everyone is great! BTB has declared open season on the betta fish and he had wrangled Ichy into assisting. BTB really is Ebil....He is rather put out that I placed the little betts bowl on those foam pad things that prevent glass ware from sliding. Now he can't toss the bowl off the counter. I also got a bowl with a lid that a taped down so he can't flip the lid off and go fishing. He is throwing a temper tantrum even as we speak. He is flinging things off the kitchen counter....
If he keeps it up he will become a porch kitty....Ebil Cat!!
Twiz-glad you found your silkie! Nice cat! Your Cleo sounds like my Bubba...
TO- I know some days you just wake up only to find what sleep you had was just not enough! Those morning I drink so much coffee that by the time the caffine kicks in I'm jittery and tired!!
Hope you can catch the Bobs....
Ang-Glad your chicks arrived!!! Maybe MPC didn't have enough frizzles hatch? Or chicks that frizzled? Not all frizzles frizzle only 50% of any given hatch. But they still carry the frizzle gene though even if they did not frizzle. Maybe MPC doesn't send them if they don't frizzle?
Regarding feed, an open formula is formulated to the guaranteed analysis but the actual ingredients of the feed can change depending on what is the least cost commodity at the time the buyers purchase them. Hence one time the feed can have more corn based protein and another time it can have soy based protein.Same with the fat types and so on. That type of thing. Open formulas can be very inconsistent that way. A closed formula is formulated to the guaranteed analysis with specific ingredients ( proteins and fats ) and those cannot change. Once they are closed by the nutritionalist who made the formula, then the buyers have to purchase items for that formula no matter the cost. There is more price fluxuation with a closed formula because if it called for a percentage if an ingredient then the feed company has to buy that commodity no matter the cost. In an open formula they have the option to change to another commodity because it is less expensive. Palletability (sp) comes into play because one birds like consistency and in an open formula the "taste" can change from batch to batch and the birds don't always like what is in the "new" batch. Hence you waste feed and your egg production can go off.
There are ways to buy bulk feed. It depends on a number of factors though. Usually feed companies will have limits to meet plus you pay for freight. Depending on the feed company you choose to use, 2 or 3 tons at a time is the most common and freight costs depend on far from the feed mill you live. Then it depends on how you want the feed. Bagged or bulk. Buying bagged feed in bulk is more expensive then "loose" bulk feed. With "loose" bulk feed, you have to have a feed bin so the feed company can auger the feed from the truck into the bin.
Some feed mills or stores will give you a discount if you purchase bagged feed by the pallet. This can be a good thing for smaller flock raisers, but if you can't go through it in a timely fashion in summer then you will get bugs. I have to think on how much weight a pallet of feed it. I think it's a ton which is 40- 50# bags or 50- 40# bags...something like that..
Ok, gotta get going, need to do laundry and clean the grill for brisket dinner tonight!!!
