The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[NestingHillsSC]

Most everything you read will tell you to seperate your males and females as soon as you can tell them apart.
The thought with this is the cockerels will bully the pullets out of food.
This may be true for many breeds and strains, I have not found this true for my RIR.
I leave them all together until the cockerels start trying to crow. They are then seperated. All the cockerels go together, and there are very few real fights when there are more than 2 or 3 in the pen.

Ron

I'm doing like we talked about. I have 1 section done. Right now my 3 month olds are in here. Next month when I finish the other half I will separate roos and hens. All breeds will be together. There 32 x 64. This is the roos house. 6x6. Should be good for 8-12 roos.

 

[NestingHillsSC]

I live in a rural area so our options for feed are pretty limited. The feed stores around here only carry medicated starter feed, mostly Purina products. I don't use medicated feed so my only option was the Game Bird feed. I found that all of my birds have done extremely well on it. I use FRM Game Bird. My birds also free-range in a heavily wooded area so they get lots of insects to eat. The FRM Game Bird starter is 28% protein and the grower is 22%.

Penny

I can't find any feed here that has animal protein in it. Was using flock raiser but have switched to Southern States meat bird feed. 20% protein. Plus they eat a lot of bugs, worms SNAKES

, what ever they find out there. As the pic above, they spend ALL day outside. But as you see below, they REALLY love the meat birds feed. If there not chasing bugs or being chased by the Brahmas there in there food. LOL

 

[RedRidge]

Question for those experienced folks out there...
I am pretty "over the top" about record keeping (some would say "anal"

).
That said... I have never used trap nests before and am trying to decide if this is a good idea or not.
What do you experienced breeders use for tracking egg laying and breeding?

 

[Mumsy]

There are two feed sources within ten miles of me. Selection for poultry is not great but I finally chose Nutrena Turkey/Game Bird grower pellets to ferment.


I add ground pumpkin seed to the mash to bump protein. The seed is sold in the wild bird and squirrel section and lists 30% protein. I buy whole fresh beef liver twice a week, mince it fine and mix it into the feed pans with the mash twice a week. I also stir in a cup of Greek plain yogurt into the ferment bucket twice a week. They also get extra protein from free ranging and household meat scraps. Feeding sixty birds this way is not a cheap, quick, or easy method but the layers are laying, the Production meat birds taste good, and the chicks are growing and feathering. There are no sick or stunted birds.

Show birds will be penned and fed separately for conditioning when the time comes.

If there were an easier way to get the same results, I'd do it. For now..It ain't broke so I'm not going to fix it.

 

[monnie662]

When you all are talking about game bird grower, are you talking about Purina's feed? I looked at that and did not think the protein was very high

My Purina feed dealer has decided to go all out and only stock Purina feed, so now their game bird grower is only Purina game bird Startena has medication in it and no animal protein. She was buying a generic feed but someone at Purina has talked her into only stocking Purina. I took my sack of feed back and told her I won't purchase any feed that doesn't have animal protein in it so now I'm looking for another source. I even looked on Purina's website and they do not have game bird grower saying the Startena and grower are the same. Guess I'll have to check Nutrena's website.

 

[Robert Blosl]

Quote: No harm done. I'm starting to think the same thing myself on terms of diet. We're in the process of changing what we feed them (switching from scratch and sweet feed to flock raiser). I did get the eggs from Jim.
You live about two hundred miles up the road from me. FRM should bring feed to Montgomery area. If you get there feed you got the best feed in the South East. bob

 

[melroseladi]

Bob, I just went to ACE, our FRM dealer, to pick up some more feed only to find that the price has gone up $2.00 per 50# for both the starter and the grower. Have you seen an increase in the FRM feed recently up your way?

Penny

 

[Robert Blosl]

I have not yet but thanks to the boys and girls in Washington DC if you get my drift its a wonder we don't pay $25. per bag. Its all part of the ethanol gas thing and the expensive to them for shipping.

That's why you got to breed smarter and have fewer birds. It will kill you with the feed bills and then there are people who want chickens that look pretty in pictures but the birds would barely score 92 points at a chicken show. They are scrubs. You got to find the best strains and or breeds that you can afford to keep and raise.

I have had to scaled down to two breeds from Four. I can not afford even with bantams the cost for electricity to run incubators, water and to feed them.

That's why I am going to two family's in my Red Bantams. I have three buddy's and I can go to them for new blood if I need them.

Keep feeding them this stuff at least it has animal protein in it. bob

 

[Razadia]

No harm done. I'm starting to think the same thing myself on terms of diet. We're in the process of changing what we feed them (switching from scratch and sweet feed to flock raiser). I did get the eggs from Jim.

Corn and sweat feed is not a good diet for a growing chicken. Maybe with the two about 10 % protein. Unless he was on free range and eating insect.

Your bird does not have the dark color and he is smaller which could be from the lack of protein.

There is a company that may sell their feed in your area its called FRM from Flint River Mills Georgia. They have a feed called FRM game bird Pellets. This would be a great feed for your birds and they have a good chick starter about 20% with good grains and animal protein. Its the last of the old fashion good poultry feeds in the South.

Game bird feed should have animal protein in it. You can not grow southern quail with cheap feed as they will not have good feathers so they can fly.

This is a beginners mistake. Just learn from it and move on. Let me ask you could you drive from your home to Mobile Alabama and then about 50 miles from there to Foley Alabama. I am sure later in the summer we could fix you up with some good R I Reds maybe not rose combs but single combs if you wanted them. There is I think a person or two in Mississippi who have got good dark reds this year and they may have a few to spare for you. Got to look and dig around but its possible. bob

My RC was actually the one extra Jim was able to send. The rest SC, which is what I originally wanted. I could probably make the trip, but like you said latter in the summer.

 

[melroseladi]

Thanks Bob. I have had such good results with the FRM I am going to keep using it for sure. My problem is that I am just getting started with my Reds and none are old enough to cull. I am down to 7 farm yard laying hens and 1 rooster that all free range and then my Reds so I just can't cut back on my flock yet.

Penny