Faverolles Thread

[Cloverleaf Farm]

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[mame1616]

Chickie'sMoma :

i have a few question for anyone who is a breeder on here about what your opinions are on feed for your flocks? do you stick to organic store bought feed, regular store bought, get your own milled locally, supplement with any veggies/fruits/sprouts or just feed fruits/veggies/sprouts and no pellet/crumbled feed? have you switched from one type to another and seem to notice better or worse results with fertility, egg laying or over all health? is there a brand of feed you love or dislike or your chickens seem to love or dislike?

also, during certain seasons do you switch out feed or supplement for a reason and why would you do it?

I feed my birds Purina Flock Raiser all year, a mix of crumbles and pellets, with scratch grains in the morning. It's a 20% protein, but all of my birds are meat breeds or dual purpose, and all LF, with the exception of the Fav bantams, so they can handle it. During the molting season, I try to give them a short dose of 24% protein feed - just two bags in a row. It's very hard to find here, and I was hoping for a dealer at Indy, but no luck. I also add the food-grade diatomaceous earth to their food. I give them canned cat food once in a while for a treat, and definitely when they are molting. I feed numerous table scraps, but keep the meat to a minimum (although they love chicken!) I try to regularly buy collard greens or kale and hang a couple of bunches in the run for them to pick on. Right now I have a cabbage tetherball in the run. And, several times a year, I mix up a big container of yogurt with oatmeal, wheat germ, cornmeal, leftover rice, stale Cheerios, etc., whatever I have on hand - the yogurt helps regulate their gut flora. I splash some Apple Cider Vinegar in their water a couple times a week - the one with the mother in it. Occasionally, I will mix up some layer mash with wheat germ oil and some powdered kelp - mostly in the winter - and mix it with hot oatmeal - they love it. Chickens can pretty much eat anything we eat, so there's really no limit to what you can feed them. A varied diet is best, just like for people. Honestly, they have a healthier diet than I do.​

 

[Chickie'sMoma]

you mentioned the kelp meal. how much do they charge you for a container of it down your direction and how many ounces or pounds for that price. when i asked at my feed store when they started carrying it they get about $34 for a 50# bag and that is the only size they carry! i would have to become a distributor if i wanted to get the smaller sized containers or bags. my birds don't go through enough to keep that big a bag on hand. i opted to occasionally buy the nori wraps at the local grocery store since they are easier to store in a small space-like my kitchen!

as for the higher protein feed, i'm waiting for our local Tractor Supply to start selling UltraKibble. http://www.wildbirdsuets.com/foragecakes/kibble.htm i am eventually going to get this for my peafowl since they will need a slightly higher protein in their feed than i can get from the game bird crumble and it doesn't have any soy which is not in their natural diets. TSC won't have this in stock till February 2012 though

i'll be using this to help my chickens while they go though their molts along with their usual BOSS to keep them in shape.

my chickens enjoyed eating all the kale that came back this year in my 2nd garden. they devastated most of it but i hope the main part of the plant will come back next year and keep growing for them. i'll be planing more of this since it went over so well along with all the tomatoes that they love. i bought seeds to grow mangel beets but i didn't think to leave room in the garden when i wanted to plant them, so it is going to have to wait till next year. they loved the garlic scapes during the early spring and it seems it helped to de-worm them without making the stinky mess that using minced garlic does. they also loved the black berries growing wild behind their coop. i had to be careful when i had the birds loose while i was picking the berries or they would be completely gone before i could get some for myself!

 

[mame1616]

Chickie'sMoma :

you mentioned the kelp meal. how much do they charge you for a container of it down your direction and how many ounces or pounds for that price. when i asked at my feed store when they started carrying it they get about $34 for a 50# bag and that is the only size they carry! i would have to become a distributor if i wanted to get the smaller sized containers or bags. my birds don't go through enough to keep that big a bag on hand. i opted to occasionally buy the nori wraps at the local grocery store since they are easier to store in a small space-like my kitchen!

as for the higher protein feed, i'm waiting for our local Tractor Supply to start selling UltraKibble. http://www.wildbirdsuets.com/foragecakes/kibble.htm i am eventually going to get this for my peafowl since they will need a slightly higher protein in their feed than i can get from the game bird crumble and it doesn't have any soy which is not in their natural diets. TSC won't have this in stock till February 2012 though

i'll be using this to help my chickens while they go though their molts along with their usual BOSS to keep them in shape.

I can't get ANYTHING down my way except the most basic supplies! I live in the chicken desert - also known as New Jersey. I've gotten a five pound container once a year the past two year from Twin Cities Poultry Supply at shows; last year at Ohio, this year at Indianapolis. You add very little to the feed, and i don't do it all the time, so it lasts. Here's the link: http://www.twincitypoultrysupplies....in_page=product_info&cPath=44&products_id=720 Super nice people!

I have to special order the crumbles of the Flock Raiser - what does that tell you about what I can get around here? That's why I take advantage of the shows in other states to do some supply shopping. I even have to place a special order to get a flock blok!

That Ultra-kibble looks good - too bad the nearest distributor is two hours from me. I did go to the link you provided and wrote a note to the company asking about more dealers. BTW, the nori wraps is a great idea!​

 

[Chickie'sMoma]

my dh suggested the nori. i can also go to a local health food/herbal store that sells locally collected and dried seaweed made into sheets, but the stuff is super expensive through them!

 

[mame1616]

Chickie'sMoma :

my dh suggested the nori. i can also go to a local health food/herbal store that sells locally collected and dried seaweed made into sheets, but the stuff is super expensive through them!

Are you going to the Poultry Congress in January? I think I'd like to show there this year. I met Dick Boulanger there last year - what a treat!​

 

[Chickie'sMoma]

i have been wanting to go to them the last 2 years but we really can't plan on it since my dh has been off and on with work. not sure if we will have the $$$ to afford gas to go.

i have one girl that is considered show quality that i have been wanting to take since last year. this year she has gone through her molt early enough that i might be able to enter her! i stocked up on feed while our local store had a really good coupon. i was able to save myself about $60 in feed and they should be set for 4 months so they won't be starving!

(now that the last turkey is finally gone that is!)

 

[dandydoodle]

At what age do favs usually start laying eggs.

Thanks

 

[keesmom]

Sooo, does anyone here have a game cam? Any brand recommendations (at reasonable prices)? I'd like to get a couple to really know what's out there at night. I have some idea what roams around but want a more quantitative evaluation. This is after a situation where I expected to find a coon outside the run and instead found an unhappy fisher IN the run (ripped the fencing right off at the top). He got a couple of pullets in a short amount of time. If it hadn't been a weekend or I hadn't been up late it would have butchered the entire group.

 

[comerspoultry]

Quote:
go to walmart they have some inexpensive ones. hubby has a couple for deer hunting