Show bird supplements?

[NYREDS]

Quote:
Which has what to do with you 2?

[you do know I'm kidding, right?]

 

[NYREDS]

If your birds are fed properly through the year there should not be ant need for supplimenting prior to shows. Good quality feed & a well balanced diet is all the preperation they need.
The only thing I do in the way of "supplimenting" is to use some dried cat food, raw ground beef or someting of that sort when I'm cage training. It's more about the training than it is about supplimenting their diet. I want them to be comfortable with being in a show cage & to associate someone walking up to the cage [the judge] with a good thing.

 

[Chris09]

Quote:
Which has what to do with you 2?

[you do know I'm kidding, right?]

I was always told if you wish for something hard enough if will come true.. I guess it was wishful thinking for me..

[ I know you were kidding ]

Chris

 

[robin416]

Quote:
Normally I would agree with you completely. Except in areas where unemployment is extreme people have cut back on things like feed. The result is feed is sitting on shelves far longer than they did in the past. The degradation of some of the vital ingredients is one of the problems with that.

And to me the most important thing we can do is provide animal protein but that also comes with a caveat to be careful in not running the protein level up so high it creates other issues.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Quote:
Which has what to do with you 2?

[you do know I'm kidding, right?]

Haha....VERY funny!

I've only given cat food to one bird. She was a darn good-looker too. Issue was, I HAD to use cat food to keep her in good condition. I didn't want that in my lines so removed her from the breeding flock (why should I have to supplement birds that should look good on their own?). She died of eternal broodiness a few months later.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Quote:
The most important function of vitamin B12 is in the metabolism of nucleic acids and proteins, it also functions in carbohydrate and fat metabolism.
B-12 also helps with weight gain and feed intake, good feathering, nervous disorders, hatchability of eggs, and egg size.

Chris

Maybe I will get a bottle of the b12 then. THanks.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Quote:
Normally I would agree with you completely. Except in areas where unemployment is extreme people have cut back on things like feed. The result is feed is sitting on shelves far longer than they did in the past. The degradation of some of the vital ingredients is one of the problems with that.

And to me the most important thing we can do is provide animal protein but that also comes with a caveat to be careful in not running the protein level up so high it creates other issues.

They are on 20% now. What if I get a bag of 24% to feed up until the show, same brand of food? That shouldnt be too high, right?

 

[robin416]

Quote:
Normally I would agree with you completely. Except in areas where unemployment is extreme people have cut back on things like feed. The result is feed is sitting on shelves far longer than they did in the past. The degradation of some of the vital ingredients is one of the problems with that.

And to me the most important thing we can do is provide animal protein but that also comes with a caveat to be careful in not running the protein level up so high it creates other issues.

They are on 20% now. What if I get a bag of 24% to feed up until the show, same brand of food? That shouldnt be too high, right?

What I was using was a 26% Game Bird feed, generally those have animal protein in them. But I mixed it with lower protein feeds so they were not over loaded. Its animal protein more than the protein percentage. I found recently a grain/pellet mix that is a too low protein but has animal protein as part of the ingredients so now I'm using a higher protein crumble to raise the number.

The only reason I'm no longer using the Game Bird is if someone has it around here its been sitting there for months. I've found a mill about an hour from me so I'm going there for the animal protein and using the co-op crumble to supplement the protein level. The co-op because feed moves steadily off the shelves there.

Years ago I was not happy with the over all condition of my Silkies. Feathering was lacking, no sheen, just not looking as good as they should have. I put them on the animal protein based feed and got what I was looking for. Even the whites glowed in the dark they had so much feather sheen.

 

[Bat Cave Silkies]

I don't know if it's a state-wide thing, but here in Henderson Co., NC you can't buy feed with animal protein. I've called around everywhere asking about it and get the same reply--we can't sell feed with animal protein

 

[robin416]

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Do a hunt for Nutrena Game Bird or Kent feeds or even Purina Game Bird, they all have animal protein in them. I've heard the same thing from dealers, its just some more bunk that got circulated and every one is following every one else in the myth. The simple reason its so hard to find feed with animal protein is cost. Its cheaper to use soy in the feed than to use a meat protein.