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Post by bamachicken on Jan 27, 2011 9:31:25 GMT -5
Don I was hoping you and Christina would weigh in on this. You mentioned hand feeding to keep your hens from getting to fat. I have not heard this term before and I may not be the only one.
Would you explain exactly what you are talking about. I think it could help some of the rest of us.
I just put feed in the feeders and they eat what they want. I also give mine some scratch feed once a day or twice if it is really cold. Thanks for your help
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Post by d12chandler on Jan 27, 2011 11:01:45 GMT -5
OK, last year my girls was not laying very good. I was talking to Christina and she ask me if my girls was fat. I went to pen and caught some of the girls and they was pretty heavy and and I thought will they are to fat. I also was feeding all they want to eat. I just kept the feeder full. I started feeding a cup per bird a day and in a week my egg production picked up alot. She said she would put out a 1/2 cup in morning and 1/2 cup in the evening. When I get up in the morning I had to get to school and didn't have time to feed in the morning, so I fed 1 cup per bird in the evening. I feed gamrbird breeder to my birds, the bantams do real good on it and I feed it to the standard guy's also so I don't have to get 2 kinds of feed. It's higher in protein and I thought the big birds wouldn't get to fat. I don't feed anything else to my birds, I used to feed alittle corn in the evening if was going to get real cold. I know Vern said he fed corn in the evening, but when you talk about cold, he lives where it's very cold.
Don
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Post by bamachicken on Jan 27, 2011 11:49:23 GMT -5
That helps a lot and would probably save on feed as well. I think I will try doing that although my girls are laying well right now. I did lose an older hen about two months ago and she may have had a heart attack. She was a big ole healthy girl and was fine the day before and just found her laying on the coop floor the next morning. I bet she weighed close to 10 lb. Hated to lose her but she was probably four years old at least.
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Post by Jon Alden on Jan 27, 2011 23:44:01 GMT -5
How do you tell if a bird is too fat?
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Post by d12chandler on Jan 28, 2011 13:32:21 GMT -5
When you pick them up and they are very heavy is one way. Or you can go down below the vent and take you finger and thumb and place on the outside of the bird and close, you should be able to close them, if you can't they have fat deposits in that area. I bet that is not very clear.
Don
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Post by Jon Alden on Jan 28, 2011 15:16:54 GMT -5
Ok cool thank you im going to try that out today. My hens arent laying and that could be a factor.
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Post by d12chandler on Jan 28, 2011 15:37:31 GMT -5
I don't have a problem with the bantams, only the standards.
Don
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Post by korfuskluckers on Jan 29, 2011 13:34:06 GMT -5
OK, last year my girls was not laying very good. I was talking to Christina and she ask me if my girls was fat. I went to pen and caught some of the girls and they was pretty heavy and and I thought will they are to fat. I also was feeding all they want to eat. I just kept the feeder full. I started feeding a cup per bird a day and in a week my egg production picked up alot. She said she would put out a 1/2 cup in morning and 1/2 cup in the evening. When I get up in the morning I had to get to school and didn't have time to feed in the morning, so I fed 1 cup per bird in the evening. I feed gamrbird breeder to my birds, the bantams do real good on it and I feed it to the standard guy's also so I don't have to get 2 kinds of feed. It's higher in protein and I thought the big birds wouldn't get to fat. I don't feed anything else to my birds, I used to feed alittle corn in the evening if was going to get real cold. I know Vern said he fed corn in the evening, but when you talk about cold, he lives where it's very cold. Don This is what I do. I feed something with higher protein such as a flock raiser/ gamebbird breeder usally around 20%. I do not keep my male with the females. The males need to be free feed most of the time or they will get to thin. You will occasionally get a cock bird that need to lose a little. There breeding is effected as well when they get to heavy. I am always out picking up my birds to make sure they are staying a healthy weight. The only time I free feed is in the winter and late fall when I know the weather will be getting colder and the birds need the fat reserves to keep warm. |
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Post by bluetick on Jan 29, 2011 16:24:47 GMT -5
Can we extend this conversation a little further? Do most of you feed pellets or a more ground up ration?
I also have geese. Pelleted feed was recommended for them since it would take more time to digest than ground feed, and lead to less potential for wing disorders. The only pellet feed locally is chicken layer at 16% protein, and feeding lay pellets to geese was highly discouraged. Can't find a waterfowl feed at all, much less the recommended 15% protein level.
Anyway, my chickens are 7 months old and eating 16% lay pellets. My geese are 9 months old and eating a turkey/game bird crumble at about 20% protein cut with dry oatmeal to lower the protein. From what I am reading, I can scrap the layer pellets and feed the chickens the higher protein crumble. Is that right?
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Post by d12chandler on Jan 29, 2011 16:44:40 GMT -5
I have fed gamebird breeder for years and get along good. In my early days I fed the layer stuff and bantams just don't do very good on it. At that time I had alot of Old English, when I changed to gamebird breeder my eggs was higher in fertile and hatching. With alot stronger chick. I feed my standards gamebird also, have no clue about geese.
Don
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Post by bethinoklahoma on Mar 8, 2011 14:27:36 GMT -5
I like the crumble and have come up with my own mix after years
of having poultry and learning from others online. However I do and
always have free fed all my chickens and turkey. Maybe I over looked
just how to hand feed but I'm just not sure how one could do this with a
large flock living together.
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Post by d12chandler on Mar 8, 2011 16:18:06 GMT -5
Bethinoklahoma, doninoklahoma, I think it would be hard to feed a large group like that. All my birds in pens and I can give them what I want. I would like to fill the feeder and forget it until it's low. My standard orps eat to much, like me I guess and get to fat. Mine just don't lay very good when to fat.
Don
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Post by pinegrov on Mar 8, 2011 20:50:25 GMT -5
Don is right about regular layer ration not being ample for producing viable hatching eggs. Layer ration is designed to produce eggs for consumption. This year I mixed a game bird breeder ration in with regular layer to produce a 21% feed. There is some alfalfa meal in the one layer ration used. I have never had such a good and early hatch as this year. I have about 185 chicks out right now, with more eggs still in the incubator. My wife hates chickens (except those coming out of the skillet or oven), so the marriage is approaching the perilous stage (an annual event), then the hatching stops and everything is fine. Sandy is actually a pretty good sport about this, helping with the inseminating and takes care of the chicks.
Vern
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