Starter Feed

[bhadrika]

We have Blue Seal chick starter, and unfortunately discarded the bag, so I don't know the percentages for it -- they seem to be doing well enough.

But two questions -- at what age do they stop eating starter and switch to adult food? And what do I do about having future layers and future meat eating together -- would layer pellets be really bad for meat birds, or just not optimize their growth? Would meat-bird food be bad for the girls?

Bhadrika

 

[Llysse]

Quote:
That's strange... I wonder if they've changed their formula? Mine lists "animal protein products" as the fourth ingredient. However, that was actually the biggest concern of mine in the ingredient list: that they don't list which animals they use. I'd be more comfortable if they listed "fish meal," for example. I hope my babies do well this year.

I guess there doesn't seem to be a consensus "best feed"?

 

[allen wranch]

Some feed includes milk whey and another milk product I can't remember. They consider this as animal protein.

 

[Marion]

I'm on my 3rd bag of Nutrena medicated starter/grower and the chicks seem to be doing fine with it so far. They were on Purina Start n Grow and then a Hubbard starter for a couple of weeks and seemed to do fine with it as well but the pivotal issue for me is accessibility. The Nutrena is what they sell in the city where I work and it is convienent to pick up a bag while I am there... otherwise I have to drive 35 miles in any direction to get to a different feed store where they sell the other brands

. I have no gripe with the Nutrena and the texture is a bit less fine and they are growing like weeds on it!

 

[keljonma]

Quote:
Don't know anything about meat birds...someone else will have to jump in on that one. My only thought would be that your meat birds wouldn't be around long enough to get layer feed (18-20 weeks). Isn't that when they go to freezer camp?

For the layers, you can do a start & grow until they are ready for layer feed OR you can do starter for 8 weeks then grower for 8 weeks then layer feed.

We fed Purina Start & Grow and then certified organic layer feed.
regards,
keljonma

 

[Llysse]

That's good to know--I'd also have to go way out of my way to use another feed... not that I wouldn't, if the Nutrena didn't seem to be agreeing with them.

I was just surfing, looking for poultry nutrition information, and I found this helpful chart:

http://www.lionsgrip.com/nutrition.html

(You kinda hafta scroll down a little.) What's the objection to soybeans again? The way they're listed on this site, they seem to have a lot of nutritional value to them.

 

[robin416]

As to the animal protein, reportedly its ground up chicken feathers. Sort of an ewww, until you think about how chicks will grab a feather like it found gold and then if small enough scarf it down.

The protein, many have begun to feel that the makeup of soy protein is different enough from meat protein that it is not meeting all the requirements the birds need for feathering and over all body growth. The differences would be at the molecular level much too complicated for my poor brain to process but I do understand the thinking. I had been following discussions from other long time breeders who reported that the feathering and over all health of their birds started to decline. What they noticed is that it coincided with the big change over to soy. Many started supplementing with meat proteins like the fish meal and almost immediately noticed improvement in their appearance.

It kind of goes along with the studies about natural sugar and the artificial sweetners, whoops folks maybe the artificial sweetners are causing weight gain issues more than natural sugar because of its chemical makeup. Or margarine vs butter, whoops folks for a hundred years we've been telling you eating margarine is better for you and learning its worse.

 

[Llysse]

LOL

I wish I could manage to mix my own feed, but I just don't think I'd be able to use up all those separate ingredients with my very small flock before the ingredients went "stale" and lost a lot of their nutritional value. Maybe what I'll have to do is simply buy a commercial feed and then supplement with fishmeal and kelp to make sure they're getting everything they need. Luckily my flock has substantial range, too, which should help.

 

[robin416]

Llysse, that wide range you mentioned will go a long way in helping keep your flock in good condition. They have the opportunity to go out and collect the meat protein their bodies need in the form of those pesky bugs.

Some of us, due to foo foo birds or predators, can not allow that kind of free range so have to be very mindful of the feed we provide.

 

[jmofaustin]

I believe it is much like how a vegetarian looks as compared with a meat eater. If my sister-in-law was standing next to me (I weigh less, she is a little taller) you can tell she is the vegetarian and I am not. There is not as much muscle on her, she looks very thin. I have been around or lived with vegetarians all my life, and have never seen a true vegetarian that had much muscle at all. The protein is just NOT the same. The same goes for any omnivore, if you take the meat out of their diet, they do not thrive as well.