FEEDING ADULTS TO PREVENT STAR GAZZING CHICKS

[Glenda L Heywood]

check the other post thanks
didn't realize I had it on twice
sorry for that

 

[speckledhen]

I cannot speak to stargazing, specifically, but you have touched on something that is rarely brought up, the health of the parent stock. A feed made for breeding birds, rather than just layer feed, helps with many chick and hatching issues. A game bird breeder feed seems to do well here.

 

[cybercat]

From my experiance with other animals and my reading on chickens. I do not think any chicken feed is high enough for layers unless you make your own up or use game bird. I have a label here in front of me and I am question it for chick feed as I find certain areas too low like fat and calcium. I am going to look into game bird for my flock as it sounds alot better than normal chickens feed.

 

[warmfuzzies]

Wow, that was very interesting. I actually had two of these hatch out of my first batch. I started gathering hte eggs without them being on anything special, because my rooster died and I wanted some babies.

Anyway, the first chick would twist his head back and forth, and then he would spin. Noone knew what was wrong with him. He died at about one week.

The second one was really weak form the start and he just stared at the ceiling all the time. I culled him right away.

I had only a 50% hatch that time, and the ones that diddnt hatch were only about ten days along. After reading about it more, I had already decided that it was due to their improper diet for breeders. Now I know that caused the other problems too! Thanks so much!


Oh, I now have them on meat bird feeder, supplemented with free ranging.

 

[Glenda L Heywood]

I always used the theory that GOOD FERTILITY
comes from the use of the Vit E
1 gallon wheat
1/4 cup of wheat germ oil
mix and let stand over night
feed 3 tbsp per adult chicken
This supplies vit E for fertility in both sexes

GOOG HATCHABILITY comes from Vit A&D
then another day mix
1 gallon of wheat
1/4 cup of human cod liver oil
mix and let stand over night
now mix and feed 3 tbsp per adult chicken
provides Vit A & D
this is for good hatchability

females need good vitamins also so the chicks hatch

do not mix oils as one out does the other
use fifferent days to feed the wheat and oils
also besure and feed granite grit when feeding grains f any kind

this is very important because your feed from the feed store can become old and lose vitamins

so always feed up what ever feed your using for hatching time as it will become old and useless

Chickens are prone to not eat the most vitamin packed feed
that is why I liked to use the mineralized pigeon grit as they also will get added minerals in their diet.

I always put it in a seperate feeder as well as oyster shell

and at end of a month besure and dump the old oyster shell out on the ground and let them peck at it there
BUT besure and restock new oyster shell

chickens will pick thru the oyster shell and then only eat what they want and if no new oyster shell is put in the feeder they will quit eating it.

they like a change
yet some will pick it out of the ground
I always put it in their pen and let them scratch it around