Jersey giants not growing?

[AGeese]

Did yours grow? Mine are 5 and half months and are just finishing up the starter feed. One of the girls is significantly more developed, red wattles, face, and comb coming in greater step in her stride, makes more noise. Wasn't sure if might have a cockerel.

 

[The-White-Elephant]

Did yours grow? Mine are 5 and half months and are just finishing up the starter feed. One of the girls is significantly more developed, red wattles, face, and comb coming in greater step in her stride, makes more noise. Wasn't sure if might have a cockerel.

They are starting to. Hope nothing is bad.

 

[AGeese]

I'm stuck with layer feed since I bought it. But I let them out to get some grass and they were getting bugs early on. I'm going to start a fodder tray here pretty soon got a small bag of seed to see how they like it.

 

[The-White-Elephant]

I'm stuck with layer feed since I bought it. But I let them out to get some grass and they were getting bugs early on. I'm going to start a fodder tray here pretty soon got a small bag of seed to see how they like it.

Yeah, sort of the same for me. Apparently, they show more growth after 1 year Of age or so.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Yeah, sort of the same for me. Apparently, they show more growth after 1 year Of age or so.

Not to disappoint, yes they will keep growing, but the key time to feed a high protein, excellent amino acid profile feed to your birds is as hatchlings, juveniles, and adolescents. That's when their needs for Methionine (connective tissues, digestive tract, etc) and Lysine (skeletal muscles, breast development) are highest, as they build those structures to later hang their bodies on. Birds which get a deficient diet from the start will never live up to their potential - the same way that taking a human who starved their first 5-8 years of life on a grossly deficient diet and feeding them healthy meals the rest of their life may recover, but the damage of the stunted early start will always be present - they just aren't as well put together as they could have been.

Once the birds begin laying, their growth period is largely behind them, and their nutritional needs drop. Whomever advised you to feed your young birds "layer" thinned with additional corn did you a great disservice. No fault on you, you didn't know any better - and none of us know what we don't know until someone else shows us. You did the best you could, with the advice offered you.

Also, weights. Visual appearance checks can be hugely deceptive. I have "big" birds that don't weigh much, due to their feathering, and "small" birds that are compact little balls of meat. Weights, and body condition checks should be your standard of measure.

 

[The-White-Elephant]

Not to disappoint, yes they will keep growing, but the key time to feed a high protein, excellent amino acid profile feed to your birds is as hatchlings, juveniles, and adolescents. That's when their needs for Methionine (connective tissues, digestive tract, etc) and Lysine (skeletal muscles, breast development) are highest, as they build those structures to later hang their bodies on. Birds which get a deficient diet from the start will never live up to their potential - the same way that taking a human who starved their first 5-8 years of life on a grossly deficient diet and feeding them healthy meals the rest of their life may recover, but the damage of the stunted early start will always be present - they just aren't as well put together as they could have been.

Once the birds begin laying, their growth period is largely behind them, and their nutritional needs drop. Whomever advised you to feed your young birds "layer" thinned with additional corn did you a great disservice. No fault on you, you didn't know any better - and none of us know what we don't know until someone else shows us. You did the best you could, with the advice offered you.

Also, weights. Visual appearance checks can be hugely deceptive. I have "big" birds that don't weigh much, due to their feathering, and "small" birds that are compact little balls of meat. Weights, and body condition checks should be your standard of measure.

Never knew this, thank you. I know mine are growing, slowly, but surely. Thank you again. Hope they do end up like they should.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Never knew this, thank you. I know mine are growing, slowly, but surely. Thank you again. Hope they do end up like they should.

Lots of people do this, and report on the feed forums that their birds are "fine". End result, typically, is an "ok" bird - because they never see what the bird could have been, they have no standard against which to judge.

i feed all my mutts a high protein diet their first 8-9 weeks of life before dropping them to a 18-20% protein mix, its enough time for the birds with real potential to be exceptional to start to show it (also, I eat excess Roos, so feeding them like you would raising a CX helps with early weight gain for my table.)



You don't need to follow my example, its frankly excessive for most owners, and I don't recommend it as a general course - different needs, different goals, different feed programs. No one, right answer. LOTS of wrong ones.

Very best to you and your flock.

 

[The-White-Elephant]

Lots of people do this, and report on the feed forums that their birds are "fine". End result, typically, is an "ok" bird - because they never see what the bird could have been, they have no standard against which to judge.

i feed all my mutts a high protein diet their first 8-9 weeks of life before dropping them to a 18-20% protein mix, its enough time for the birds with real potential to be exceptional to start to show it (also, I eat excess Roos, so feeding them like you would raising a CX helps with early weight gain for my table.)



You don't need to follow my example, its frankly excessive for most owners, and I don't recommend it as a general course - different needs, different goals, different feed programs. No one, right answer. LOTS of wrong ones.

Very best to you and your flock.

Oh ok. Thanks! Should I just switch to a more protein feed?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Oh ok. Thanks! Should I just switch to a more protein feed?

My general recommmend, for the typical backyard owner, of the typical backyard flock, with typical backyard management is to feed an all flock/flock raiser to all your birds, of any gender, all their lives, with free choice oyster shell and free choice grit available on the side. All Flock/Flock raiser being an 18-20% protein feed, about 3.5% fat +/-, about 3.5% fiber +/-, about 1.5% calcium +/-, and if you really want to get down into the weeds, Methionine at .35 or higher, Lysine at .70 or higher, and phospherus at .7 (if you can find it, .5 is acceptable). [Listed in order of declining importance]

 

[The-White-Elephant]

My general recommmend, for the typical backyard owner, of the typical backyard flock, with typical backyard management is to feed an all flock/flock raiser to all your birds, of any gender, all their lives, with free choice oyster shell and free choice grit available on the side. All Flock/Flock raiser being an 18-20% protein feed, about 3.5% fat +/-, about 3.5% fiber +/-, about 1.5% calcium +/-, and if you really want to get down into the weeds, Methionine at .35 or higher, Lysine at .70 or higher, and phospherus at .7 (if you can find it, .5 is acceptable). [Listed in order of declining importance]

Ooooh. I’ve been feeding layer pellets, was planning on switching to I believe what was an all flock raiser.