BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[Turk Raphael]

We work very long hours outside the house and couldn't deal with such a chronic problem of feather picking. I would vote to get rid of all chickens rather than go crazy trying to play wack-a-mole with the transgressors.

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

I'm going to put the chicks back onto the 22% protein feed. I was going to get in some soldier fly larvae, but never did (got busy, you know how it goes!)
But in a way it was good, I could identify the tendency and cull those individuals. But I defnitely want to be sure they are getting enough of what they need.

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

I know someone commented about superworms carrying botulism. I asked our Shelter Veterinarian whom also happened to be a long time poultry judge. He said the superworms are okay to feed. So I raise and feed them to my hungry stock. I regularly save back the largest superworm stock to create beetles.

Nutritional content of the superworm(Zophobas morio)
Nutritional composition(%) and energy content (Kcal/100g), based on dry matter:

Protein - 43.13-46.79
Fat - 40.80-42.04
Fiber - 9.26-13.00
NFE(Carbohydrates) - 2.61
Energy content(Kcal/100g) - 575.53
Vitamin composition based on dry matter
Vitamin A - 29.16 mcg
Vitamin E - 18.29-32 IU/kg
Vitamin C - 2.85 mg
Vitamin B1 - 0.14 mg
Vitamin B2 - 1.78 mg
Vitamin B3 - 7.67 mg
Vitamin B5 - 4.61
Vitamin B7 - 83.14 mcg
Vitamin B9 - 0.16
Mineral composition(mg/100g) based on dry matter and recommended daily intake for adults(mg/day).
Calcium - 42-120
Potassium - 750.59
Magnesium - 118.29
Phosphorus - 562.95
Sodium - 112.83
Iron - 3.92-5.03
Zinc - 7.29-8.75
Manganese - 0.15-1.02
Copper - 0.86
Selenium - 0.03
Amino acid content (mg/g protein)
Valine - 52.3
Arginine - 48.7
Histidine - 30
Serine - 46.7
Proline - 54.8
Alanine - 72.6
Glycine - 48.2
Glutamic Acid - 122.8
Met + Cys - 18.3
Isoleucine - 47
Leucine - 97
Lysine - 52.3
Phenylalanine - 34.5
Methionine - 10.7
Cysteine - 7.6
Phenylalanine + Tyrosine - 31
Threonine - 39.6
Tryptophan - 9.1
Source for nutritional information:
Rumpold, BA; Schluter, OK. "Nutritional composition and safety aspects
of edible insects." MOLECULAR NUTRITION & FOOD RESEARCH; MAY, 2013; 57; 5; p802-p823

I've bought mealworms for my chickens, of course they love them but stopped after hearing about the botulism on another forum. I've been hesitant to feed superworms, they bite! I thought they might be a bit optimistic for chickens....so I've never fed those.

 

[oshun55555]

Maybe the space issue goes hand in hand with the proper protein availability? Out on range the protein is what suits their natural body needs, so the question of the right kind of protein is solved by free ranging as well.

What I can't get my mind around on the protein issue is that~for some of a particular flock~the proteins fed seemed adequate, as only some of the birds were picking feathers. At that point, it becomes a bird problem and not a flock problem. If most of my flock thrive well on what I'm feeding but I have one or even a few that seem to not do as well on it, my solution is to eliminate the problem of the few and leave the status quo for the whole as is.

Sort of like when folks start feeding more calcium or more protein because they find a soft shelled egg in the nest on a consistent basis....to me that's not a nutritional deficit that needs correcting in the flock but an absorption problem or reproductive disorder of a single bird, so my solution would be to eliminate that bird and leave the feed rations alone.

Cull cull cull, my motto as well, as granddaddy would say to me "that bird ain't thrifty, cull before it spreads to the rest of the flock"

 

[oshun55555]

Maybe the space issue goes hand in hand with the proper protein availability? Out on range the protein is what suits their natural body needs, so the question of the right kind of protein is solved by free ranging as well.

What I can't get my mind around on the protein issue is that~for some of a particular flock~the proteins fed seemed adequate, as only some of the birds were picking feathers. At that point, it becomes a bird problem and not a flock problem. If most of my flock thrive well on what I'm feeding but I have one or even a few that seem to not do as well on it, my solution is to eliminate the problem of the few and leave the status quo for the whole as is.

Sort of like when folks start feeding more calcium or more protein because they find a soft shelled egg in the nest on a consistent basis....to me that's not a nutritional deficit that needs correcting in the flock but an absorption problem or reproductive disorder of a single bird, so my solution would be to eliminate that bird and leave the feed rations alone.

The only time I add protein, is in the winter, then I feed them meat scraps from the steer I have butchered every year.

 

[NanaKat]

I need some advice- the new coop is almost ready and I need to separate out my cockerels from my pullets. This will be a major rodeo. I have a fish net, but is there some way to do this without freaking them out too badly? This will be very stressful for them and I'm a bit worried about injuries. Unfortunately they don't stay quiet when I go in the coop, even when it's dark  and they are not roosting at night yet. 
There's probably around 45 or so cockerels.

I keep those portable dog exercise pens in the barn. A two foot high one works for smaller chicks and the 36 in tall one works on the bigger birds. I can set it up in the corner of a coop or run and herd the birds in before closing the opening. Because the 8 sided pen accordion folds, I can quickly reduce the size of the temporary pen. I've even used the 36 inch tall one as a temporary fence around one of my small portable coops in a pinch.

 

[NanaKat]

 
I know someone commented about superworms carrying botulism. I asked our Shelter Veterinarian whom also happened to be a long time poultry judge. He said the superworms are okay to feed. So I raise and feed them to my hungry stock. I regularly save back the largest superworm stock to create beetles.

Nutritional content of the superworm(Zophobas morio)
Nutritional composition(%) and energy content (Kcal/100g), based on dry matter:
Protein - 43.13-46.79
Fat - 40.80-42.04
Vitamin composition based on dry matter
Mineral composition(mg/100g) based on dry matter and recommended daily intake for adults(mg/day).

I've bought mealworms for my chickens, of course they love them but stopped after hearing about the botulism on another forum. I've been hesitant to feed superworms, they bite! I thought they might be a bit optimistic for chickens....so I've never fed those.

I would use a mesh bag and dehydrate the super worms since they bite.
I can make my own fish meal too by dehydrating and then crushing fish bones in the grinder.

 

[Turk Raphael]

@CanadianBuckeye , looks like someone failed a lesson or 3 in chicken math.

I'm sure I saw where you have something like 45 cockerels to wrangle? Sorry to make fun of your plight but most of us have been where you are and feel your pain. When we got in trouble, we picked a 100ft roll of welded wire mesh and that worked very well for making some relative comfortable pens and covering them with the same material. It's cheap enough, easy to work with and can be re-attached to make larger sizes if one goes even crazier.

Lessons learned, we now have a total of 24 birds and plan to go into the winter with about half that many, unless we can agree to take ride South to pick up another few youngsters.
we took two of the cock birds that dad discarded and 5 pullets (W.Chanteckers)...they will stay. Also we managed to get 3 of their very nice looking hatchery Dark Cornish hens that are driving brother Jason nuts with their perpetual broodiness but that will suit us just fine. Dad gave us a very good incubator but we gave it back because we don't have time to mess with it or chicks. Any brooding can be done by the hens. I don't know if it has been mentioned but the White Chanteclers dad started also went broody. While not ideal for the most part, it does make me think they come from shoots that sprang fairly close to the root.

Sorry for having fun at your expense.

Turk

 

[lpatelski]

I would use a mesh bag and dehydrate the super worms since they bite.
I can make my own fish meal too by dehydrating and then crushing fish bones in the grinder.

Awesome idea.The chickens grab them by the darker colored head crushing it. They can chew through plastic bags. I don't hold them in my hands long. I use chopstix to pick them up.

 

[NanaKat]

I would use a mesh bag and dehydrate the super worms since they bite.

I can make my own fish meal too by dehydrating and then crushing fish bones in the grinder.

Awesome idea.The chickens grab them by the darker colored head crushing it. They can chew through plastic bags. I don't hold them in my hands long. I use chopstix to pick them up.

Then a square screen wire basket with a tight fitting lid would make a good dehydrating container.
My dehydrator has 9 removable trays so could accommodate a basket...otherwise a low oven setting for a few hours...shaking the basket to toss the bulk of worms for even dehydrating.