Nutrition especially for your Peas

[frenchblackcopper]

Thru trial and error you can always teach a dog new tricks,no matter the age.My main focus the past several weeks is deciding my breeding pens for next year,(and the dreaded expansion of Pea palace) as well as a new diet for the entire breeding group.None of my peas are allowed to free range.I breed for specific "known" genetics in my 12 groups and since my birds are 100% dependant on me,and my abilities to sustain them,maintain them,and prepare them for winter,as well as breeding season it is only good poultry husbandry to take the time,do the research,ask the questions,and get the answers.

Many probably buy bagged "crumbles" or a balanced ration from a local farm store.Some have the oppurtunity to work with your local feed supplier,and develope a ration specific to your individual purpose.I have the luxury of consulting with a nutritionalist,as well as having my local co-op custom order specific ingredients,and then grind and mix those to my instructions.

Peafowl are unique in several aspects,but similar to some other forms of birds we keep. Similar to chickens that they lay eggs,similar to pheasants in the fact Peafowl can maintain flight over somewhat of a distance.But their breeding season is short,similar to ornamental pheasants.Peacocks drops their trains later in the summer,where my ornamental pheasants lose theirs at least 1,if not 2 months before the Peacocks.

Believe it or not,during train growing in mature Peacocks, puts demands on their diet much diffrent than breeding season.And during this time,your peahens are in a maintain type of mode.Diffrent months,diffrent sexes,requires or should have diffrent diets specific to what phase the bird is going thru.

I'm sure many of you that buys prebagged feed with a specific analysis knows corn is the main ingredient.But did you know,corn is one of the lowest protein,vitamin and mineral quantities of ingredients used for feed? Yellow corn has NO B-2,,very little Niacin and Calcium,and Iron. It's basically a low cost "filler" in my opinion.

In no way am I an animal nutritionalist. But if it's my duty to care and maintain for my peas entire welfare I need to seek out the best options possible.I know nutrition plays a very significant role in having excellent hatchrates.There are key ingredients specific to a balanced palatable diet that has high digestability.

Corn prices are expected to fall to under $4 a bushel in 2014 which makes it a low cost foodstuff. But does low cost make it appropriate to use? Internet shopping and looking at what other breeders are now charging for adult breeding aged peas tells me at this point cheep feed should not be an option,and improved hatchrates now,more than ever is the top objective going into 2014 breeding season.

Has anyone else here researched feed rations? Have you implemented them?

 

[zazouse]

Some folks have to use what is put before them, I am sure we all do the best we can for our peas, and don't give corn such a bad wrap folks been feeding it well before we were born and there are still lots of birds healthy running around.
Growing fresh is best but when ya don't have the place or time you have to work around it with what ya have.

It is hard to talk about this , when ya can't mention some things , i got fussed at last time

 

[Trefoil]

I try. I both free range and confine, but in both cases my males & females feed together so I haven't even tried to make a gender specific diet. Corn has its uses, especially in cold climates and there are a lot of other cheap feedstuffs that I would rather have corn than. My favorite supplement is calf manna, probably a hold out from my horse raising days but the birds like it and it has added vits & minerals as well as corn, I also supplement with brewers yeast. We are mostly subject to what is available in our area. I would love to be able to get peas and have been considering adding rice to their diet but haven't so far. Except for the geese, all of my birds prefer fermented feed.
Nutrition has a profound effect on egg viability, so if you are getting close to 100% viabile eggs that's a really good indication that they are getting what they need.

 

[zazouse]

Yes CM is a great supplement, i have fed it to may things over the years with great results.
Wheat germ and flax seed is also good for them and us

When cold weather is rolling in i feed my peas a big-ol- pot of cooked oatmeal and eggs to keep them warm from the inside out it is also a good way to worm them..

i stopped buying regular feed at the first of summer and just stated broadcasting corn out in the field every few days, ya know what all my other birds are fine, egg production is great , i will supplement regular feed in the winter but i have learned my birds did not need it with all this land they have to forage on and once i took it away the free loaders started ranging , where as before they just waited by the food bowls.

The peas however get their oatmeal er whatever on my carport roof and conex boxes where the chickens can't reach.

 

[frenchblackcopper]

My sole intention of starting this thread is to bring to lite manythings I have learned the past years,and proven here for myself. It is important to consider price,availability and what works best. This week after I get one more ingrediant,we will be mixing my first ton of this feed,and birds from my 2012 hatch that will be staying here for breeding will then be seperated and start getting this feed as well. When you consider at this time of year,you have young peas in the growing stage,peahens that are not laying,and Peacocks that have lost and are starting to regrow their train,each bird has very diffrent nutritional needs.

Then as breeding season approaches,the males trains are fully grown,hens are now in the laying-breeding mode,and your peachicks have doubled in size.It is also the time of year to consider planting a garden,if you have the area to do so. Growing specific vegetables for peafowl is another avenue to consider,and one thing about garden produce,you know it's fresh,and if any seeds are gmo or if and what kinds of herbicides-insecticides were used.
One more thing,,this time of year would be an excellent time to start growing mealworms,,they are right at 50% crude protein. The more we know with what little information there is relating to peafowl can benefit everyone.

 

[AugeredIn]

I am always trying to improve our feeding tactics. We started with game bird foods moved to a 22% layer pellet and now is a combination of the high protein layer pellets, a couple of different types of cat foods and a couple other items like calf manna. We will try anything. It is painfully obvious to us know that peafowl in the wild or free ranging will eat the highest protein diet available. It is also obvious that protein and possibly other feed ingredients affect egg and chick quantity and quality.

 

[zazouse]

I found lots of grasses and seeds and beans in all of my peas gizzards
These are 2 different birds gizzard contents taken 2 months apart,
you can enlarge this and see the contents better and if it offens anyone i will delete it. i just wanted you to note how much green stuff was being injested by the free rangers,

 

[frenchblackcopper]

The animal feed nutritionalist I've been working with has a unique approach to feed for peafowl,and he based our ration similar to that of wild pheasants. We wanted to incorporate more "seeds" in the ration that are truly beneficial. Milo and Millet although both low in protein levels(roughly 9%) is something peas love.Last year and the year previous, in my two test groups after the first few days on my trial feed you could actually watch them pick and eat these seeds out first. Protein is the building blocks of all tissue Protein molecules are composed of smaller molecules called amino acids. there are over 20 known diffrent kinds of amino acids.Poultry, like all animals, synthesize proteins that contain 20 L-amino acids. Birds are unable to synthesize 9 of these amino acids due to the lack of specific enzymes: arginine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenyl-alanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. Histidine, glycine, and proline can be synthesized by the bird, but the rate is usually insufficient to meet metabolic needs and a dietary source is required. These 12 amino acids are referred to as the essential amino acids. Tyrosine and cysteine can be synthesized from phenylalanine and methio-nine, respectively, and are referred to as conditionally essential because they must be in the diet if phenylalanine or methio-nine levels are inadequate. The diet must also supply sufficient amounts of nitrogen to allow the synthesis of nonessential amino acids.

These essential acids can be found in grains and beans,which we incorporate in their diets by adding a them. Trace minerals is equally important.Phosphorus,Potassium,Sodium,Chlorine,Magnesium,Manganese,Zinc,Iron,Copper,Iron,Selenium all are needed to synthasize other components of the diet.Vitamins A,D,E,K, and B are needed. A lot of these trace minerals can be found in vegatables we can grow. It is very hard to find one plant or fruit that has all of these vitamins essentail for a balanced diet but some come very close.

One notation here,SELENIUM is often overlooked as an essential,yet very valuable trace mineral.Aspargas,Brocolli,Brussel Sprouts,Celery,French,or green beans,Kale,Peas,Swiss Chard all are high in selenium in the vegetable department.
In the fruit dept,Bananas,Dates,and Watermelon have the highest levels of selenium.I cannot overstress this key,often overlooked ingredient. Corn does NOT contain selenium.

AugeredIN,you feeding boiled eggs is a good thing,especially for peas.Of the 11 needed trace minerals,boiled eggs has 10 of them,and very high selenium levels.

 

[AugeredIn]

Undoubtedly, feeding boiled eggs is a good thing! I have mustard greens and kale shredded for use in feeding also. That is the only "regular" green food stuff we feed. I would be interested in knowing what bean would be most beneficial.

 

[zazouse]

I have a question.. why would you feed them boiled eggs when scrambling is faster and it is a way to know they got some of all the eggs not just the white or yolk.. see when i feed mine boiled eggs some of them only want the whites others the yokes, plus the yokes kinda choke me and i figured it did the peas also cause they would stop eating for a bit till they got it down when they got a big bite.. it is just a question.

PS i keep boiled eggs all the time, DH and iI love them.