molting/protein?

[Pathfinders]

Several have referenced specifically "fish based" cat food. Curious as to why only fish based? The formulated % is the same regardless of the protein source. Is there another reason?

I use a fish-based cat food as a protein supplement/treat because the idea of feeding my chickens cat food derived from chickens is rather revolting to me (although I will note the chickens don't care, they'll eat anything I give them.) As well, I worry a wee bit about the sources used, and wouldn't want to expose my chickens to any diseases the source chickens might have carried.

As far as I know, fish don't carry diseases that can affect chickens.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Shabana: it would probably be wise for you to wait until the molt is over and then worm. Wormers can be hard on chickens' systems as well and then double duty with a molt is just a double whammy. Also there are a few wormers that will mess with the feather development and cause irregular feathering. It is good to wait at this point in time. You could try some natural worming remedies in the meantime until your molt finishes. Pumpkin and their seeds are said to move the parasite along--cayenne, etc...

 

[Bogtown Chick]

I use a fish-based cat food as a protein supplement/treat because the idea of feeding my chickens cat food derived from chickens is rather revolting to me (although I will note the chickens don't care, they'll eat anything I give them.) As well, I worry a wee bit about the sources used, and wouldn't want to expose my chickens to any diseases the source chickens might have carried.

As far as I know, fish don't carry diseases that can affect chickens.

Yes.
Pathfinders...I was just going to say something to that affect. Alot of us get chickens for 'clean' or anti-industrous food sources. To feed them a cat food which probably is made of the floor sweepings from a meat processing plant sort of goes against the good things you have going.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

I sent them a message asking if there was a supplier in the U.K
They didn't even have the decency to reply. I am about to open a small feed shop and would have bought in bulk.
Their loss....

I'm also in the uk and would love to get my hands on the feather fixer product. I too sent them an email for stockists over here but have not received a reply

I have 2 cats and so I pinch their cat food and anything they leave gets offered to my birds

they go crazy for it. I also offer tinned tuna.

They do get mealworms and crickets too but less often as they can be quite a bit more costly over here.

I've just got my first flubenvet wormer as I've noticed a long worm in a poop. Will it be ok to worm them while a couple of them are still moulting ?
I've used the gut conditioner preventative ones previously but bought flubenvet now I've actually seen them.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/828722/molt-optimize-feather-regrowth-with-proper-nutrition

Shabana and Sue: This thread has an original post from a Nutrena employee it appears and she was marketing it here on BYC. She might have the contacts you need or be able to let you know if it's a possibility to get it across the Big Blue. Maybe try sending JenniO11 a PM or post on the thread and see if she can find out some information for you UK folks. Best of Luck. It's so new in the U.S. right now, too that some folks are still having a time of it finding it here. I was completely shocked when I found it at my feed store, to be quite honest.

 

[ally pryor]

peanuts and black sunflower seeds would work quickly. at my house we already have sugar free peanut butter you can rub it on anything corn husks work then roll them in chick or game bird crumbles .

 

[TwoCrows]

I just started feeding meat to my molting birds as I noticed a lot of feather eating lately by the ones that are going thru a hard molt. Ground Turkey once a day. Since then the feather eating has stopped. However I nearly get trampled to death at the gate when they see me coming with this baggy full of meat.

 

[new chick 203]

Been using the feather fixer for about a month and my girls look fab. All full and glossy. I'm going to make a habit of just buying it every fall when this starts up.

 

[fatcatx]

I use a fish-based cat food as a protein supplement/treat because the idea of feeding my chickens cat food derived from chickens is rather revolting to me (although I will note the chickens don't care, they'll eat anything I give them.) As well, I worry a wee bit about the sources used, and wouldn't want to expose my chickens to any diseases the source chickens might have carried.

As far as I know, fish don't carry diseases that can affect chickens.

Ah! Hadn't thought of that - good point! There are so many protein sources that are available now. Anyone have good/bad thoughts about rabbit, venison, or bison based foods? (I'm assuming duck and turkey would have some of the same concerns.) It would be helpful if I could just grab some of the cats' food for the birds when necessary.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Mine have been getting left over venison dishes--or specially prepared on spoilin' days. LOL. I feel pretty good about that good organic source of protein, myself.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I think the sunflower product is a fat extracted meal made from de-hulled "seeds". Then the total crude protein would approach 30%. Same product when consumed by something like a human has a digestible protein of about 23%. I would trust the nutritional value for sunflower seeds as developed for chickens of the life-stage in question rather than extrapolate from something like a horse. Problem you may run into even then is our birds living under more varied conditions may be more or less efficient at using a given foodstuff.

I can see how those things would make a big difference. I keep reading about nutrients and anti-nutrients and digestibility ... and it seems animal proteins are more "available" for poultry, and maybe insects are even better? I don't recall reading any "hard" nutritional information about insects, though store-bought grubs are too expensive to be a practical solution. Also now that I'm understanding the "Vegetarian Feed" poultry thing seems to come from the need to keep poultry feed free of meat products if the poultry litter is to be recycled as cattle/pig feed for industrial farming means I'm not very impressed by the marketing ploy of "Vegetarian" poultry feeds any more (explaining it to the egg customers is another issue). Also I'm not a big fan of soy for myself (I don't even like it if it is non-GMO, which I've been told is actually not possible any more) and would prefer not to feed it to my flock if I could find something "better" ... So I'm always interested in conversations about affordable, quality protein sources for poultry with a secondary interest in GMO-free or even Organic.

This is my flock's second winter, so their first "real" molt (flock of over 100 birds, some younger, some male). Some of my birds look absolutely pathetic, and it is getting colder, and I don't like it. Besides switching them to a higher protein feed, I've been feeding my flock scrambled eggs and cat kibble soaked in buttermilk -- but I never know how much to offer them to not throw off their other nutrients and make things worse. Now I'm concerned about the sodium in the cat kibble. I don't worry about the eggs as I figure eggs are about the "perfect" food for chickens ... at least before they hatch.

I'm thinking about mixing in some supplements to these "treats" ... maybe some yeast, and nutri balancer and probiotics to help with digestibility. And I do worry about making the eggs taste funky.