|
|
Post by honeydew on Jan 10, 2011 21:35:52 GMT -5
Well, I have been feeding the gals loads of squash (cooked) and potatoes as a supplement to their chop. With the rest of the kitchen scraps it actually gives them all a bit more to peck at.
They are so happy!
Thanks everyone for all the great advice, I will grow a bunch of stuff for them this year that I never would have thought to.
I have always fed them free choice, chop and all. Do you think that I shouldn't be doing that and just whatever they eat in 15 minutes instead? What's the argument for or against?
|
|
|
|
Post by flowerpower on Jan 11, 2011 6:27:22 GMT -5
My birds have access to food 24/7. I think it's better for them to eat a little here and there, rather than all at once. When the birds are free ranging, they eat a bit, take a nap, eat some more, take a nap.... You don't want them stuffing themselves twice a day. That can't be good for them. Chickens will realize very quickly that feeding time is limited. Then you might start to see aggressive behavior with the birds.
|
|
|
|
Post by mnjrutherford on Jan 11, 2011 6:49:12 GMT -5
Thanks for bringing up the subject. I've been wondering about this myself. What I'm thinking is that you would want to watch the seasons to a degree. In the summer, you wouldn't want "wet" feed hanging around more than an hour or two because of insects. So, limit the kitchen scraps during the summer months. In the winter, since the insect issue is relatively moot, it's ok to put out stuff like the leftover avagmoli (egg and lemon soup).
Is this the right idea here?
By the by, I think it's rather amusing, the Amerucaunas had stopped laying for the last few months with the cold weather. So, Friday, Saturday, AND Sunday, we start to get lovely blue eggs again. Monday what happens? We get 4" of snow!!!! My poor birdies! ;o)
|
|
|
|
Post by flowerpower on Jan 13, 2011 5:39:40 GMT -5
Jo, I'd be more worried about the birds eating the meat that the insects on it. They would just eat the bugs.
|
|
|
|
Post by mnjrutherford on Jan 18, 2011 14:16:18 GMT -5
At this point in the game, we buy most of food our chickens eat and supplement with table scraps. We just got back from the feed and grain where and here is what we got for a flock of about 50 (more or less) birds:
1 - 50# Oats, whole - 13.45 (oats, crimped - 16.25)
2 - 50# Laying mash - 9.60 (unmedicated)
1 - 50# Blackoil Sunflower seed - 23.00
2 - 50# Cracked Corn - 10.80
1 - 50# Whole Corn - 7.50
We were getting floating catfish food for the extra protein, but the birdies don't care for it at all. The crimped oats we get only sometimes. We've been recently told that feeding whole corn helps keep cold birds warm. Then again, we've also been told that cracked corn is more digestible. So, this month they are getting a blend.
Everyone seems to be fine and dandy. We did have one of the "Leghorns" lay down and die for no apparent reason a couple weeks ago. We call them "Leghorns", because they are white. But they a HUGE, about the size of a small turkey, and they lay brown eggs. We ate one last night and the night before. I poached it in a chili broth and used the meat for taquitos and enchiladas. The meat tasted a bit like turkey to me as well. So, we have no clue what kind of bird it really is or why the one kicked the bucket, but I'm wondering if it just got way to big way to fast? If so, is it a GMO animal? Did we over feed it?
|
|
|
|
Post by steev on Jan 18, 2011 20:21:50 GMT -5
Could they be Jersey Giants? Seems leghorns are kind of slimmish.
|
|
|
|
Post by mnjrutherford on Jan 18, 2011 21:31:24 GMT -5
I haven't got a clue. We've just started in the birdie business. I kinda doubt that these are any "special" breed though. We got them free from the school district. Someone donates the eggs to the local schools, the school hatches the eggs, then they give the chicks away. They are easily twice the size of the Orps, RIRs, and Plymouth Rocks.
|
|
|
|
Post by flowerpower on Jan 19, 2011 5:44:09 GMT -5
Maybe those birds are inbred. That would cause genetic problems, like a weak heart.
|
|
|
|
Post by mnjrutherford on Jan 19, 2011 12:19:07 GMT -5
That's a good point Lynn. I hadn't really thought about that.
hmm... IF, the problem is inbreeding... would it be a bad thing to breed them with the other birds? Like make bigger versions of our other birds but without chemicals?
If yes.... then should I put the big roosters to the small hens or the big hens to the small roosters? How will I know if they are copulating? I'm thinking of putting the chicken eggs into the guinea nests for hatching. Speaking of which, we probably should be watching out for nesting guineas about now. Maybe creating some good looking spots for them...
|
|
|
|
Post by flowerpower on Jan 21, 2011 7:22:15 GMT -5
How will you know if they are copulating? You'll know.  |
|
|
|
Post by mnjrutherford on Jan 21, 2011 9:27:21 GMT -5
I KNEW I would get a grin from that question! Still, I needed to ask it... From what I'm reading though, it might not be such a hot idea to attempt to breed them. They are apparently bred to be super large yet they don't have adequate hearts to accommodate size. They do lay a few eggs, but not as many as the other birds. We may get another batch from the giveaway, but if we do, they will be for meat and we will slaughter them much earlier. |
|
|
|
Post by lmonty on Jan 21, 2011 15:27:40 GMT -5
i remember reading a research article awhile back that there were growth problems with amaranth and chickens. IIRC the recommendation was not to exceed 10% volume of amaranth in the ration.
|
|
|
|
Post by mnjrutherford on Jan 21, 2011 22:28:56 GMT -5
Really? That's interesting. I'm not working on amaranth for the moment, but it is certainly on the "to do" list. I'll have to keep this info filed.
|
|
|
|
Post by flowerpower on Jan 22, 2011 7:03:20 GMT -5
Could they be Jersey Giants? Seems leghorns are kind of slimmish. Jersey Giants are black. I just received the following from my poultry eggspert. ''Her White "leghorns" that are huge, will be Cornish X Meat Birds. That's why they are dying. They have Acities, fluid around the heart from being too large for their heart to handle. Time for the Freezer before they all die on her. If Jo was given these birds from the school board after they hatched them for the children, they won't be a very rare breed strain. They are Meat Birds.'' |
|
|
|
Post by honeydew on Jan 22, 2011 10:33:02 GMT -5
Could they be Jersey Giants? Seems leghorns are kind of slimmish. Jersey Giants are black. I just received the following from my poultry eggspert. ''Her White "leghorns" that are huge, will be Cornish X Meat Birds. That's why they are dying. They have Acities, fluid around the heart from being too large for their heart to handle. Time for the Freezer before they all die on her. If Jo was given these birds from the school board after they hatched them for the children, they won't be a very rare breed strain. They are Meat Birds.'' I can vouch for that! We had cornish crosses last summer, and after about 12 weeks the ones that were left just started to randomly die. One each morning or so. You can know it is one of those types too if it basically does nothing but eat and eat. They grow way faster than heritage breeds, and seem to have little interest in venturing out in the yard. Also, this is probably a dumb question, but do you give them sunflower seeds with the shell still on? |
|
