Quail_Antwerp: Words from the Barnyard...

[keljonma]

How is your Ameraucana pullet doing today? The poor thing has had a rough few weeks lately.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

alrighty then, I go to get chicken feed, and I come back to see my journal ran off without me LOLOLOL

ohiofarmgirl, the farm with Large Black Pigs is Shelton Heritage Farms. It's in the back of this months Hobby Farms magazine. The contact email is sheltoncontracting@fuse.net or call 513-708-5073 The ad says they have available registered piglets, delivery or pick up.

I think I'm going to want to pick your brain on feeding pigs, because Ernie is not completely thrilled on the idea, and he said hog feed is expensive.

Becca, yes the doctor is local. She's in Cadiz. She's a surgeon, though, I don't think she does general practice...but I'll pass her contact information to you so you can find out.

I'll talk to you in email on the goats.

keljonma, my little Ameraucana pullet is still hanging in there, but walks around like she's drunk. Not sure what is going on with her. I'm praying for her, though, sounds silly maybe, but I'm confident God will heal her if it's in His plan.

Went to Cadiz to get feed. I'm going poor buying chicken feed. That flock raiser is killing me!

A couple weeks ago I had talked to Ernie about switching out some of the larger birds feed, and only buying flock raiser for the young ones. Today, that's what I did.

I bought a 50# bag of calf chop at $5.95 a bag and mixed it with the remaining chicken feed I had in the tub.

Lemme explain a little bit of why...

Since the birds have been free ranging for the last few weeks, they didn't take long to figure out that we grain the calves and Emmy a small bit each evening. It doesn't matter if I've filled their feeders with their feed mix, they gravitate to the grain we put out for the calves. They clean up every bit that the calves and Emmy either drop or don't finish....plus they steal bites in between the calves and Emmy eating.

I'm not kidding, but my chickens seem to be shinier and healthier eating the chop than they are their chicken feed!!! Not only that, but my egg production WENT UP!!!!!!!!!!

Now in the calf chop is some pelleted feed, that looks identical to the game bird pellets, and oats, corn, etc.....Looks identical to the scratch I buy....the only difference is the calf feed is coated in a bit of molasses.

So, I've decided to see how it goes giving the chickens calf chop, oyster shell, grit, oats, and sunflower seeds. Something to reduce my feed bill, but still give them good nutrition.

It's like this, two 50 # bags of Flockraiser runs me about $27.90, and we're going through almost 2 bags a week! I can get 4 bags of the calf chop, and have double the feed, for the same amount of money.

eta: we've taken to calling the calf chop "Chicken Crack"

 

[BeccaOH]

Have you compared ingredients lists between cafe chop and something like Flockraiser? Does the chop have any animal byproducts? This interests me. I'm all for saving money. Would it work for chickens that can't free range?

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Have you compared ingredients lists between cafe chop and something like Flockraiser? Does the chop have any animal byproducts? This interests me. I'm all for saving money. Would it work for chickens that can't free range?

Landmark mixes their own calf chop.. I haven't thought to look for animal byproducts, but if given the chance, chickens will eat anything dead they find laying in the yard....including our orange kitten that was hit by a car

I'm assuming it would work for chickens that don't free range.

I'll check the calf chop ingredients later for animal byproducts. I didn't think to look for that.

eta: It's raining, didn't want to go out to check the feed ingredients, so I called the feed store. The calf chop I buy is mixed at the Adena Landmark and then shipped to Cadiz. She read the list of ingredients off to me, there is NO animal byproducts! In fact, it contains everything chickens need!! So I slyly asked if it will hurt my chickens because my free ranging birds have been snitching it out of the feeder for the calves, and she said, "Nope! Won't hurt your chickens at all!"

I'm not kidding, the chickens that have been eating it the most are solid and healthy!!!

 

[jenlyn9483]

Aly, I too am very interested in this "Calf Chop". My feedstore has never heard of it however. Can you tell me who makes it and if there is another name for it? It sounds sorta like stuff we have down here called Sweet Plus. Its pretty cheep too, sorta like a cheep version of sweet feed. My goats wont eat it but my chickens like it. My goats will only eat the expensive high quaility sweet feed and Nutrena goat.

Right now I give my chickens and ducks Half Corn Chops Half Nutrena Layer Pellet

And my young ones just Start and Grow crumbles.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Aly, I too am very interested in this "Calf Chop". My feedstore has never heard of it however. Can you tell me who makes it and if there is another name for it? It sounds sorta like stuff we have down here called Sweet Plus. Its pretty cheep too, sorta like a cheep version of sweet feed. My goats wont eat it but my chickens like it. My goats will only eat the expensive high quaility sweet feed and Nutrena goat.

Right now I give my chickens and ducks Half Corn Chops Half Nutrena Layer Pellet

And my young ones just Start and Grow crumbles.

What I am buying looks identical to scratch, just coated in molasses, and it has some pelleted stuff mixed in that looks just like the game bird feed.

My ducks are getting Game Bird Feed (which runs $14 a bag!) mixed with cracked corn ($7.50 a bag).

The feed store also calls the chop "Dairy" but it is used for dairy and beef cattle....and now at my house, CHICKENS!

 

[keljonma]

What is the protein level?

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Um, I'm not sure? But I have kids that collect bugs and worms and hand feed them to the chickens..............

Plus I read somewhere that you can add quality cat food to your chicken feed for extra protein???

eta: if you're worried about Sam and the Ladies, trust me, they ain't starving! They are the first ones out every morning! They are still getting flock raiser with oats and sunflowers.

Yesterday, E was mowing and Sam was following right behind snatching up all the bugs!!

 

[keljonma]

IMO, cat food is missing some nutrients the birds need and can be too high in sodium, depending on the brand.

ETA We were giving The Ladies and Sam canned tuna, salmon, mackerel, when we could get it on sale for 2 or 3 cans for $1 and feeding them fish caught on our fishing trips.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

IMO, cat food is missing some nutrients the birds need and can be too high in sodium, depending on the brand.

ETA We were giving The Ladies and Sam canned tuna, salmon, mackerel, when we could get it on sale for 2 or 3 cans for $1 and feeding them fish caught on our fishing trips.

I've never used the cat food, but my mom has. I know the chickens steal dog food from the outside dog dishes.

I've tons of tuna. I never thought of giving chickens fish!