AL - Recording baby steps: Newest Addition

[lorihadams]

I gave mine about 1/2 cup of ACV, unfiltered unpasteurized with the mother in a gallon of water and those little buggers were different overnight I swear. perked them right up. I will do this once a week until butchering time. I'm thinking I may mix their feed with some scratch grains and milk soon. If you have any meat scraps you can give them that in their feeders too and they will go crazy for it.

I'm also thinking about sprouting some grains for them too.

You can also crush up egg shells very fine and mix that in with their food. I noticed a difference in their poo texture as soon as I did the ACV though. I used Dr. Braggs.

Hang in there....they'll be ready to eat before you know it!

 

[AL]

I think if I make it through the processing part of this, I will have many many lessons to take forward into "next time".
2 questions -
Is that Corid the calf corid or something else? I know a lot of things can be used for both cattle and poultry in different amounts, but I wasn't sure.

Where do I get that ACV? Something like an Everman's natural foods or something?

FF - I told my friend about you suggesting only processing a few at a time. So we are going to try doing 7 at a time starting at about 5 weeks, finishing between 6 and 7 weeks for roasters?


Exciting news.... over 24 hours and no losses (knock on wood). I can definitely see their growth! Tomorrow I am going to fix up their outdoor shelter and put them outside some during the day - right now it is heat index of 90. Our lows the next couple of nights are in the 70s, but they are still predicting 4os in a week or so. Out in their run I have some good oat grass coming up, so maybe they can get to it at least during the day when I am here and it is warm.

Doesn't feel 'right' but we finished stacking firewood today. We worked on it a little last week, my brother and nephews finished splitting and moving it over the weekend, so we just finished stacking today. There is about half this much on the other side of the shed, and a pile of older stuff still out on the ground. My parents pretty much use only their wood heater vs central heat, so this will help them out some. All but one truckload was free, and it was only $20 for "all you can haul"

Fun photo of the day... Rio and his admirer

I am a "cloud person".... I love clouds. Last night with the huge moon and clouds it was so cool. This is a cell phone photo....

 

[AL]

ugh these idiot birds are going to be the death of me!
Last night when I came home during my lunch break I found this:

dingbat chicken somehow managed to get inside the food tray! I have no idea how, or how long he had been there.

visiting my folks this morning my mom said she wanted to see me out killing chickens that I had raised... I told her I could do it now and we'd have nuggets for dinner.

It is warm and muggy... the kind of muggy that makes you sweat walking to the mailbox.

Lots to do today and going to work is NOT one of them.

 

[AL]

I put the chicks out in the kiddie pool under their shelter. I have a red light hanging, deep litter, food/water on a big board and hardware cloth over the top as well as a sheet of tin on one side as a 'roof'.
And I am worried sick about losing one, so I guess I will carry them back in and let them stay in their boxes in the bathroom at night. At least for another week or so. I guess.

Took the old dog to the vet to have bloodwork done and his kidney values are pretty much the same . He is still eating well and last night he was running - so we are still cruising.

12yr old nephew, T, had a baseball game tonight. I love watching his team - they are all little squirts, T is about average at 80lbs. There are 2 boys that look 7-8 they are so small. They play against 13 and 14yr olds LOL. Tonight they beat a team with a guy pitching who is on the high school baseball team! when B, one of our smallest guys, was next to that big kid, the top of B's helmet came to the big kids armpit. lol
Nobody has told these kids they aren't supposed to be able to 'hang with the big boys". I hope they never listen to anyone who does.

In the morning: move meaties back out to pool, clean chicken house and work in garden. I am taking my parents to the Fair. My friend said I had some ribbons on my photos, so I am excited to go see those.


Conscience is bothering me.... gotta go move my meaties.

 

[FarmerChick]

ACV is apple cider vinegar
find it in the grocery store

 

[lorihadams]

Oh wow....you got a REALLY dumb one in your bunch...

I get the organic ACV at Food Lion here in Va but I think you can get it at most grocery stores.

 

[AL]

thanks! I gave them a few days of medicated feed, do you think I should still do the ACV?

I ended up leaving them outside last night. It was so warm and humid, plus being closed in and having that red light... they were sleeping 2-3 together just on the edge of the light, some were by themselves under the light. So I left them. They did fine. Of course, I went out at 2am and checked on them.

I crumbled up some boiled egg for them and pinched off some small pieces of oat grass - they won't have anything to do with it. I left some chick grit in with them just in case.

Friday I am going to my friend's house to start making lists on what we need and when we are going to start. I think we are going to try doing 7 at a time.

Clouds and winds coming off the Gulf - gonna be another muggy day.

ETA - they certainly bred out brains, these guys make my Crazy Agnes seem like a genius

 

[lorihadams]

Somehow I think I would really like crazy Agnes....

Yeah, I would do the ACV, it just seems to perk them up a bit and they LOVE it.

You could try chopping the grass up with scissors and maybe add a little clover to it, they seem to like that too. I find that as long as I put it in the food bowl they will eat it but if I throw something in the tractor with them on the ground they just stand there and stare at it and cock their heads to the side and look at each other like "what are we supposed to do with that?"

dumb birds.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

sounds like everything is going great!!! i laughed that you went out and checked.. um.. which of us hasnt! ha!

ok did i miss something or did you post your prize winning pic somewhere????

did you think about Winne the Pooh when you found that one in the feeder? we had one who kept getting in and couldnt get out. goofs.

sorry about this:

aid she wanted to see me out killing chickens that I had raised...

but if it helps - it means you have arrived! ha! once the mocking starts you know you are doing something right.

the next step is them all starting to swim around asking questions
;-)

my hubby got raked over the coals by his workmates for what we were doing... but then he took in a leftover turkey dinner (all from our yard) for lunch and he couldnt beat them off with a stick.

hang in there baby - you are doing a great job.

and yes the corid is the calf stuff. there are some great threads on BYC about this (but after my last post i dont think i'm invited back....) that have the amounts. but sounds like the ACV is just what you need. only give them the corid if there is blood in the poop. maybe they just needed a 'perk me up.'



ps use a bucket to ferry them back in forth if you bring them in
;-)

 

[AL]

Crazy Agnes is one of my favorites. She will stand off at a distance when I give treats - not because the others are mean, they aren't, she just stands there - and then as the last treats are being hogged, she comes running with wings flapping. I have started holding some back for her. She is as soft as a rabbit and beautiful to look at.

I took my folks to the Fair tonight and checked out my exhibit... I had a Special award rosette, 7 1st place and 3 2nd place ribbons. I only had my cell phone, but I took pics of my pics.

There was a "frontier" area with outdoor black kettle cooking, a cow to milk, a pack of wolves and homemade ice cream powered by ponies. They also had a giant ox... and I mean Giant!
When we went through to see the sheep etc, my mom said "that's one animal we haven't had", I think my eager acceptance of that challenged scared her LOL.

The Jersey milk cow

Frontier kitchen. Last year we went by as they were dipping out their stew.

The Giant ox... that is my 5'8 dad at his head

FOOD

I thought of this site when I saw this LOL

The poultry barn... or part of it

ETA - About what my mom said... no worries, OFG, I am used to that level of support