sources of protein

[SandraChick]

Don't laught about road kill....

My first chickens were rescues from the animal shelter. The whole "badckyard farm" was confiscated by animal control. No fresh water and road kills in all the animal pens---it kept them alive!!!!!!!

I wouldn't feed it to them myself...I do however feed them raw scrap meat from hunting and fishing!

Sandra

 

[robin416]

Diana, you must not have seen my posts since I switched off the soy based protein to the animal protein feed. It has made all the difference in the world in my birds' condition.

Even with temps at 110 for several days and weeks of 105 my birds never missed a beat. Did not have to be supplemented in any way. Zero losses.

Yep, I had issues last year. But last year my birds were on a soy based protein feed.

 

[dlhunicorn]

glad you found a replacement for the feed that was giving you problems... here in holland all is soybased (animal protein is forbidden in the feed.
I still dont think you should generalize it as a problem per se with soy.

 

[robin416]

Ask Alan, he's one of the folks who told me that problems started popping up when the protein source was switched. But its not just long time Silkie breeders that are saying the soy is a problem, its many other long time breeders that have had issues.

My one two year old hen looks like a new bird. Her feathers have thickened, she's got a good healthy weight. She's a before and after picture of what was and now. King, her mate, the same thing.

 

[s6bee]

Where can you find Fish meal and what is the typical cost? I only have 5 hens so I probably don't need much, but what do you go through in an average week?

Thank you

 

[allen wranch]

When Purina switched to their Sunfresh recipe, the first two pens of babies I raised on the Sunfresh Start & Grow turned into horrible, horrible feather pickers.

I now feed turkey starter the first six weeks, then mix it half and half with start & grow. No more problems.

 

[greyfields]

I have used the Sunfresh pretty extensively now and I can't point to it as causing problems. My customers like to know that no chicken was used in making the chicken feed, and I don't blame them. However, I do supplement all my animals heavily with culls from the garden, they are moved to new pasture regularly and I add brewer's yeast to the feed occassionally. I'm hoping in the next year to have grown enough grain to stop bringing in feed all together, which should really bump up the profit margins for me.

Another farm on the island does gring their own feed and advertise soy free eggs/chicken meat. They have customers who only buy from them due to some allergy problems with soy or soy residue in the eggs. I don't know if there is any truth to it, but hey, it's made some very reliable customers for them... the customer is always right!

 

[Dawn419]

"4) Roadkill. Place it in a bucket and drill 1/8" holes in the bottom and a few inches up the side. As the maggots are formed, they fall on the ground where your birds will devour them. They are extremely hig in protein; and you can just harvest protein from thin air! Amazing. Not that I'd ever do it."

We have friends who bait their fishing hole by taking a can of corn, punching several holes in it, hang it from a tree limb over the water and wait for the frenzy to begin. I'm guessing I could do the same thing for the flock.

Dawn

 

[greyfields]

I actually read about that in some magazine (I can't remember which one). The gentleman had tripods made of bean poles with buckets hanging from them. All the chickens huddled under them just waiting for the next treat to "fall from the sky". He even gave advice how to keep the smell down.

I guess it's harnessing nature's recycling program for maximum benefit for your farm.

But, still, I don't see myself running out anytime soon to do it!! My wife will send me to the doctor I'm sure for a check-up.

 

[Dawn419]

Quote:
I hear you there! I can only imagine the look on DH's face if I even bring it up!

There are some adventurous projects that I'm better off not telling him about until it's too late, this is one of them!

Dawn