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

[speckledhen]

Spring is coming and rooster hormones are gonna start raging again. Glad you were able to stop them. I've had my bantam roosters fighting, but never the big boys, so it must have been quite the sight to see them go at it.

You'd have been laughing at the Atlas-Xander fight, then. I'm not sure Atlas knew what to do with him and his flying bedroom slipper feet, plus him being about half Atlas's height or less makes it a bit difficult to do the usual maneuvers.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Those little fellows are hilarious, I admire their spunk. With roosters it's all about the size of the attitude, not the size of the bird.

 

[Pyxis]

Glad you guys were able to get them separated before any serious injury occurred!

I've somehow gotten into it with a newbie over fermented feed. And, even though they haven't even actually fed it to their birds yet, they are totally gung ho about it. They tried to chastise me for posting my opinion about it after they asked about it, then when I wouldn't back down, came back and tried to shove all the 'benefits' birds are supposed to get from it in my face, after I already said in my reply to their first snarky post that I was just sharing my opinion and they could do what they felt was best for their birds.

Why do people take this topic so personally? For heaven's sake the person hasn't even gotten the ducklings yet, let alone fed them the feed, and they are being ridiculous about it.

Just wanted to share here because I knew you guys would understand.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Glad you guys were able to get them separated before any serious injury occurred!

I've somehow gotten into it with a newbie over fermented feed. And, even though they haven't even actually fed it to their birds yet, they are totally gung ho about it. They tried to chastise me for posting my opinion about it after they asked about it, then when I wouldn't back down, came back and tried to shove all the 'benefits' birds are supposed to get from it in my face, after I already said in my reply to their first snarky post that I was just sharing my opinion and they could do what they felt was best for their birds.

Why do people take this topic so personally? For heaven's sake the person hasn't even gotten the ducklings yet, let alone fed them the feed, and they are being ridiculous about it.

Just wanted to share here because I knew you guys would understand.

 

[speckledhen]

Those little fellows are hilarious, I admire their spunk. With roosters it's all about the size of the attitude, not the size of the bird.

Absolutely! Angela (Peanutsmomma) was here back when we still had Xander and she couldn't get over how he bullied Apollo and ruled the barnyard.

Glad you guys were able to get them separated before any serious injury occurred!

I've somehow gotten into it with a newbie over fermented feed. And, even though they haven't even actually fed it to their birds yet, they are totally gung ho about it. They tried to chastise me for posting my opinion about it after they asked about it, then when I wouldn't back down, came back and tried to shove all the 'benefits' birds are supposed to get from it in my face, after I already said in my reply to their first snarky post that I was just sharing my opinion and they could do what they felt was best for their birds.

Why do people take this topic so personally? For heaven's sake the person hasn't even gotten the ducklings yet, let alone fed them the feed, and they are being ridiculous about it.

Just wanted to share here because I knew you guys would understand.

I just shake my head constantly about this subject. They act like it's a religion, or that we said their child was ugly. Geez. If you ask a question, don't expect only answers you want to hear. Sensitive little things, this bunch. They refuse to listen to any dissenting opinion at all, even if it may be something that is necessary for forming their own opinion about a subject, but that's what the self-appointed gurus do, the ones who push whatever they're pushing at the moment-they dissuade questioning. We have far too many of those here. Follow me or be banned from my presence! You recall the "thou dost protest too much" line, right? Something to hide.

 

[1muttsfan]

 

[Pyxis]

I just shake my head constantly about this subject. They act like it's a religion, or that we said their child was ugly. Geez. If you ask a question, don't expect only answers you want to hear. Sensitive little things, this bunch. They refuse to listen to any dissenting opinion at all, even if it may be something that is necessary for forming their own opinion about a subject, but that's what the self-appointed gurus do, the ones who push whatever they're pushing at the moment-they dissuade questioning. We have far too many of those here. Follow me or be banned from my presence! You recall the "thou dost protest too much" line, right? Something to hide.

What gets me is that most of the 'benefits' from it are just for the person who is feeding it, not the birds. Less stinky poop is a benefit for people, the birds don't care. Firmer poop is a benefit for people, the birds don't care. Spending less on feed, another benefit for people that doesn't help the birds. If it really does result in more nutritional availability, then that would be the only benefit to the birds, and I'd really love to see some testing done on fermented chicken feed to see if the nutrient content really is that much higher.

But every other benefit is for people, not the birds who are eating it, and there's always the lurking chance that you make a mistake while fermenting and your whole flock pays the price and dies, like what happened to your friend's flock. People say they do it for the benefit of the birds, but is that really true?

 

[speckledhen]

What gets me is that most of the 'benefits' from it are just for the person who is feeding it, not the birds. Less stinky poop is a benefit for people, the birds don't care. Firmer poop is a benefit for people, the birds don't care. Spending less on feed, another benefit for people that doesn't help the birds. If it really does result in more nutritional availability, then that would be the only benefit to the birds, and I'd really love to see some testing done on fermented chicken feed to see if the nutrient content really is that much higher.

But every other benefit is for people, not the birds who are eating it, and there's always the lurking chance that you make a mistake while fermenting and your whole flock pays the price and dies, like what happened to your friend's flock. People say they do it for the benefit of the birds, but is that really true?

Actually, there were studies that say it depletes some B vitamins. And if they don't eat what you give them, you must throw it out. So, there is waste with this food as well. I do not believe it saves feed; it may only in the fact that YOU choose to feed them less because you throw down their daily slop and that's what you give them. If it's vitamins you want them to have, then GIVE THEM VITAMINS. That saves all that work you're doing, plus is safer, no margin for error like with this faddish method.

A breeder I know does not free feed. He says birds eat too much anyway, that people overfeed them. He feeds the proper amount per bird daily but that's what they get. So, he isn't wasting food and he sure isn't fermenting it.

The better choice would be to grow some good forage for them in a penned off area, then let them in there to eat it down and do it again. Fresh food, they pick what they want and what they know is good for them. What they're doing is an extension of babying their birds, IMO, but it's not doing what they think it is. And they think I'm fussy about my birds, sheesh.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Actually, there were studies that say it depletes some B vitamins. And if they don't eat what you give them, you must throw it out. So, there is waste with this food as well. I do not believe it saves feed; it may only in the fact that YOU choose to feed them less because you throw down their daily slop and that's what you give them. If it's vitamins you want them to have, then GIVE THEM VITAMINS. That saves all that work you're doing, plus is safer, no margin for error like with this faddish method.

A breeder I know does not free feed. He says birds eat too much anyway, that people overfeed them. He feeds the proper amount per bird daily but that's what they get. So, he isn't wasting food and he sure isn't fermenting it.

The better choice would be to grow some good forage for them in a penned off area, then let them in there to eat it down and do it again. Fresh food, they pick what they want and what they know is good for them. What they're doing is an extension of babying their birds, IMO, but it's not doing what they think it is. And they think I'm fussy about my birds, sheesh.

Well said, but unfortunately many people like to join a group, and most people follow fads, and what's popular. The small minority of us use our brains and make up our own minds based on what is best for us, not just because we are told to do something a certain way. It is the herd mentality that most folks follow.

I look for lots of advice, and opinions, when I'm researching something, but I always make up my own mind even if it's not considered normal. Than everyone calls me weird or different because I do stuff my way.

 

[speckledhen]

Well said, but unfortunately many people like to join a group, and most people follow fads, and what's popular. The small minority of us use our brains and make up our own minds based on what is best for us, not just because we are told to do something a certain way. It is the herd mentality that most folks follow.

I look for lots of advice, and opinions, when I'm researching something, but I always make up my own mind even if it's not considered normal. Than everyone calls me weird or different because I do stuff my way.

Then most of us here are pretty weird, Lisa, or I think we are. I don't care if someone wants to put a Gordon Ramsey-inspired frou-frou dinner on fine china for their chickens but at least make sure what you serve is best for them, not just to make you feel good. Some things are simply detrimental to them, like overuse of aromatic oils. Tea tree can be fatal to avian species if ingested. It's also very aromatic if overused. A little may be okay, but more is not better. People tend to over-complicate chicken nutrition and management. This FF fad, IMO, is just another extreme example of it. If a practice is questionable, I'm of the mind "better safe than sorry".