Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[aveca]

You've never heard of wine vinegar?

sure, but the face squinchin vinegar comes from mean ol apples..

 

[Lacy Blues]

Good day everyone. I apologize for jumping back to a previous discussion about feeding fish food as a supplement. But I would still like to delve into it a bit more. I pulled the tag off what I am currently feeding to my birds and wanted to get a few opinions about it. I like to try and keep things as uncomplicated and cost effective as possible. The latter keeps The Wallet aka DH happy and simplicity keeps my OCD in check. Along with the commercial feed I also feed a mix of oat groats, red milo, sunflower hearts, peanut hearts, hard winter wheat and dried peas. They also get silage, greens from the kitchen and garden as well as meat scraps from our venison and beef harvests. Occasionally I give them hand fed treats of meal worms but they are very expensive and I would prefer to spend my budget on a larger bulk product. Any advice for changes would be greatly appreciated.

I have seen people get all goofy over feed. The most important thing is amino Acids in the feed and if its animal protein or soy bean protein. Can the birds absorb the stuff or do they poop it out and its waisted money and feed.

I remember when I first got started I tried to beat this guy who had out standing Black Rose Comb Bantams and for three years I just finished third or fourth behind him for best of show.

One day we where sitting in the corner of the Poultry Building and I told him I used xyz feed. He said that feed ain't worth S### t. I then said what the heck do you feed your birds. He said FRM Game bird feed. Starter for the chicks, then at four months a all purpose game bird 20% Pellet. The next Monday I went and got me some and the next year I was second runner up and he said. What did you do different from last year. Your birds have a finish like you sprayed lack-er on them. I said I feed them what you feed your birds.

I have not st oped in 25 years. Game bird feed has better grains and better protein and cost about two dollars more a sack. I just raise less birds per year and fewer breeds.

I give them can dog food, sun flower seeds wheat germ oil, cod liver oil and grass clippings two months be for a show along with the game bird feed.

I have interviewed the top old English game breeders in the south and they use game bird feed to. If you dont show them a standard 15% egg laying pellets will be fine as long as its not sow bean protein.

That's all I do. I don't think they can absorb more than 13 % protein any way and the rest comes out on the ground.

Just my view. Cheap feed poor looking chickens. The secret is free range if you can keep them from being killed by dogs, foxes, coons ect.

Let me introduce you to a thread www.backyardchickens.com/t/644300/fermenting-feed-for-meat-birds

These issues are discussed there. It will save you money but at the same time it WILL make it a bit more complicated. I haven't gotten bigger buckets yet - next payday - but doing this every 3 or 4 days instead of twice per day will definitely simplify this process for me.

They absorb the proteins better when their feed is fermented because it is basically "predigested" and so the speed with which they process their food actually allows better absorption of nutrients. Less protein ends up on the ground this way too. I have no free range opportunities for my birds - I live in the desert. On occasion though, we cut sagebrush and bring that to them. They love it!

 

[Robert Blosl]

Quote: I will try this on my Cherry Eggers when I get them. Sounds like a lot of fun.

 

[ashandvine]

I go away for a day and you all start talking about really interesting things, like wine and women and how to feed a chicken. I brew Mead. I feed chickens. Yeast ferments to a point where it kills itself with the alchohol its produced or you stop it with a temp or chemical (chemical is the only sure way to not get a restart.) Vinegar happens with two things: contamination or poor seals and often a combination of both. This relates to women and chickens. Keep them in the right environmental conditions for each kind and then don't open what you can't handle, be it wine or vinegar. (That's about as wise as I get. I got to judge a few times here and I won a few times there, so I know more about mead than chickens. I'm a gal but... well, not a girlie gal is all I can say.)

ps: I met Seramas in person this weekend. Bestill my heart!

 

[fowlman01]

I go away for a day and you all start talking about really interesting things, like wine and women and how to feed a chicken. I brew Mead. I feed chickens. Yeast ferments to a point where it kills itself with the alchohol its produced or you stop it with a temp or chemical (chemical is the only sure way to not get a restart.) Vinegar happens with two things: contamination or poor seals and often a combination of both. This relates to women and chickens. Keep them in the right environmental conditions for each kind and then don't open what you can't handle, be it wine or vinegar. (That's about as wise as I get. I got to judge a few times here and I won a few times there, so I know more about mead than chickens. I'm a gal but... well, not a girlie gal is all I can say.)

ps: I met Seramas in person this weekend. Bestill my heart!

I am taking my Serama table top judging test on Oct 6. Then I can brag to Bob about all my skilz.....

Walt

 

[kathyinmo]

Seramas are definitely not "heritage," birds - AND, they aren't even big enough to make a chicken nugget with. ick....

 

[Lacy Blues]

Let me introduce you to a thread www.backyardchickens.com/t/644300/fermenting-feed-for-meat-birds

These issues are discussed there. It will save you money but at the same time it WILL make it a bit more complicated. I haven't gotten bigger buckets yet - next payday - but doing this every 3 or 4 days instead of twice per day will definitely simplify this process for me.

They absorb the proteins better when their feed is fermented because it is basically "predigested" and so the speed with which they process their food actually allows better absorption of nutrients. Less protein ends up on the ground this way too. I have no free range opportunities for my birds - I live in the desert. On occasion though, we cut sagebrush and bring that to them. They love it!

I forgot to mention that it saves on feed too. Since their bodies are utilizing more of the available nutrients, they don't eat as much after about a week or so, so you'll save a lot on the cost of feed as well.

Oh, and my girls' egg's shells are much harder even through the summer and I also saw a slight increase in laying!

Can't beat that with a stick!

 

[Robert Blosl]

Walt I think the method for judging Seramas is fantastic. One of my friends and I where taking about some old English he has seen in the Poultry Press and he use to raise them years ago.

They have tails pointing up like a Jap and their wings point down very hard like a Se bight. Yet they are Grand Champion of the show. No point cuts are made so if you judged them like a Seroma they would be cut at least four points. How can a chicken with four to six point cuts be Grand Champion of the show.

I told him I remember when I was in the fifth grade my teacher once told a friends mom I score my tests by the curve. We thought she was talking about a curve ball in base ball.

Some times I think with this comparison judging you have a class of Rhode Island Red bantams say 100 and 80 have type like a Partridge Rock and twenty of them have type like a Rhode Island Red and after its all over the best two are say females and they have top lines like a rock, short in body and the good birds are placed fourth or fifth.

He said its getting worse so many of the judges are not judging by the standard but by the majority of the birds at the show.

Seroma judges after looking at the bird on the table call out a score. Kind of like the young guys in California who look at the girls on the beach and say shes a seven or a eight.

O well just one of my pet problems I have when we go to the shows. Its hard to get beat by a Red Rock.

I wonder if Seromas would like their feed soaked be for they eat it.?

Seromas would make a good starter breed for a beginner they can raise them in a bird cage.

 

[ashandvine]

Seramas are definitely not "heritage," birds - AND, they aren't even big enough to make a chicken nugget with. ick....

LOL... I oh I agree about those little show offs. I'd been talking birds for the past three hours with a man and his wife who show and what I SHOULD have written was:

I MET SUMATRAS!

Now, again, they aren't as big as I would want in a bird, but at the same time those black birdies put a spell on me. I will probably make room for them down the road. Just for pleasure. I have a lot to get sorted first. The Chanteclers might be last birds coming in for a while... other than ducks. Ducks are too humorous and 'dual purpose' for me not to have a few more here.

 

[ashandvine]

I forgot to mention that it saves on feed too. Since their bodies are utilizing more of the available nutrients, they don't eat as much after about a week or so, so you'll save a lot on the cost of feed as well.

Oh, and my girls' egg's shells are much harder even through the summer and I also saw a slight increase in laying!

Can't beat that with a stick!

I tried this link. There's a problem with it. Hopefully it get fixed but just so you knew. I'll pm you for more info