The Evolution of Atlas: A Breeding (and Chat) Thread

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Purina I think makes a version of it. Other members mention that they feed it too, so there must be other brands. Mine I get at Fleet Farm which is regional to the Midwest. I like that it's a higher protein so I can feed some scratch to my birds without worrying about deficiencies.

I also have noticed my roosters live longer not consuming layer. I gave up using layer a few years ago and my flock is better off for it. I also don't see weird shelled eggs anymore either. I think sometimes they get too much calcium from layer, especially if they don't lay constantly.

 

[speckledhen]

I have a question pertaining to your feed and brooding chicks. I know that Purina advertises that you need their three types of feed, one when their chicks, one in between the chick age and egg laying age and the other when they're laying eggs. Some people have said that if laying hens eat feed for chicks their eggs will be poisonous. You've said you feed your chickens feed from a local mill, what do you give your chicks? Does the local mill provide chick feed?

Me? I don't feed from a local mill. Tucker Milling is in Alabama. They ship to feed stores in our area. I give them Tucker Milling Non-Medicated Chick Starter/Grower, which has animal protein at 18%. I don't feed a middle ground feed, only the starter/grower, then when they get close to laying age, layer pellets. There is really not a good grower around our area that is affordable. I try to avoid Tractor Supply and I don't feed Purina because it's vegetarian.

My roosters eat what the hens eat if they live with them. If they lived separately, I'd feed them something other than layer. I've seen no difference in the longevity feeding Tucker Milling feeds. Isaac and Suede both had layer pellets their whole lives.

 

[holm25]

Cyn I am sorry to hear Xander passed. I will miss hearing stories about your little munchkin!

 

[Wyatt0224]

Thank you both for your answers, you both answered my question, thank you.

 

[speckledhen]

Thank you both for your answers, you both answered my question, thank you.

You're welcome. As far as rooster longevity, Isaac so far has been my longest lived rooster at 6 yrs 7 mos old. Suede was 5 yrs 8 mos when he died, but I think that is a good long life for a humongous rooster. My Belgian D'Anver rooster, Aubrey, will be 6 yrs old on April 6 and his son, Spike, is about a year younger than he is. And Xander was turning 4 at the end of the month. Atlas is 3 yrs old now. All have eaten the same feed brand with the hens their entire lives.
I can't say about Rex and Deacon because those were not natural deaths.

 

[GingersHuman]

So sorry to hear about Xander.

 

[speckledhen]

So sorry to hear about Xander.

Thank you, Jessica. He was full of personality and attitude. I remember not long ago when Atlas managed to push his pen door open that I thought I had latched. He met up with Xander in the aisle of the barn and the battle ensued. Neither was backing down and Xander was giving as good as he got, but I was afraid Atlas's bulk would come down on top of the little munchkin so I ran up the aisle, snatched up Xander fast and ushered Atlas back home.

 

[MistyMountain]

So sorry to hear about Xander, Cyn. I will miss hearing his stories. How are his hens doing today?

I support your idea of tossing all the hormonal large fowl roosters to the side and letting the little guys run the show! I am sure the hens would appreciate that! I also have a bunch of crazy cockerels in the coop right now. Four mottled javas, that are bigger than my 3 year old EE rooster, Blackbeard. They squabble between themselves and try to single out hens now and then, but mostly respect Blackbeard's authority and presence. The one that happens to be the best but not perfect for breeding is going to be a problem boy, I believe. If I crouch down to take pictures, he sweet talks me and wing-drop dances my way. I chase him off, but I can just see trouble in the future.

If hawks were not my number one predator here, I probably would consider getting little guys to rule the roost!

 

[1muttsfan]

Wyatt, the term medicated may be somewhat deceptive. Medicated chick starters do not contain any antibiotic. They do have a niacin inhibitor, as niacin is necessary for the parasite coccidia to replicate. The only effect on hens could possibly be decreased niacin in their eggs, which would only be a problem if you were planning on hatching them out. Once on regular feed their niacin levels quickly return to normal.

Once you have coccidia on your place, you will likely loose chicks if not feeding a medicated feed. Coccidia is more of an issue when you have chicks housed with adult birds - including their mother - and especially if on soil that has housed birds for a long time. Medicated feed does not kill the coccidia, it just controls the number of them by reducing their ability to replicate, allowing the chicks to develop immunity as their immune system becomes stronger as they get older.

I do feed a medicated feed to chicks up to 6 weeks, then transition them over another 2 weeks to a grower ration. My chicks are all incubator hatched and live in a smaller coop, which has housed birds from hatching to adulthood for several years. It usually sits empty over the winter, but even up here that is not enough to clean the soil of coccidia ova.

 

[speckledhen]

Wyatt, the term medicated may be somewhat deceptive. Medicated chick starters do not contain any antibiotic. They do have a niacin inhibitor, as niacin is necessary for the parasite coccidia to replicate. The only effect on hens could possibly be decreased niacin in their eggs, which would only be a problem if you were planning on hatching them out. Once on regular feed their niacin levels quickly return to normal.

Once you have coccidia on your place, you will likely loose chicks if not feeding a medicated feed. Coccidia is more of an issue when you have chicks housed with adult birds - including their mother - and especially if on soil that has housed birds for a long time. Medicated feed does not kill the coccidia, it just controls the number of them by reducing their ability to replicate, allowing the chicks to develop immunity as their immune system becomes stronger as they get older.

I do feed a medicated feed to chicks up to 6 weeks, then transition them over another 2 weeks to a grower ration. My chicks are all incubator hatched and live in a smaller coop, which has housed birds from hatching to adulthood for several years. It usually sits empty over the winter, but even up here that is not enough to clean the soil of coccidia ova.

Isn't it a thiamin blocker, Mary? But, yeah, folks think it's some antibiotic, but usually, all it is is amprolium. I don't think using medicated helps save any chicks, at least, it has never helped prevent cocci here. I've never lost one to cocci, but I've had to treat with Corid even when using medicated feed so I just stopped it and am watchful and treat as necessary. Actually, seems I have to treat less than I did when I was using medicated feed. That may be because i use broodies most of the time and those chicks seem much less prone to cocci.

Best thing to do is put dirt in their brooder the very first week so they can begin developing immunity. That works better than all the additives in the world and seems much more natural. But, keep Corid on hand, just in case! By the time they're around 10-12 weeks old, they seem to be becoming immune to whatever oocysts are in the soil and you're usually home free.