Sunflower Chickens

[schellie69]

Quote:

Schellie69 gots a broody! What's the saying? If you think about it long enough, it will happen?

On a different note - caught your other post about adding new birds, quarantining, etc. Great job! Thanks for sharing your insights.

Thank you. I kept thinking I might never get a broody. I have a bantam cochin rooster who is barred I wanted to hatch my Barred rock hens eggs and see what they made. I also have 3 bantam EE's that I was crossing with him to get green eggs.

 

[ChooksChick]

Quote:

Schellie69 gots a broody! What's the saying? If you think about it long enough, it will happen?

On a different note - caught your other post about adding new birds, quarantining, etc. Great job! Thanks for sharing your insights.

Thank you. I kept thinking I might never get a broody. I have a bantam cochin rooster who is barred I wanted to hatch my Barred rock hens eggs and see what they made. I also have 3 bantam EE's that I was crossing with him to get green eggs.

Woohoo!!

 

[tazcat70]

Quote:
Daren-

From what I understand, and take that as just that, is that the body does not differentiate between types of protein for weight gain or feather growth. The body sees protein as protein, be is veg or meat. Where the differences are seen are the amino acids. Meat protein has more, especially lysine.

There are times when a bird needs more protein (molting.) At that time additional protein is great, however, when it is not needed, the additional protein is not used and is exceted in their stools.

I hope that helps.

 

[OzawkieBantams]

Quote:
Daren-

From what I understand, and take that as just that, is that the body does not differentiate between types of protein for weight gain or feather growth. The body sees protein as protein, be is veg or meat. Where the differences are seen are the amino acids. Meat protein has more, especially lysine.

There are times when a bird needs more protein (molting.) At that time additional protein is great, however, when it is not needed, the additional protein is not used and is exceted in their stools.

I hope that helps.

Funny you answer this and not her ..........lol
Anyhow so then here once again is the GREAT FEED discussion.

So if protein is the issue then why not feed cat food to your bird ?

Types of cat food

There are many different brands of cat foods on the market today, but all of them are available in three types:
Dry Food
Dry food contains about 6-10% moisture. It is the least expensive and being dry, have the advantage of an abrasive action, which helps to keep the teeth and gums clean and healthy. These foods have a long shelf and bowl life and the food may be left out at all times. Usually, cat food containing 34 to 38 percent protein and 19 to 22 percent fat provides a healthy balance.
Soft - Moist Food
Soft - moist food contains about 23 - 40% moisture. Some owners are attracted to its convenience and long shelf life, but it is more expensive than dry food. Be aware that most soft-moist foods contain an abundance of preservatives so labels should be read carefully.
Canned Food
Canned food contains about 68 - 70% moisture. Most find this type the tastiest, because it has about 70% water content. The disadvantages of this kind of foods are the high cost and the odor. But yet you will have a issue with this sticking too the beak or pallet of your bird.

Anyhow I will wait for the Biologist and Chemist to answer this question he seems to be more Qualified.

Daren

 

[tntblake]

Quote:
The coop was posted in the free section. I haven't had any responses to my ad. The coop itself wasn't in to bad of shape. It needed a new floor and some wood on the sides replaced. The problem was that it was in the back of the property and in order to have it moved we would have had to cut down at least 2 trees. She said they started as saplings and they were providing shade for the chickens so she let them grow. So my husband said it wasn't worth the trouble and that we would keep looking. The lady said she had several people look and they all said the same thing that we did.

 

[KansasBoy]

Dislike... I'm sure something will come up!

 

[mikeksfarmer]

Quote:
Ah, you really don't want to know how I know about the heart attacks...if you read about folks who try to keep them too long and haven't had them outgrow their legs, you'll find a lot of complaints about flipping and dying...their body outgrows their internal organs and it's a pretty violent, sudden death. I try to look away when the questions about that come up on the Meat Birds board, but they come up pretty often...

Its simple here: how is it diagnosed????? It’s as shallow as protein, really it is. Show me one real proof that someone; scientist, veterinarian or Doctor diagnosed a heart attack in a chicken. I don’t doubt that a chicken can have a heart attack!!! I do agree that their bodies out grow their organs, but come on. Your observations and second hand (what do they call it in court) "hearsay!" Show me the proof that this or that bird had a heart attack and it was diagnosed. Come on we all need to grow. Just because a chicken dies suddenly does not mean it’s a heart attack! Renee this is not an attack on you. It’s just a simple dissassimalitation of information shared by people who don’t question what they read or hear!
It is just possible that the heart does not grow at a rate capable of supporting the body; and that the body expires because of the lack of blood flow. Does the body fail because blood is not received for vital organs, or does it fail because the heart does not receive blood needed to continue pumping blood to the body? In this case what is a heart attack??? Exsanguination??? Is it possible that blood is not produced at a level to provide blood for all organs to function properly? In this case (organ shut down) is not heart attack! I fully accept that; lack of enough blood to maintain biofunction or biomass will kill a chicken, but that does not a heart attack make!!!!
Listen I am saddened that we would do this to animals that I keep as pets. My foxy talks to me every time I am in the coop: I am her roo! I also recognize that the meat chicken industry needs many changes, just as the egg industry. I just think that if we are to move forward in humanity we need to correct some of our miss-observations. Again peace to you all!!!!

 

[pyrazen]

Quote:
DH's biggest concern.
He tells me "Don't start cuddling these chickens, Don't name these chickens, and for PITY'S SAKE do not fall in love with these chickens!"
He grew up on a cattle ranch (there is no sentamentality on a cattle ranch)

Sounds to me like he's just trying to save you the heartache of getting too attached to birds that are eventually going to be butchered for their meat. I'm not sure just how much my very smart farm raised husband knows about raising poultry (except he doesn't intend to pluck and dress any), I find out on a need to know basis. He tells me things as I need to know them. It's a shame you weren't given some laying stock instead of meat stock. The original owner probably bought the cheapest bids at the feed store. What I'm wondering is what you intend to do with these birds, feed them out or keep them for eggs. Renee mentioned they can have heart attacks from their weight, and I saw pics of big fat broilers and one who's legs were going out because of the weight, if I understood right. I could raise broilers for meat if times got hard, but there'd be no hand feeding or petting/affection involved. I don't think I could stand that. I'd have a LOT of toughening up to do. ~sigh~

No, I know these birds are future food. There is no way I could stand to let them suffer the fate that statistics predict is in store for them. That being said, I am kinda squishy about the line where knowing something and doing something collide.

 

[tazcat70]

Quote:
Daren-

From what I understand, and take that as just that, is that the body does not differentiate between types of protein for weight gain or feather growth. The body sees protein as protein, be is veg or meat. Where the differences are seen are the amino acids. Meat protein has more, especially lysine.

There are times when a bird needs more protein (molting.) At that time additional protein is great, however, when it is not needed, the additional protein is not used and is exceted in their stools.

I hope that helps.

Funny you answer this and not her ..........lol
Anyhow so then here once again is the GREAT FEED discussion.

So if protein is the issue then why not feed cat food to your bird ?

Types of cat food

There are many different brands of cat foods on the market today, but all of them are available in three types:
Dry Food
Dry food contains about 6-10% moisture. It is the least expensive and being dry, have the advantage of an abrasive action, which helps to keep the teeth and gums clean and healthy. These foods have a long shelf and bowl life and the food may be left out at all times. Usually, cat food containing 34 to 38 percent protein and 19 to 22 percent fat provides a healthy balance.
Soft - Moist Food
Soft - moist food contains about 23 - 40% moisture. Some owners are attracted to its convenience and long shelf life, but it is more expensive than dry food. Be aware that most soft-moist foods contain an abundance of preservatives so labels should be read carefully.
Canned Food
Canned food contains about 68 - 70% moisture. Most find this type the tastiest, because it has about 70% water content. The disadvantages of this kind of foods are the high cost and the odor. But yet you will have a issue with this sticking too the beak or pallet of your bird.

Anyhow I will wait for the Biologist and Chemist to answer this question he seems to be more Qualified.


Daren

Some people do.

And as for qualifications, I did speak to the head of KState's poultry department for my information.....

 

[mikeksfarmer]

Oh yes "Be Dude!" I think this is a contrubution from Kansas boy. Also we should all be proud that someone from kansas much less a chicken web site should coin the newest phrase for being cool. Tanx Ks boy Be! Dude!