I am wondering if anyone knows of a place to buy organic chicken feed around San Antonio, TX. I am about to raise my first batch of meat chickens and need a source.
Organic Chicken feed
Good Luck. I've never found a source for the "small" flock, though I'm still searching. Someone does have an organic mix that they send you, and you add the mix to your organic grain. Its one of the poulty suppliers--McMurrays, maybe? Anyone else seen this? You could order organic grain via any health food store if there isn't a feed mill in your area that produces it and add in this mixture to ensure all the mineral/vitamin quantities are correct. I have found a number of recipes online, but the list of ingredients is onerous and expensive....
Try this link http://www.lionsgrip.com/recipes.html
https://stores.myregisteredsite.com/user1249836/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=J
http://www.greenerpasturesfarm.com/ChickenFeedRecipe.html
http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/
This message was edited May 2, 2008 5:57 PM
This message was edited May 2, 2008 6:14 PM
i thought i saw some from Meyer.
the best you can likely do, is to feed them non-medicated chick starter, and read up on natural ways to prevent dis-ease. i suppose you plan to free ragne them?
how many and which breed?
Yes, if you can't find it local, I'd just try to buy organic grains wholesale to supplement, and free-range them as much as possible....
You can order it through any Purina outlet. We feed our butcher chickens organic Purina every year and they grow awesome on it. You might have to order it though and there may be a two week window to get it.
oohh-- thats great to know. By Purina Outlet, does that mean any place that distributes Purina feed? Thanks
I have 3 Americarunas about 2 years old (had 5 but lost 2), 1 Appenzeller hen, 6 Barred Rock hens and 1 barred rock rooster who is king of the world. They are all 1 year old. I had some silkies I ordered with the Rocks but they all turned out to be roosters so I gave them away. I was hoping to get a nice broody hen out of the silkies but that backfired! I also have 25 3 week old Corish that and friend and I are going to put in our freezers. I've never seem anything grow that quickly! What breed do any of you recommend for a nice broody hen? I'd love to hatch some babies.
Thanks for the Purina tip. I'll talk to our local guy soon.
Everyone recommends Silkies and Cochins as reliable broodies. I am about to hatch Nankin Bantams which are suppose to be excellent broodies (as are Dutch Bantams), but being so small they can cover fewer eggs. There are quite a few dual purpose breeds that will go broody--but I think it is more of an individual bird thing, some will, some won't regardless of the breed.
I have Black Australorps and am finding they are one bird that will go broody. I can't vouch for all of them, but out of about 30, I have 5 that are broody right now. I am removing the eggs under them as I am not letting them hatch any chicks. I haven't had any others that did this before. I have had RIRs, Buffs, White Rocks, Barred Rocks, Americaunas, Isa Browns, and Silver Spangled Wyandottes in the past 5 years. None of them brooded. One of my Australorps brooded some eggs this spring but it was too early and too cold (below 0), so the eggs got too cold. After that, I decided I wasn't going to let them brood and used my incubator to hatch my chicks.
GG
Hi Granny. I've heard that Aussies are good broodies.
I looked in my books and the most common good broodies among the standard dual purpose birds are (envelop please): Australorp, Brahma and Jersey Giants (both of these are so big they may break the eggs in the nest, but they will try), Langshan, Dorking, Favorelles, Orpingtons, Sussex, New Hampshire Reds, Transylvanian Naked Neck (Turken) and Pekins (bantam). But like you suggested, not all of them will--so if you wanted a very reliable broody I think I would go for a Silkie or one of the broody bantams. But if you had one of the above and it brooded, it would be a very useful bird. Oddly, a lot of the fighting game birds like the Shamo, Asil and Malay are listed as good brooders--I don't think I'd want to work with them though. I am thinking of using natural incubation in the future--I can't stand the reponsibility with artificial incubation:0).
This message was edited May 24, 2008 8:47 PM
OK, lets not leave out the Buckeyes. Not only did two hens go broody together, they allowed other hens to take turns laying there, then moved the nest across to the other end of the wall, nested together, no fighting, no getting cross with me. hatched one baby, had two pip then die. i brought the rest in. then took 15 from the incubator, and they accepted them as their babies, and they don't look a thing like them LOL.
they are very watchful, if i pick one up it isn't a problem, but when they notive it is sitll missing, they start calling and looking till i put it down.
and i am now letting the roos and other hens back in the henhouse. no accidental fatalities, no fights! they weren't successful at hatching much because i didn't mark eggs, but look slike they have good mama instincts!!!
tf
oops., this is a better pic...
OOOOPS! Yes Buckeyes are good broodies--plus "One good point for Buckeyes kept in confinement: they don't get into feather picking, even when crowded". Am I forgiven?
^_^, well, OK... ♥