Heritage Large Fowl - Phase II

[hellbender]

Whole oats would keep them warmer !

Whole oats is part of my 'recipe'!

 

[gjensen]

To understand how whole grains work to keep a bird warm, you have to first understand that birds do not stay warm like mammals do,A chicken's crop is a fermentation vat. The more indigestible material that is added to the basic ration , the greater the amount of heat produced.I do not feed a lot of whole grains during the summer months,as it simply makes the birds too hot.When I feed a lot of whole grains,I add more Calf Manna to their ration,as I am lowering the protein level with the addition of those whole gr

Still not convinced how the hulls on the oats make a difference. Or that the core body temperature is changed vs. the regular feed. Or if there is a change that is measurable, that is lasts into the night.

Now if we were getting ready to see negative 35 wind chills I would throw mine plenty, just in case. LOL. With those kinds of extremes, you are looking for small victories. It would be hard to do nothing.

Now M. Vickie do not take me the wrong way. I have seen your gardens and birds, and they speak for themselves. When you say it, I listen. I have seen the proof in the pudding. I am just being a hard headed newbie.

 

[NanaKat]

We have been having some bitter weather as well. Birds are getting mixed grains with Boss each evening as they return to their pens from free ranging. I take hot water out in the morning to raise the temp of the tub water when I break the ice.
Will be adding some rolled oats and wheat to the grain mix for the next several days. BRRRR!

I've enjoyed the discussions from the several days... : )

 

[Beekissed]

Here's some info I've found on the topic of feeds in regards to heat....one source says it doesn't really matter what they eat because their bodies maintain a constant temp through thermoregulation performed by various body systems. The other source, while showing that some heat is generated by digestion and it can be beneficial in particularly cold weather, it may be offset by the excretion of manure, urine and even respiratory humidity as quickly as it is generated.

Quote: Birds allowed free access to their environment also rely on behavioral thermoregulation. This means they will seek out the most energy efficient means of maintaining their body
temperature such as feather ruffling, drinking water, moving into the shade or sun (or heat source), huddling and lying down.

The major advantage of endothermy over ectothermy is decreased vulnerability to fluctuations in external temperature. Regardless of location (and hence external temperature), endothermy maintains a constant core temperature for optimum enzyme activity. Endotherms control body temperature by internal homeostatic mechanisms. In mammals two separate homeostatic mechanisms are involved in thermoregulation - one mechanism increases body temperature, while the other decreases it. The presence of two separate mechanisms provides a very high degree of control. This is important because the core temperature of mammals can be controlled to be as close as possible to the optimum temperature for enzyme activity.

Here's some info on how energy is used from feeds in livestock:

Quote:
And a great link to information regarding chicken digestion and where the different nutrients are digested, fermented and what organs are involved with that process. It can give some insight into when the heat of digestion is occurring in the GI tract.

http://www.extension.org/pages/65376/avian-digestive-system#.UsjrWvtMGKI

 

[thedragonlady]

Still not convinced how the hulls on the oats make a difference. Or that the core body temperature is changed vs. the regular feed. Or if there is a change that is measurable, that is lasts into the night.

Now if we were getting ready to see negative 35 wind chills I would throw mine plenty, just in case. LOL. With those kinds of extremes, you are looking for small victories. It would be hard to do nothing.

Now M. Vickie do not take me the wrong way. I have seen your gardens and birds, and they speak for themselves. When you say it, I listen. I have seen the proof in the pudding. I am just being a hard headed newbie.

George... I know where you live !

 

[MagicChicken]

Quote:
Years ago in my ornithology class there was a lot of discussion about intestinal tract changes with diet. Bird intestinal tracts - particularly the caecum size - can change fairly quickly in response to seasonal changes in foraging conditions. So it doesn't surprise me that a chicken's intestinal tract could adapt to extract more nutrition from a food it wouldn't normally be eating.

I would cite the references but my old ornithology texts are buried somewhere in the storage shed and I'm not sure it's worth going to dig them out. Maybe Karen can help out here

Sarah

 

[tls_ranch]

 
 LOL. I thought the same thing. If it is there, Karen could find it.

 I agree, and I do not want to come across as being argumentative. There is just a lot "wives' tales" that were proven wrong over time. Then some has also been proven, and people were doing it long before we knew what it was.

 I just cannot rationalize how corn generates more heat than corn. LOL.

Ask yardfullorocks how the whole grains have worked for him .He's been rather pleased.

I need to dig out my Feeds and Feeding book from my animal science courses I took in college. But, I strongly remember being taught that whole corn, oats and other grains retain more nutrition than processed grain ( cracked, rolled, pelleted). Freshness was also a key factor in nutritional quality. If processed, grain can loose more nutritional value over time, but whole grain keeps its value longer when stored.

Chickens have good ability to grind up and digest whole grains as long as they have access to grit. Therefor they get the full nutritional benifit stored in the whole grain. I feed a commercial grower type ration combined with whole corn, whole oats and other mixed grains/seeds as " treats". I also feed calfmana, limited amounts of grain free cat food as a meat source and small amounts of healthy oils. Laying hens get about the same mixture but I add layer pellets to the grower ration and extra oyster shell. The extra whole grains added to the ration seems to be working very well for my flock.

Trisha

 

[Texasmja]

At the Bluebonnet Classic show today I won Best of Breed Wyandotte (White cockerel), Best Variety SLW , Best Variety White Wyandotte. I need to go through the pictures and see what came out. There were some Buff Orps that were HUGE. A pullet won CH English and a Cockerel won Res CH English, Cathy Gleason of Dallas owned the pullet. A RIR cockerel won CH American, and a NH Cockerel won Res American. I can't remember the rest off the top of my head I will have to look at the pictures.

 

[3riverschick]

Quote:

That's wonderful!

 

[thedragonlady]

At the Bluebonnet Classic show today I won Best of Breed Wyandotte (White cockerel), Best Variety SLW , Best Variety White Wyandotte. I need to go through the pictures and see what came out. There were some Buff Orps that were HUGE. A pullet won CH English and a Cockerel won Res CH English, Cathy Gleason of Dallas owned the pullet. A RIR cockerel won CH American, and a NH Cockerel won Res American. I can't remember the rest off the top of my head I will have to look at the pictures.

Congratulations ! We would love to see photos !