Anybody feed their game birds chicken layer pellets?

[BobDBirdDog]

Due to lower calcium and a protein content that is appropriate for game birds, I ended up using meat bird crumbles. I have been feeding that to the chukars for about 5 months now, no issues at all.

It seems meat bird pellets or crumbles is the closest thing you can buy to true game bird pellets in the event you cannot buy game bird feed.

Interesting, I'll be sure to check that out myself, even though Ive been feeding layer pellets for years... better safe than sorry. Searching the local feed store (meat bird) is available but only at 20% protein and only dang crumble.
I don't like crumble with adults as it seems to go everywhere (chicks too for that matter) and it seems to absorb more humidity, thus molds quicker. If I do that I might as well feed the game bird chick starter 28% protein as it basiclly has the same ingredients.
Cant rationalize the reason why they wont make a pellet version of the 28% feed, its all coming from the same place. (Even occasionally when I feed the game bird chick starter 28% it has a few pellets in it...so why the Hill not?)!

All 5 Game bird feeds I checked out has the BMD (Bacitracin Methylene Disalicylate) at various percents (50, 100, 200...).
http://www.ourcoop.com/productcatalog/Main/FLine.aspx?fl=312&fi=1
some being all plant protein others having animal protein.

Thus if I remember right the BMD issue was the influencing factor that swayed me to start feeding layer pellets in the first place...... besides being a crumble with a 9-15% powder residue and not mentioning the mold factor.

Oh and like Tony..... I give them Dog food occasionally and a few veggie rejects........ and eventually Lead pellets. (well, I dont know if tony feeds them lead).

 

[LamarshFish]

Interesting, I'll be sure to check that out myself, even though Ive been feeding layer pellets for years... better safe than sorry. Searching the local feed store (meat bird) is available but only at 20% protein and only dang crumble.
I don't like crumble with adults as it seems to go everywhere (chicks too for that matter) and it seems to absorb more humidity, thus molds quicker. If I do that I might as well feed the game bird chick starter 28% protein as it basiclly has the same ingredients.
Cant rationalize the reason why they wont make a pellet version of the 28% feed, its all coming from the same place. (Even occasionally when I feed the game bird chick starter 28% it has a few pellets in it...so why the Hill not?)!

All 5 Game bird feeds I checked out has the BMD (Bacitracin Methylene Disalicylate) at various percents (50, 100, 200...).
http://www.ourcoop.com/productcatalog/Main/FLine.aspx?fl=312&fi=1
some being all plant protein others having animal protein.

Thus if I remember right the BMD issue was the influencing factor that swayed me to start feeding layer pellets in the first place...... besides being a crumble with a 9-15% powder residue and not mentioning the mold factor.

Oh and like Tony..... I give them Dog food occasionally and a few veggie rejects........ and eventually Lead pellets. (well, I dont know if tony feeds them lead).

The reason I concluded that layer pellets were not appropriate for my game birds was that the protein levels seem to always be around 16%. Game birds need a min of around 21% I think. The game bird specific feeds I used to buy when they were available (for some reason they aren't selling them near me anymore) were 22% protein. Meat bird feed is the only non-medicated feed I could find that most closely matches this.

I am using meat bird crumbles only because when I went to buy them that was all they had. I would definitely prefer pellets though.

 

[BobDBirdDog]

The reason I concluded that layer pellets were not appropriate for my game birds was that the protein levels seem to always be around 16%. Game birds need a min of around 21% I think. The game bird specific feeds I used to buy when they were available (for some reason they aren't selling them near me anymore) were 22% protein. Meat bird feed is the only non-medicated feed I could find that most closely matches this.

I am using meat bird crumbles only because when I went to buy them that was all they had. I would definitely prefer pellets though.

I agree on several levels. The layer pellets I am feeding is 21% protein (animal or grain ...I forgot) but has 4.xx calcium content. The Game bird feeds only have 0.90 calcium and 22% & 28% protein, the others only have lesser amounts (In the game bird).... BUT ITS ALL CRUMBLE and all is Medicated!
I like the medicated and don't like it for the many obvious reasons. So its a crap shoot, low(er) proteins-no medications, higher proteins- medicated... I went through that choice comparison issue years ago and the balance was the layer pellets that won at 21% protein. So its a paradox of choices with no clear winner. So until I see one kill over from eating it ... I might just stay with what I have been feeding.

Feeding the chicks (28% medicated crumble) I see an occasional pellet that didn't get bashed up or turned to powder so I gamble that it must start out as a pellet. Then again.... maybe the feed master just threw in a pellet (with an evil laugh) just to drive me insane.

Outside the crumble being a certain percentage of powder, what really burns me is when I go get a few bags and some young buck just tosses the bags in the back of the truck, only to powder it more (Dog Food as well).

I have the attitude "they're just birds" but I don't see me spending money on feed the adults cant eat (powder) and end up pitching it on the ground.... makes some good earthworm food though.

 

[williamsingr12]

I just realized the wild game bird feed Ive been using is medicated . My adults love it especially my male he just takes huge mouthfuls at a time. I mix it with a turkey starter crumble my local feed store produces and they all love it. I leave it in the bags and roll the sides down as they eat it, some make a mess and throw it on the ground but I find leaving it in the bags they dump less on the ground then they do when its in their feed bucket they knock it over all the time.