Sdwd

[speckledhen]

Hey, all! Got about 1/4" of snow last night, but supposed to be near 50* today so it won't stick around long. Tom says that the snow over the mud from yesterday makes it super-dangerous out there. Panda ran Shadow off her nest and was sitting on eggs in there, probably getting her tushy warm while Shadow ate and drank. That tells me Panda, as usual, will be a problem pushing her weight around, just like she was with Nugget. Nugget started to scare her in her broody state, but I don't think Shadow will. May have to move her to the broody pen she hatched in the first time.

 

[NellaBean]

Quote:
Yer just a fountain of wisdom and information there, ain't ya Nella!

j/k! I still lurvs ya!

But seriously, what can I mark her eggs with that won't wipe off so easily, and won't harm the development of the chicks?

Cuz pencil just ain't cuttin' the mustard here!

Haaaaaa, I do use sharpies and have no problems. Haven't had a two headed chick ever. I always mark my eggs with the date I set them because I never write it down anywhere and I forget. My Rir/Cochin sat on 10 eggs all marked with sharpies and hatched all 10 out. Go ahead and use a sharpie, it'll make your life easier!

 

[Serrin]

Quote:
Ya know, Nella, honest to God, I thought that little joke was your humorous way of saying "No! Don't use Sharpie's. It will harm the embryos."

You just never know what I'll take seriously, now do ya!?!

Thanks ladies. I shall mark her eggs again this morning when I check for those sneaky egg stuffing silly hen's eggs! There's almost always one or two new ones every morning and every evening.

Silly girls! Either they really love that particular nest box, or they want their babies in there too but are just too darn lazy to do it themselves!

Not that I'm complaining mind you. Could you just imagine 18 hens going broody all at once?

 

[Cetawin]

Nella, I feed mine pellets when I am not mixing their food for them. They do not like the pellets as much for sure and it is easier to mix the goodies in the crumbles.

Calf Manna is an excellent way to boost their protein. I give my girls calf manna during molts especially.

Here is the label of a 50lb bag of Calf Manna, the formula has not changed in 70 years so it has been tested and to date, there is not another product on the market close to it.


Calf-Manna

MannaPro

Description:

The ultimate performance supplement for all stages in beef cattle, horses, dairy cattle, swine, goats, rabbits and poultry. For over seven decades, Calf-Manna has been considered America’s best nutritional supplement. A top-quality product with an outstanding track record of consistently delivering better performance to a wide range of animals. Calf-Manna is consumed by everything from growing and performance horses, to cattle, rabbits, goats, poultry and swine.

The Key Benefits of Calf-Manna:

High Quality Proteins = More Growth: Calf-Manna includes multiple sources of high quality protein. These ingredients provide essential amino acids, the building blocks of protein. The net result is that Calf-Manna supplies a wide array of essential amino acids that meet the needs of many different animals.

Digestible Carbohydrates = More Energy: Calf-Manna’s digestible carbohydrates are an exellent source of energy. It’s often called “energy dense” which simply means it deliveres more calories per mouthful.

Anise = Palatability: Ingredients like anise provide Calf-Manna’s inviting, sweet-smelling aroma and taste for animals of all ages. These ingredients stimulate saliva production and encourage consistent and increased feed intake.

Brewer’s Dried Yeast = Better Digestion: Another ingredient, Brewer’s Dried Yeast, also improves palatability and encourages earlier and more consistent intake of dry feed. And intake of dry feed promotes development of the digestive tract in young animals.

Ingredients:
Soybean meal, corn, hominy feed, feeding oatmeal, dried whey, dehydrated alfalfa meal, linseed meal, brewer’s dried yeast, vegetable oil, fenugreek seed, anise oil, calcium carbonate, monocalcium phosphate, dicalcium phosphate, salt, sulfur, iron oxide, ferrous carbonate, ferrous sulfate, copper oxide, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, zinc oxide, sodium selenite, cobalt carbonate, calcium iodate, Vitamin A supplement, Vitamin D3 supplement, Vitamin E supplement, choline chloride, thiamine mononitrate, niacin supplement, riboflavin supplement, calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 supplement, folic acid, biotin.

Guaranteed Analysis:

Crude Protein, min 25.0% Salt, min 0.5%
Lysine, min 1.4% Salt, max 1.0%
Methionine, min 0.3% Sodium, min 0.2%
Crude Fat, min 3.0% Sodium, max 0.4%
Crude Fiber, min 3.0% Copper, min 15 ppm
Crude Fiber, max 6.0% Copper, max 35 ppm
Acid Detergent Fiber, max 10.0% Selenium, min 0.1 ppm
Calcium, min 0.7% Zinc, min 125 ppm
Calcium, max 1.2%
Vitamin A, min 20,000 IU/lb
Phosphorus, min 0.6%

Feeding Instructions:

Dairy Calves Up to 1 lb per day Goats 1/4 to 1/2 lb per day
Lactating Cows 1 to 1 ½ lbs per day Baby Pigs 1/8 to 1/4 lb per day
Beef Calves 10% of the creep feed ration
Show Hogs 1/2 to 1 lb per day
Show Cattle 1 to 2 lbs per day Gestating Sows 1/8 to 1/4 lb per day
Brood Cows 1 lb per day Lactating Sows 1/2 to 3/4 lb per day
Bulls 1 lb per day Boars 1/4 to 1/2 lb per day
Foals 1/2 lb per day Rabbits (growing) 1 teaspoon per day
Growing Horses 1 to 1 ½ lb per day Rabbits (lactating) 1 tablespoon per day
Broodmares and Stallions 1 ½ to 2 lbs per day Poultry 1 tablespoon per day Or 5-10% of the ration
Performance Horses 1 to 2 lbs per day

Warning:

Do not feed any product that is moldy, rodent or insect infested, or abnormal in appearance or odor, as it may cause illness or death. This product contains supplemental copper. Do not feed to sheep or other copper-sensitive species.

Storage:

Feed is perishable. Store this product in a cool, dry area away from insects and rodents.

 

[Inkheart]

I know that my friend that breeds and shows rabbits also utilizes Calf manna with success. Seems to do the trick. My guys dont like the pellets as much - but they are getting it this winter!

 

[Serrin]

Cetawin, I have a silly [or maybe not so silly] question for ya. Does Calf-Mana come in a crumble? I'm assuming that what you've described above is for a pelleted feed? My girls simply will not touch pellets!

Silly women! Though I can't say as I blame them. Most pellet formulas are just too large for some chickens to get down their gullet.

Please, save me an embarrassing call to the feed store and tell me that this is also available in a crumble!

 

[Inkheart]

Quote:
I BELIVE it only comes in a pellet -

 

[Cetawin]

Quote:
I BELIVE it only comes in a pellet -

Correct. I have never once in 35 years seen a bag of it in crumbles. Amy, the smell of the anise draws mine to it...might work for your gals. Check the feed store and see if they have a broken bag that you can try just a bit of it....or buy a small bag ( 25lb is the smallest I think). It is also sorta red colored which makes my girls want it because it is "different".

 

[Inkheart]

It is a really neat color - almost like a Henna colored deal - smells interesting - you never know - i can double check with my friend too - third generation rabbit breeder so has been using it is 40 years of life -

 

[joletabey]

It's smashable. Put what you want to use that day in a pail and band a hammer or something around in it -

I wish mine liked pellets better, its much less messy.