Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[NYREDS]

Is this what you would recommend for chicks, growers and adult birds?

Right now I'm feeding fermented oats, a handful of alfalfa pellets, calf manna, a bit of scratch with some corn and less than 50% of the mixture is 18% protein chick starter/grower. They also have access to 16% layer pellets for adults, or chick starter for the youngsters. The calf manna addition is relatively new and so far so good. Just wondering if I should switch to higher protein game bird for use in the mash. It's pretty confusing and as much as I try to keep it simple, it really isn't.

That really sounds like a lot of work: 3 different feeds plus alfalfa pellets, calf manna, fermented oats,scratch grain, whew-I'd never keep it all straight. I feed a 22% protein grower crumble & a little scratch. I feed the grower from hatch 'till death or departure & at the risk of offending I doubt that your birds do any better than mine for all your complex feeding.
My feeding philosophy: KISS [keep it simple, stupid]

 

[Dahlisgrams]

Quote: It's somewhat limited here too. This is why my search continues as well. More expensive does not always equal better. And, what works for one may or may not work for another..

Quote: That was the reasoning for adding the small amount of alfalfa pellets (a calcium boost and slightly higher protein than grain) and also the calf manna, which my flock seems to enjoy. I have started the chicks on the fermented grain/alfalfa/calf manna/chick starter mash at two weeks with grit available to them. Offer fermented plain 18% chick starter for the younger chicks and they seem to do well on it. I also give them eggs a few times per week plus they free range for insects. Just want to make sure I'm providing them with what they need but not more than they need.. wishing commercial feeds were not so geared towards vegetarian formulas. I think I might leave them on their current ration and see how they do for a while. I can always try game later if it seems they need more protein. Need to give this one a chance. It does seem better to be consistent in any event.

Is there any particular benefit of offering them milk or cottage cheese?

 

[Dahlisgrams]

Quote: It is! This is why I'm questioning it. Chick starter, layer pellets, alfalfa pellets, oats, scratch, calf manna.. longer than my grocery list for the kitchen some weeks!

I'm going to try to figure out the percentages of what they're getting and see where I'm at. Thanks for the feedback everyone. I appreciate it.

 

[sgribble]

There is an old website for a "gold coast farm" that is no longer in use. He seems to have many heritage breeds. He also has the same strain of hamburgs and rocks as I do but nowhere on the site is his name given. Email is also not working. Anyone know who this might be?

Yes I know who he is but good luck ever getting in touch with him,much less getting actual birds.

 

[thedragonlady]

It's somewhat limited here too. This is why my search continues as well. More expensive does not always equal better. And, what works for one may or may not work for another..
That was the reasoning for adding the small amount of alfalfa pellets (a calcium boost and slightly higher protein than grain) and also the calf manna, which my flock seems to enjoy. I have started the chicks on the fermented grain/alfalfa/calf manna/chick starter mash at two weeks with grit available to them. Offer fermented plain 18% chick starter for the younger chicks and they seem to do well on it. I also give them eggs a few times per week plus they free range for insects. Just want to make sure I'm providing them with what they need but not more than they need.. wishing commercial feeds were not so geared towards vegetarian formulas. I think I might leave them on their current ration and see how they do for a while. I can always try game later if it seems they need more protein. Need to give this one a chance. It does seem better to be consistent in any event.

Is there any particular benefit of offering them milk or cottage cheese?

When I had my Nubian show herd, everybody on the farm got fresh milk and yoghurt. It's a wonderful protein/ fat source for chickens. Somewhere I have a photo of 2 English Mastiffs, a couple of cats, a crow, and 5 or 6 hens with chicks, all drinking out of a pan.They also got all the whey left over from my cheese making. Great for coats on dogs, and feather quality on poultry.

Extra eggs are great too. Might as well re-cycle.

 

[thedragonlady]

It is! This is why I'm questioning it. Chick starter, layer pellets, alfalfa pellets, oats, scratch, calf manna.. longer than my grocery list for the kitchen some weeks!

I'm going to try to figure out the percentages of what they're getting and see where I'm at. Thanks for the feedback everyone. I appreciate it.

Start with a good basic 20% ration, which you put out free choice. Then add goodies for growth/ condition. It doesn't take a math whiz to know that whole grains drop the protein , unless they are soybeans. You need to add the vitamins and minerals that our farms have farmed out of the soil. I use Calf Manna. Have for 40 years. It works. If I add it to a 20% ration alone, I'm boosting the protein. Do I want to do that ? No. So I add soaked whole grains with the Calf Manna to lower it back to 18- 20 %. Those grains are soaked for palatability, and therefore less waste. Easy, and it works. Watch your birds at their feeders when you fill them. Do they mob them? No? Try something else. The best scientific ration in the world does no good if the birds don't gobble it up.

 

[Dahlisgrams]

Quote: This makes great sense to me. I think I'll shop for a new 20% ration and when I'm running low on my current supplies, get some and try this. I don't like to waste and am big on recycling. Don't normally buy that much at a time in order to keep the feed fresh so it won't be but a few weeks which is long enough to see how they do on the calf manna. I wasn't sure if they'd like it but they really seem to. Think I'll cut the alfalfa out when I finish it and just use some oats and scratch as the grains. Thank you so much for helping me figure this out. I've been told that I like to, no, LOVE to complicate things.. lol

I took the number of birds in each flock, multiplied that by the number of recommended tablespoons of calf manna and add that to the amount of daily fermented grain they consume. Should I be offering the recommended tablespoon per day per bird, or more of less? Figured I'd start with that and adjust as needed.

I'd love to see the photo of them all sharing the milk. My dogs would gladly eat the mash with the chickens. It was such a relief to realize that my dogs will protect and not harm the flock. Shelties are great dogs.

Also I'd like to thank everyone who participates in this thread. It is incredibly helpful and all the knowledge and good sense offered here is very much appreciated. I normally just read but do not contribute as I simply don't have the experience yet to offer anything useful. I'm in it for the long haul though, so I'm trying to soak it up like a sponge.

 

[RiddleMe]

I

There is an old website for a "gold coast farm" that is no longer in use. He seems to have many heritage breeds. He also has the same strain of hamburgs and rocks as I do but nowhere on the site is his name given. Email is also not working. Anyone know who this might be?

Yes I know who he is but good luck ever getting in touch with him,much less getting actual birds.

I tried contacting him earlier this year about his hamburgs but didn't have any luck...

 

[3riverschick]

Start with a good basic 20% ration, which you put out free choice. Then add goodies for growth/ condition. It doesn't take a math whiz to know that whole grains drop the protein , unless they are soybeans. You need to add the vitamins and minerals that our farms have farmed out of the soil. I use Calf Manna. Have for 40 years. It works. If I add it to a 20% ration alone, I'm boosting the protein. Do I want to do that ? No. So I add soaked whole grains with the Calf Manna to lower it back to 18- 20 %. Those grains are soaked for palatability, and therefore less waste. Easy, and it works. Watch your birds at their feeders when you fill them. Do they mob them? No? Try something else. The best scientific ration in the world does no good if the birds don't gobble it up.

Hi Dragonlady. What is the ratio of feed to CM and whole grains? 90%Feed / 5%CM / 5%WG. Would that work?
Thanks,
Karen

 

[catdaddyfro]

Whole grains will not come close to supplying the necessary protein percentage that you need unless you are supplementing with animal products, or Calf Manna. Whole grains will LOWER any ration to below 12%, if more than half.. You need to make that up with animal protein, or CM. I'd much rather feed CM than Soy, or cotton seed meal, and I still supplement with some animal fats.

yep I agree, good advise here, all of it.

Jeff