Foraging And Feed Effeciency Comparing Breeds

[Arielle]

I added marans this summer and I have to say that these birds travel off into the woods far from all the other chickens. THe BO and SS are very good forages close to home; but the marans travel further out. Makes for a good combo to cover the area. THese FBCM are strong willed and try to dominate in the barn yard even the turkeys think twice before tormenting a marans; I find them easy to have around.

 

[gallorojo]

Plenty of people raise birds with little more than a handout in the evening-or even less.

I have raised plenty of birds with minimal or NO feeding, but, it helps to be raised by hens, and be serious foragers, my bantams are essentially not fed 9 months a year, this year, they raised about 30 chicks to adulthood, on NOTHING. I also raised a lot of Cubalayas on only a handful of scratch a day, once they were maybe 10-12 weeks old....They have to be truly free ranging on good forage for this to work...

Yellow House Farm made great statements that I agree with nearly totally. If you raise birds that were bred/created since regular formluated rations were developed , they simply will not forage like old old breeds will. I love how people always say their rocks or orpingtons are good foragers-ha, seriously? Have any of these people ever had GAMES, or game types? You have to have had both modern dual purpose AND old old breeds or games to understand what a difference there can be.

My great grandparents had games, and dominiques, and fed them nothing except an occasional handful of corn, period. They survived, and that was typical of most small homestead type farms 100 years ago or more..

The birds will grow much slower raised this way, and lay less eggs, of course. They will also be the healthiest, smartest birds you will ever see!!! I don't think chickens were meant to grow as fast, or lay as many eggs, as the modern production breeds do, and they suffer for it. If you need to make money raiseing eggs or meat, sure, you need to feed pellets from a bag...

If you just want food for your family, and have the space...there is another way...

 

[Oregon Blues]

Eggs and meat can not be manufactured out of thin air. A hen needs protein and she needs calcium in order to make eggs. There is no way around that.

The only way to know how efficient a bird is with the use of their food, is to lock them in a cage and weigh every spec that goes in and every spec that comes out. Poop would have to be analyzed to see how much nutrition had been utilized and how much simply passed on through.

Some folks have very good forage with lots of bugs for protein. Some folks don't. Some folks can not allow their birds out. With all that variation, stories about how well birds do or how little they eat are particularly worthless.

The foraging birds need bugs, seed heads, or legumes. General greenery gets eaten, but it doesn't provide enough nutrition to really crank out those eggs or build a lot of meat.

If someone wants efficient birds, the best question to ask is "I have this sort of forage, these conditions, and these predators. What breed of bird has done well for other folks under these conditions?" Because whatever the conditions are at your farm is going to makea huge difference in what type of bird will do the best.

 

[Ducks and Banny hens]

Quote:
I live in the foothills of the opeongo mountains. Now most people, especially the many americans here, wont know where that is; It's an branch of the appalachians that stretches across a small part of quebec and central ontario. The land is very rough, hilly and craigy, but overall, it's very fertile. The winters get a bottom temperature of -35 C degrees, with an average temp of about -25 C. The natural foods that I know they eat: Clover (they seem to be able to identify it from a good distance. It's their favourite food), Grass, bugs, worms, Wild Alfalfa, fallen apples and strawberries, and feral oats. And as a matter of fact, they are a small bird with big muscling. They're heavy for their size, and they're the first non-broiler chicken that I've seen that generally have a cleavage. I haven't had enough to spare for to eat, but I can't wait to try eating one, with that kind of meat. Here are some pictures....

I must also add that....
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.... I don't very well agree with this. Corn extract, Soybean oil, and crushed minerals and seafood can't compare to the marvels done by proper free-range. The problem is, most people supplement their birds quite well, even during free-range. I mean, What's the point of free-ranging if the birds just eat what's in their coop?! Free-ranging is something you have to jump into. All-in, All-out. If the birds cannot get everything on their own (that is, when they have the opportuity), they are not worthy to breed more of themselves. Entirely free-range birds have better, firmer, better-tasting meat. They lay healthier, richer eggs, and the birds become smarter because they're forced to think. But everyone's entitled to their own opinion based on their own experience. And that's mine.

 

[Arielle]

THe old methods of livestock success was to utilize the local breeds that had adapted to the climate, range and feeds. WHen people moved they took some stock with them. When Europeans sailed to the Americas, they brought poultry with them and we have been bringing in stock ever since.

Poultry interests me because it has been more adaptable to our human need for food than any other animal source.

I started this thread to learn. ANd the number of breeds discussed has been well beyond my imagination. I appreciate everyones input. Clearly there is a bird to fit every individual circumstance. Viva la poultry! From games to faverolles to commerical hybrids, there is a bird for every situation.


Some general comments.

In that most people don't have enough land to raise their own food, the commercial operations are of great value. With the advent of mechanization, the last 100 years, the production of eggs and meats changed. THe more the birds eat the more eggs a hen could be pushed to produce; the fast growing meat types need a readily available food source a foot away that is high protein. To feed a high density of people this method of food production is a must.

My son had a biography of Daniel BOone and he hunted all his food. At one of the settlements in the Kentucky area or just north, remember this is about 1775, the colony consisted of about 400+ men. Good hunting was a 40 mile walkaway! Foraging animals need a large area of good land to be the sole source of food. Games seem the most suited to self sufficiency if there is enough land with enough food resources.

In between, we have the heritage poultry or the dual purpose poultry. THe farm chickens. Chickens kept by a farmers wife and the children to supplement the crops with meat and eggs. THe chickens benefit from acres of cultivated land, free ranging for the day; coming home to a dinner of scratch then off to roost.


There is a bird for every situation and how well they forage varies as well.



Quote:
Any where near Ste Adele? I remember that town well, much like your description.

 

[Ducks and Banny hens]

No, I'm west of Ottawa.

 

[Arielle]

Quote:
Love Ottawa! Winter festival was awesome.

 

[Arielle]

Eggs and meat can not be manufactured out of thin air. A hen needs protein and she needs calcium in order to make eggs. There is no way around that.

If someone wants efficient birds, the best question to ask is "I have this sort of forage, these conditions, and these predators. What breed of bird has done well for other folks under these conditions?" Because whatever the conditions are at your farm is going to makea huge difference in what type of bird will do the best.

I have been thinking this over and over. And you are quite right. And I think this is why chickens have become a useful food source the world over. THey are very adaptable and that is why there are so many breeds available today.

Trying to find the right bird for a particular situation is one that I struggle with. CHickens exited the lives of most Americans in very developed areas long ago and the know- how died out too. I'm trying the trial-and -error method. LOL I value the BYC community to find breeds that will fit. ANd hope others seeking the same information will benefit,too.

I have another observation that I can only wonder at. I have hatchery stock of several breeds and then there are the marans. THe marans as by far better foragers, traveling the farthest away where as the others hang around the yard. Have the hatchery birds lost some of the instinct for foraging as they are bred in captivity, so to speak, and there is no selection for free ranging skills.

 

[perryalana21404]

 

[perryalana21404]

I live in the foothills of the opeongo mountains. Now most people, especially the many americans here, wont know where that is; It's an branch of the appalachians that stretches across a small part of quebec and central ontario. The land is very rough, hilly and craigy, but overall, it's very fertile. The winters get a bottom temperature of -35 C degrees, with an average temp of about -25 C. The natural foods that I know they eat: Clover (they seem to be able to identify it from a good distance. It's their favourite food), Grass, bugs, worms, Wild Alfalfa, fallen apples and strawberries, and feral oats. And as a matter of fact, they are a small bird with big muscling. They're heavy for their size, and they're the first non-broiler chicken that I've seen that generally have a cleavage. I haven't had enough to spare for to eat, but I can't wait to try eating one, with that kind of meat. Here are some pictures....

I must also add that....

.... I don't very well agree with this. Corn extract, Soybean oil, and crushed minerals and seafood can't compare to the marvels done by proper free-range. The problem is, most people supplement their birds quite well, even during free-range. I mean, What's the point of free-ranging if the birds just eat what's in their coop?! Free-ranging is something you have to jump into. All-in, All-out. If the birds cannot get everything on their own (that is, when they have the opportuity), they are not worthy to breed more of themselves. Entirely free-range birds have better, firmer, better-tasting meat. They lay healthier, richer eggs, and the birds become smarter because they're forced to think. But everyone's entitled to their own opinion based on their own experience. And that's mine.

What breed is this? Is it landrace, indigenous to that area?