Jacin's Poultry 2022

[Tonyroo]

Are you starting a new flock?
Sorry I wasn't totally following this thread.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Are you starting a new flock?
Sorry I wasn't totally following this thread.

Not exactly. I have multiple flocks, this thread is mainly just following my breeding with them as well as just general updates like chick orders or incubating

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Had a cold snap blow through. On day it was negative double digits all day. Ended up losing a bird to an injury and have the white silkie trio inside because the male had a frozen foot. He's doing a bit better though.

The thing I hate about the snow besides the cold is that it makes it nearly impossible to close some of the gates here

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Look at this handsome boy.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

@U_Stormcrow , is this feed okay for male breeders?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

@U_Stormcrow , is this feed okay for male breeders?
View attachment 3007852

That's DuMor's 24% chick starter. Calcium is in a good place. Phosphorous is in a very good place. Lysine levels are excellent, Methionine are near highest you are likely to find. Fat is good. The fiber is a touch high, but certainly acceptable.

Yes, that's good nutrition. I've seen higher numbers in the recommends for just a few weeks in the lifespan of fast growth male broilers (literally, a three week period), but those meet (mostly exceed) recommends for every other life stage for every breed and purpose I've seen numbers for. Honestly, I think its a better feed than what I offer my flock for their first 8 weeks.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

That's DuMor's 24% chick starter. Calcium is in a good place. Phosphorous is in a very good place. Lysine levels are excellent, Methionine are near highest you are likely to find. Fat is good. The fiber is a touch high, but certainly acceptable.

Yes, that's good nutrition. I've seen higher numbers in the recommends for just a few weeks in the lifespan of fast growth male broilers (literally, a three week period), but those meet (mostly exceed) recommends for every other life stage for every breed and purpose I've seen numbers for. Honestly, I think its a better feed than what I offer my flock for their first 8 weeks.

Okay, so my breeder boys shouldn't have health issues on just that? It's kinda pricey (clearance bags were 5.29 for 10lbs and I got 3 to test out and just get them off layer feed), but I think I can find something similar or just get the larger bags if it's good

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Okay, so my breeder boys shouldn't have health issues on just that? It's kinda pricey (clearance bags were 5.29 for 10lbs and I got 3 to test out and just get them off layer feed), but I think I can find something similar or just get the larger bags if it's good

No, your boys will have no issues at all.

If you were to mix it 50/50 with layer, your boys would make a year with no external signs whatsoever, based on my experience, and relatively minor signs internally, mostly in the liver. and STILL looking better than some livers I've found in those plastic cups at the supermarket.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

No, your boys will have no issues at all.

If you were to mix it 50/50 with layer, your boys would make a year with no external signs whatsoever, based on my experience, and relatively minor signs internally, mostly in the liver. and STILL looking better than some livers I've found in those plastic cups at the supermarket.

Awesome, thanks. I know the damage is likely done already since they've been fed layer and or layer mixed with all flock most of their lives, but I'd like to stop it from progressing as much as I can.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

After reading the literature, I had real concerns, but now that I've had a year of feeding and culling and poking around inside, I'm much more confident that the clinical signs, while present, don't indicate even a low risk of losing one of my preferred breeders over the timeframes I'm concerned with.

If I kept roosters as pets, with an expected 5+ year timeframe, I wouldn't mix with the layer. But that's just a (barely) educated guess on my part - i don't know if the damage accelerates with time or is a linear progression.

as to "damage done", sure, they won't reach their full potential, but they will still pass on the genes of that potential, so its only the current generation that might disappoint some. and they should bulk up some on the improved feed.