Well I'll be gobsmacked! There was me thinking the foundation for good health was a varied and balanced diet and lots of exercise. That's it then, no more fish or meat for the chickens. Bad enough that I'm already eating grains and bird seed. Now according to to your old school book I've got to start eating grass and plants, uncooked what's more!I am reading another old poultry manual, and have just come across a sentence that spontaneously triggered a question for us all (I used to have to set exam papers twice yearly):
"Raw greenfood is the foundation for health. The failure to provide it has caused the deterioration of the modern hen and the commercial egg." Worthington. Discuss.
I think most people who keep roosters and cockerels in particular get pecked and/or flogged at some point. After a few years of chicken keeping one comes to expect it at some point or other.
Most of this type of behaviour fades away as they get older in my experience. The worst injuries I've had have been from donkeys, rams and mink. I am currently sporting a rather lovely bruise and cut from blocking Digs attack on Fret a couple of days ago.I’ve probably mentioned this before - Bub-bub has given me some really painful ‘bites’ (grab & twist). I take the view that I’ve done something stupid & try not to repeat the mistake. Every morning he comes out of their house, gallops over, fluffed up & pecks my foot, occasionally giving it a good scratch for good measure. Then he proceeds to do more or less the same to the hens (in their case a swift tap on the head). They in turn try to outwit him & are often faster than he is. I, maybe wrongly, interpret this as “I’m in charge here” & am really not bothered by it. With strangers, they get the full on galloping feathery football &, if small hoomans, he stops short before pecking. He only gives a swift peck to adults unless they try to “fight back” or run away.
He also regularly jumps onto my lap for a bit of grooming / letting me do some of the watching for predators.
I hope I’m getting a halfway decent balance of mutual respect despite my ignorance and take it as a compliment if they groom when perched near me.
Needless to say they have trained me as a treat dispenser
I suspect they a just humoring me…..
I didn't know you suffered from coccidiosisWell I'll be gobsmacked! There was me thinking the foundation for good health was a varied and balanced diet and lots of exercise. That's it then, no more fish or meat for the chickens. Bad enough that I'm already eating grains and bird seed. Now according to to your old school book I've got to start eating grass and plants, uncooked what's more!
Talk about giving the vegans the edge.
er, that it isn't. And he advocates fish meal, meat and bone meal too. His point is that there must also be greenstuff, and plenty of it, not just e.g. a lettuce a week tossed into a run.
There is no market for turkey eggs that I know of, so I don't understand this either. But also I know nothing about turkeys; are males bigger than females, or vice versa? Or is there some kind of flavour taint with males (as with some mammals)?
