Plymouth Rock thread!

[speckledhen]

Well, I like Cletus. Not a thing wrong with that guy. He's a classic BR, the first kind I fell in love with. Good old boy you got there.

 

[speckledhen]

One can lower the protein levels and the growth rates by feeding a half and half mixture of grower/layer and scratch grains too.(at around the 8-12 wks mark, not before hand. Give straight starter/grower to this stage 18-22% is good) This is my feeding practice on everything anyway.(15/16%) The only time I up the ante on protein(22-26%) is during the breeding/hatching egg collecting season and this is mostly to increase the eggs laid yield, and it does increase egg and chick qualities as a side effect to a point too.

Jeff

I can't give scratch grains to any of the birds mixed into their feed, Jeff. They dig out the goodies and leave the other stuff, lol. Mine get handfuls of 12% Knockout Game Mix thrown to them every morning and they think it's candy. So if they find it in their feeder, they dump everything out looking for it, crazy birds.

 

[catdaddyfro]

I can't give scratch grains to any of the birds mixed into their feed, Jeff. They dig out the goodies and leave the other stuff, lol. Mine get handfuls of 12% Knockout Game Mix thrown to them every morning and they think it's candy. So if they find it in their feeder, they dump everything out looking for it, crazy birds.

Yep you have to have a specific regimen of feeding practices for this to work LOL or they will fill up on the goodies and shun the rest for sure. Mine get their treats only after they eat the required amounts of healthy foods LOL just like kids LOL

You can get by with the younger chicks if you grind the grains up fine and mix it all together but the big girls get too wise to the facts and work real hard for the choicier morsels for sure, LOL

Jeff

 

[jdoane]

Ok. Took some deep breaths. Lol. K know I can't do much about it. Just sounded so defjnite. Hatchery birds =early death.

mine are already switched off grower onto a local feed mills flock feed 18% protein.

 

[Fred's Hens]

The big poultry outfits like HiLine and ISA/Hubbard do indeed recommend a lowering of protein from ages 12-18 weeks to slightly slow their maturity rate.

Here's the thing? You can raise a group identically in every way yet, one bird dies far too young and another lives a solid 4 years with good laying. Go figure. I cannot. BUT…. overall, on average, which is important to say, I've seen far too much of the issues Cynthia is talking about. In fact, I had a 4 year project which resulted in some very fine laying birds, but the death rate simply disturbed me too greatly. I flat out saw too much of the swelled bellies and death. No more. No more.

I swore off the high production ISA Brown type birds. That's just my story. Everyone has to find their own way. My way was to re-build with heritage type fowl. I'm not going back.

 

[speckledhen]

The big poultry outfits like HiLine and ISA/Hubbard do indeed recommend a lowering of protein from ages 12-18 weeks to slightly slow their maturity rate.

Here's the thing? You can raise a group identically in every way yet, one bird dies far too young and another lives a solid 4 years with good laying. Go figure. I cannot. BUT…. overall, on average, which is important to say, I've seen far too much of the issues Cynthia is talking about. In fact, I had a 4 year project which resulted in some very fine laying birds, but the death rate simply disturbed me too greatly. I flat out saw too much of the swelled bellies and death. No more. No more.

I swore off the high production ISA Brown type birds. That's just my story. Everyone has to find their own way. My way was to re-build with heritage type fowl. I'm not going back.

Yup, agree 100%. They don't all go the same way, or the same age, but overall, my own personal experience with hatchery stock has been too many tragic, slow deaths way too young in these wonderful hens. It's just too painful to go through it over and over again. If you've never seen that, count yourself VERY fortunate.

 

[aoxa]

Well, I like Cletus. Not a thing wrong with that guy. He's a classic BR, the first kind I fell in love with. Good old boy you got there.

Yep He's a special one to me!

The big poultry outfits like HiLine and ISA/Hubbard do indeed recommend a lowering of protein from ages 12-18 weeks to slightly slow their maturity rate.

Here's the thing? You can raise a group identically in every way yet, one bird dies far too young and another lives a solid 4 years with good laying. Go figure. I cannot. BUT…. overall, on average, which is important to say, I've seen far too much of the issues Cynthia is talking about. In fact, I had a 4 year project which resulted in some very fine laying birds, but the death rate simply disturbed me too greatly. I flat out saw too much of the swelled bellies and death. No more. No more.

I swore off the high production ISA Brown type birds. That's just my story. Everyone has to find their own way. My way was to re-build with heritage type fowl. I'm not going back.

Well Fred, I plan to butcher them out before this happens. What age, 3 years? 2? I'd like to get a good two years of laying out of them.

Maybe our Canadian version is different? You guys claim 16 weeks is when they start laying, but I've never had one start before 22 weeks. I don't know why.. Same thing the last two years.. May be the time of year we get them.. first shipment is in June. Last year my first egg was Christmas Eve from them!

 

[rancher hicks]

I can't give scratch grains to any of the birds mixed into their feed, Jeff. They dig out the goodies and leave the other stuff, lol. Mine get handfuls of 12% Knockout Game Mix thrown to them every morning and they think it's candy. So if they find it in their feeder, they dump everything out looking for it, crazy birds.

Just happen to catch this. Hope you don't mind my input.

I have BR's from Kathy and I notice they don't eat much pellets if I toss some scratch in the morning. Then they don't lay. I have them on 16% for the summer but will switch them to 18% for the winter.

If I skip the scratch in the am they seem to lay better. Not good but better. I have 5 Br and 1 SLW in the coop and got two eggs today. One I suspect is from the SLW.

I've noticed that they run to the pellets in the am, (it wasn't in the coop) but the minute I toss some scratch the leave the pellets and head for the scratch. Which I think leaves them nutrient deficient and prone to problems.

 

[aoxa]

I mix my scratch in with the starter (unmedicated) and soak with water. They eat every last morsel of everything I put down. No waste at all. They lick it clean.

 

[DMRippy]

 


I can't give scratch grains to any of the birds mixed into their feed, Jeff. They dig out the goodies and leave the other stuff, lol. Mine get handfuls of 12% Knockout Game Mix thrown to them every morning and they think it's candy. So if they find it in their feeder, they dump everything out looking for it, crazy birds.

Just happen to catch this. Hope you don't mind my input.

 I have BR's  from Kathy and I notice they don't eat much pellets if I toss some scratch in the morning. Then they don't lay. I have them on 16% for the summer but will switch them to 18% for the winter.  

If  I skip the scratch in the am they seem to lay better. Not good but better.  I have 5 Br and 1 SLW in the coop and got two eggs today. One I suspect is from the SLW.  

I've noticed that they run to the pellets in the am, (it wasn't in the coop) but the minute I toss some scratch the leave the pellets and head for the scratch.  Which I think leaves them nutrient deficient and prone to problems.    

stop feeding them scratch..... I only feed mine scratch when I want them to do something. I think it messes them up to alter their diet with with CANDY.

I had birds from Kathy and they were great layers.

I also have had Hatcher BR RIR EE AND Leghorn had issues except with one that laid very oddly snapped eggs and soft eggs with blood spots. I culled her. I have not really had many problems in that department......I also don't buy hatchery birds anymore.

TNBEARCHICK I have a breeder age roo from my GSBR ROO. he might be just what you are looking for. my birds are good layers and huge birds for meat. I have 6 GIRLS and they are coming out of molt and I get usually 3-5 eggs a day. they are still getting back in the swing of things though.