Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[Ridgerunner]

the thing with feed is the FDA has once again stepped in . most milling places can not add animal products to their feed anymore.

Bruce, can you give a source for that? A lot of times these things get taken out of context or just bluntly misrepresented by people with an agenda. I like to go to the source to see what is really going on.
Thanks.

 

[unkadan]

The CWD in our whitetail deer herd got the use of meat and bones used in any animal feed banned in WI,,,I can go 35 miles and buy it in the UP,,,,

that was a state DNR pushing for it's ban,,,and unfortunately it worked

 

[al6517]

I haven't seen the elimination of animal products in feed yet. That said, it is getting harder to find in the retail sector. There? The Vegetarian propaganda rules the day, I'm afraid.

Our local mills still have meat and meat by-products listed. Prince Feeds still have meat and bone. I've paid close attention to this for years and I've come to an opinion, formed not through scientific research, but just in observation of our own flocks, that the amount of protein is important, but the type of protein is also critical.

Absolutely............ no question about it, almost impossible to find real beneficial feed these day's. Although I do have an idea Fred.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Absolutely............ no question about it, almost impossible to find real beneficial feed these day's. Although I do have an idea Fred.

Yeah? What's that?

 

[al6517]

Quote:

LOL .......... I can just see you now.......... face glued to the screen, tongue out with a stern look on your face, slammin black coffee and downing hot pockets, shootin up the place with the gamers in WOW. You go girl LOL.

 

[al6517]

Fred............ I may dabble in trying to make my own pelleted supplement loaded with animal protein, I think I have the workings and may be able to make a good little bunch at a time and won't cost me hardly anything.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Posted this over on another thread in response to a fella's hens eating an inordinate amount of feed, in his estimation.



In the past, we never had to worry about animal protein because feed makers just routinely included it. Over the past few years, the move has been toward purely vegetable protein in chicken feed. I'm simply not a fan.

The old wives tale about birds needing corn in the winter to "warm them up" is largely a myth. Corn is a carb and produces energy. Protein is likely far more important to inner body temperature than carbs. In fact, too high a protein feed in the summer isn't indicated. Protein in the cooler/colder months is indicated. If the feed does not have adequate animal protein or no animal protein at all, it is my experience that the birds consume much more feed, seeking both the protein and the heat generating capacity required during the colder months.

I've found that when raising out chicks that a Gamebird formula, with 24% protein, largely built on animal protein (3rd ingredient in the bag tag) results in far less total feed consumed. A high animal protein feed base also allows for room in the diet for more whole or cracked grains and alfalfa meal, thus off setting the expense of the Gamebird feed. If that all seems too fussy, then feeding a layer formula of 16% protein is fine, if that protein is largely made up of animal sources.

Just my $.02. Hope it helps.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Fred............ I may dabble in trying to make my own pelleted supplement loaded with animal protein, I think I have the workings and may be able to make a good little bunch at a time and won't cost me hardly anything.

 

[al6517]

Posted this over on another thread in response to a fella's hens eating an inordinate amount of feed, in his estimation.



In the past, we never had to worry about animal protein because feed makers just routinely included it. Over the past few years, the move has been toward purely vegetable protein in chicken feed. I'm simply not a fan.

The old wives tale about birds needing corn in the winter to "warm them up" is largely a myth. Corn is a carb and produces energy. Protein is likely far more important to inner body temperature than carbs. In fact, too high a protein feed in the summer isn't indicated. Protein in the cooler/colder months is indicated. If the feed does not have adequate animal protein or no animal protein at all, it is my experience that the birds consume much more feed, seeking both the protein and the heat generating capacity required during the colder months.

I've found that when raising out chicks that a Gamebird formula, with 24% protein, largely built on animal protein (3rd ingredient in the bag tag) results in far less total feed consumed. A high animal protein feed base also allows for room in the diet for more whole or cracked grains and alfalfa meal, thus off setting the expense of the Gamebird feed. If that all seems too fussy, then feeding a layer formula of 16% protein is fine, if that protein is largely made up of animal sources.

Just my $.02. Hope it helps.

This is also my school of thought and it's derived from watching my birds very closely and evalating their results with a well trained eye. IMHO this is what works for me. That's why I custome mix all my feeds according to who get's what and at what stage they are in, to include breeding season, it makes all the difference doesn't it Fred ??.

 

[al6517]

Quote:


Simply put Fred I plan to take a 20lbs of 28% game bird breeder crumbles, 20lbs of 20% Gamebird conditioneer feed and 5lbs of ground mixed whole fresh grains. I plan to make it into a fine dry mash then mix in my own finely ground up animal byproducts, such as bone, blood, feathers, organs and meat. I can grind that up and then run it through my big electric grinder with a metal disc I can make to fit, and then run it all through to make long stands of pellet diameter. Dry them in bulk for a while then cut into pellets and continue drying. this will then be fed daily as a supplement for far cheaper and better than I can buy, it will just cost me some time.

What do you think Fred ??.