Meat Bird Feeding Experiment

[Arielle]

CUt grass is free here-- looking for cheaper alternatives to feeding.

CHicks are adapting to their new pens. THe right and left pens are not exactly alike because the sun moves. DH reminded my , nicely, that experiements are often run in an building to make the environment exactly the same. GUess the experiement could be repeated by putting the birds in the opposite pens. Next maybe.

Chicks are eating the new pellets fairly well. Will continue to offer medicated crumbles just in case. Usual source of feed has become unrealiable so I will switch them to a different manufacturer. WIll seee what %protein is available.

Possibilites: Pen one 22% protin complete feed Brand A
Pen two 30% protein with chopped grass

THe birds are drinking a lot of water already. About a gallon a day of 1T brags/gal

Birds experienced an upset yesterday when a ram decided to use coop as a rubbing tree and lifted and moved the coop 1 foot. He's BIG!

Chicks run and squawk when I approach, so I now tlak to them as I approach so as to reduce the scare factor.

This experiment is proving to be more difficult than I expected. lol

 

[dmack]

Just be careful with grass that has had chemicle fertilizers and stuff like that on it.

 

[Arielle]

Just be careful with grass that has had chemicle fertilizers and stuff like that on it.

You are very right!!! Use of chemicals has become the norm.

We have never used much in the way of chemicals here on our farm. Certainly not the lawn. Plenty of manure for fertilization. Chemicals arevery rarely used here-- it is a last resort for any problem here.

IF anything I am concerned about the free ranging chickens leaving their droppings and potentially over exposing the cornish x to coccidia.

 

[locoguru]

Do you guys think that grass cut with a mower and thrown in the run is ok? No chemical fertilizer.

 

[BCMaraniac]

Do you guys think that grass cut with a mower and thrown in the run is ok? No chemical fertilizer.

I take lawn mower grass and throw it in to chickens that I have in a pen It has not been chemically treated, and they seem to do find with it. I do make sure they have plenty of grit available for them.

 

[locoguru]

I take lawn mower grass and throw it in to chickens that I have in a pen It has not been chemically treated, and they seem to do find with it. I do make sure they have plenty of grit available for them.

TY!

 

[dmack]

Grass is perfect as long as there are no chemicals sprayed on it for some time. But yes lots of grit to help digest

 

[Arielle]

YEs, grit is very important. More important is that we feed , or let graze, our creatures on green grasses. After years of raising livestock I have come to undertand that our diets, and theirs, are lacking enough good quality vegetable and fruit matter. THere are many good chemicals within that keep us healthy and fight the C word. So I will encourage each of you to look at your own food intake as well as the animals.

Bought crumbles today. For meat birds. Cost more than source A by $3 a bag. ouch. Cannot find 30% feed. And don't think fish meal is a good options as I am not interested in fishy tasting chicken if I over feed on the fishmeal.

 

[BCMaraniac]

YEs, grit is very important. More important is that we feed , or let graze, our creatures on green grasses. After years of raising livestock I have come to undertand that our diets, and theirs, are lacking enough good quality vegetable and fruit matter. THere are many good chemicals within that keep us healthy and fight the C word. So I will encourage each of you to look at your own food intake as well as the animals.

Bought crumbles today. For meat birds. Cost more than source A by $3 a bag. ouch. Cannot find 30% feed. And don't think fish meal is a good options as I am not interested in fishy tasting chicken if I over feed on the fishmeal.

Some chicken folks that I know use a gamebird chick starter/grower for their meat birds because of the increased protein. I haven't done a side-by-side comparison of the other ingredients, though. I have considered using it for my new meat birds that are coming.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: My 2 sources of gamebird are both 22%. One is crumbles the other pellets. WEll, to be more accurate. One is a 22% broiler crumble and the other is 22% pelleted game bird. Now I need to look at the ingedients list to be sure they are the same. I raise turkeys too, so I'm betting these feeds are the same.