CCX

CrealCritter

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@farmerjan what do you feed your CCX in? I ferment the feed and I use a tub.


 

CrealCritter

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I'll be changing out some of the hay tomorrow. Just around the heat lamps, feed and water. That's were stinky couch potato chicks hang out. I'll also toss in a small amount of barn lime for good measure.

It's very interesting how the hens hang together under one heat lamp and the roos under the other heat lamp. I think I have some gender biased chickens 😂

My wife said I got plenty of room for more. I said shhhh... hush, this thought from your mind!
 
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farmerjan

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It may not be considered the "right feed" but I feed all my birds once they are out of the chick starter stage, a layer pellet that I buy in bulk. It is 16% protein, and I have a formulation that has added DE for possible worms in the gut tract. Also they boost the vit package a bit. The birds lay well and the ccx grow well. I also will toss out some scratch feed/cracked corn as the ccx like it and it gets them actually doing a little scratching around. Since I get these ccx at about 8 weeks.... they are past the starter stage, and I am not going to have 6 kinds of feed around. It works and is cheaper since I get 2 tons at a time delivered into the bulk feed bin. Plus, I am not pushing them to grow and the extra calcium in the feed for the layers, for egg making, seems to get their legs a little bit stronger.....
 

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I have 1 quart of cow's milk straight from the cow and 50 lbs of meat bird crumbles. Now what @baymule ? I also have a tub of butter but that's besides the point 😂
 

baymule

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I use 4-5 buckets about 2 gallon each. I feed twice a day. A cup of milk in each bucket, 2/3 full of feed, add water to 4 “ below the rim. Mine have a lid too, if you don’t have lids, put a board on top. You can use 5 gallon buckets, two of them. Always leave some feed in there to start the next batch. They won’t ferment in the cold. Maybe secure the buckets against marauding piranhas and put in the CCX coop where it is warm?
@Beekissed add your advice please. I know you don’t use the milk, but I like a starter. With both our experience, he can choose what works best for him. :)
 

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I sent him the link to TikkTokks blog site that answers all the questions on FF. I keep my FF on the back porch/mud room in the winter...it stays about 40-50 in there and the FF will still ferment right along as long as it's properly backslopped and all. I keep two buckets going so that it has plenty of time to ferment well prior to feed out.

CC, that brooder space wouldn't be near so stinky or wet if you used a deep litter of leaves instead of hay or a goodly mix of both. Can you get your hands on any leaves? It also won't stink as much if you add some low down ventilation and keep your window open up above. That will move that ammonia right on out the window.

Another tip is a nipple bucket...very little water mess when using a nipple bucket vs. a traditional chick waterer. Don't remember how you have that set up but I can't say enough good about a nipple bucket for chicks.
 

CrealCritter

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I sent him the link to TikkTokks blog site that answers all the questions on FF. I keep my FF on the back porch/mud room in the winter...it stays about 40-50 in there and the FF will still ferment right along as long as it's properly backslopped and all. I keep two buckets going so that it has plenty of time to ferment well prior to feed out.

CC, that brooder space wouldn't be near so stinky or wet if you used a deep litter of leaves instead of hay or a goodly mix of both. Can you get your hands on any leaves? It also won't stink as much if you add some low down ventilation and keep your window open up above. That will move that ammonia right on out the window.

Another tip is a nipple bucket...very little water mess when using a nipple bucket vs. a traditional chick waterer. Don't remember how you have that set up but I can't say enough good about a nipple bucket for chicks.

The room is inside the barn, it was a tack room. It ain't wet at all, the hay is dry. I had access to lots of leaves before the windstorm came from the south and blow them all into my neighbors place north of me :) I love it went my yard gets cleaned up for me. My wife was all about the raking and on the night before she was going to rake the windstorm came.

I have the window cracked and the bottom of the plywood door ajar. It don't stink so much in there now. As a matter of fact I didn't even change out any hay today because it don't stink so bad anymore.

I don't care what anyone says... CCX are nothing but stinky couch potato chickens.
 
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