Sulmtalers Thread

[Bama1]

Would you recap how you fed this bird until processing day??

Purina flockraiser daily and 20 sq ft of pen. Manna Pro as a treat twice a week. Fresh basil as a treat once a week. Fresh clover as a treat once a week. Pecans as a daily treat the last two weeks. (I have a huge pecan tree) Held his food for 24 hours prior to processing. The chicks I am hatching now will be raised on organic barley fodder and free range so I can compare what the difference is. I LOVE being able to experiment and compare results with feed, activity level etc.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: Bet the pecans contributed to the tastiness. . . .have heard the same for fall wild turkeys . . . will be interesting to have the comparison with the second group.

I find dressing much easier if I hold the food too.

I am not familiar with barley fodder; do you have a break down of the nutritional analysis? I'm concerned that the overall protein level is low, BUT they could eat enough volume- wise to meet their daily protein needs-- so I am very interested in this as lower protein feeds are cheaper feeds and could be cost effective in the long run.

 

[Bama1]

Bet the pecans contributed to the tastiness. . . .have heard the same for fall wild turkeys . . . will be interesting to have the comparison with the second group.  

I find dressing much easier if I hold the food too.

I am not familiar with barley fodder; do you have a break down of the nutritional analysis?  I'm concerned that the overall protein level is low, BUT they could eat enough volume- wise to meet their daily protein needs-- so I am very interested in this as lower protein feeds are cheaper feeds and could be cost effective in the long run. 

I've read that in the Sulm Valley the Sulmtalers would feast on acorns and other tree nuts also.

Here is the barley fodder nutritional analysis for the barley sprout harvested at day 6.
Crude protein % 20.2
Fat % 4.3
Crude Fiber % 11.3
Starch %. 15.4
Metabolized Energy MJ/kg 12.1

Minderals
Calcium % 0.15
Potassium % 0.7
Magnesium % 0.24
Phosphorus % 0.46
Sulphur % 0.28
Boron mg/kg 22
Copper mg/kg 11
Iron mg/kg 160
Manganese mg/kg 37
Zinc mg/kg 40

 

[Arielle]

WEll, if that protein level is right, you have a great feed. Well worth tracking the growth of the birds on this. ANd the reason is: I have only seen alfalfa or clovers hit this high a protein level, or soybean meal. I'm sure I am missing a few; high protein feedsa re usually meats and legumes. I'm very excited to see how this works for growth rates. ( and cost per pound of meat) Bet they will be tastey with all the green material.

 

[Bama1]

December I am converting to an all fodder system. I have been dabbling with the fodder all summer, adjusting, measuring, calculating cost savings, etc. finally I have consistent numbers and results so i feel good about making the move.

 

[Arielle]

December I am converting to an all fodder system. I have been dabbling with the fodder all summer, adjusting, measuring, calculating cost savings, etc. finally I have consistent numbers and results so i feel good about making the move.

All fodder meaning, all leavy greens and avoiding grains???

You have my attention. Perhaps you have this info on another thread, don't mean to clog the sulm thread with feeding, though feeding practices seem to be important to raising a meat breed . . .

 

[bayocum]

Just wanted to weigh in a little bit on the feeding. One of the things that I have read over and over again about Sulmtalers is that they love corn. I have found this to be true when we feed it to them as a treat. Many of the Austrian sites say that's the best way to fatten you're Sulmtaler is to feed corn. We also use walnuts from our orchards. Very popular with all our birds. Thanks for sharing!

 

[bayocum]

We have a Gold Duckwing cockerel available if anyone is interested...
Thanks,
Brice @ SF

 

[flypen]

I have recieved a pair of beautiful GDW from Sunbird farms today and I have 12 more days till the ones in my incubator hatch.

 

[bayocum]

We processed our first GDW cockerel today… he came in at 3.75 pounds dressed at 27 weeks. We honestly weren't raising him for processing, but the time seemed right given that we he was extra. The carcass was very nicely proportioned, but not as meaty as our Bresse (5 lbs at 20 weeks). Again, we were not feeding him to process, so that might make a difference. We have a number of chicks that we intend to fatten for processing, so they will have a different ration. Time will tell, but we are delighted to have this breed and look forward to a tasty dinner.

Flypen, great to see that pair. The little guy was quite nicely built and should provide some excellent breeding stock. Best of luck with your hatch!
-Brice @ SF