What do i feed SHOW BIRDS!!

[Resolution]

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Also what do you guys think any good or should i just stick with the gamebird feed?

It comes right back to the issue of digestibility. These gamebird and poultry feeds are not designed for long-term health or reproductive health of birds.
If you are feeding an heirloom flock or show birds, you will want them to live very long productive lives. What is more, the embroyos developing in each egg yolk of your breeders needs to be of optimal quality to produce the best possible chicks. Superior plumage and survivability are guaranteed when you feed the parents an optimal diet.
Rather than feed valuable stock like a dingy domestic chicken that is only going to live two years or so, or a pen-raised gamebird that is going to live a year if it is very lucky- feed it like a rare and endangered wild species.

 

[bantam_n00b]

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Ok, i was looking at the mazuri products and it says that my local feed store does carry it so now the problem is which ones do i get for my oeg bantams? Cause i noticed they dont have one for chickens, you said the waterfowl one and the gamebird one? Or which one would you recommend? I also noticed that a lot of these have fish meal which is good.

 

[Resolution]

the best product for your OE Bantams will probably be the Exotic Pheasant maintenance. It's good as a maintenance diet but in order to boost their immune systems, which is integral for show stock for the reasons covered earlier, Supplement the Mazuri Exotic Pheasant Maintenance Diet with a single Optimal Foragecake. Your feedstore should carry this as well. Cut the cake into fudge sized pieces and soak in hot water for a few minutes. Put the softened foragecake piece into their feed dish and allow them to forage on it as long as it lasts (a fudge sized piece should last a pair of OE bantams at least~ 4-5 days ) The Foragecake is made with Ultrakibble which is a superior extruded kibble product as it contains a natural vitamin premix formulated for endangered wild birds containing a more ideal balance of animal proteins and fats for breeders, moulting birds and developing chicks. The foragecake as well as the ultrakibble contain many anti-oxidants and fatty acids, cranberry seed oil etc that boost the immune function and increase plumage and skin/leg pigmentation - in other words, the products are designed to make wild captive birds feel and look as if they are "wild caught". Captive domestic birds tend to react even more dramatically as specific genes are turned on that have been turned off or dimmed through successive generations of inbreeding.
For example, an ordinary coral blue guineafowl pair maintained on Ultrakibble will produce chicks that are actually vivid cobalt blue.
White peafowl become iridescent when maintained on the Ultrakibble . Normally grey blue legged Polish chickens develop electric blue legs and feet.

 

[bantam_n00b]

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Ok, so the foragecakes are they made by Mazuri too or just any foragecake will do? Or do i need a specific foragecake? Wow, youre really informative, do you have a screen name or email or something in case i have more questions? By the way how do you know all this stuff!? I wish i knew all this. And i just looked at the mazuri website and dont they make a exotic pheasant maintenance? But they do have the exoctiv gamebird maintenance, is that what you mean cause i looked at it and its very low in protein?

 

[Splash Giants]

I use Faithway 22% Super Layer pellets for my old english. I dont know if this feed is available in other places besides the southeast but alot of show fanciers in the south feed this. I also feed mine oyster shell,grit and try to get my show birds on grass as much as possible.

 

[aveca]

I feed most of the year purina layer pellets and some oats and outside time to supplement picking grasses and juicy bugs...

Make sure you get your pullorum tests and whatever is required by your show.

At show time about a month and a week befor I start with a worming and preventative lice treatment. a little baby oil on legs in case any scaley mites have started (it smothers and kills them)

I still use the purina pellets mixed with either gamebird crumbs or calf manna, the calf manna has no orange poop like the manna pro crumbles..it winds up to be more layer pellets than crumbles or calf manna they are just used as a supplement,.... oats , sunflowerseeds shelled, handpicked grass that they are already used to. any kind of oil like sunflowerseeds or even just the oil added in small amount makes for shine. and bread treats for cage training.

There are some good vidieos avail on the correct way to pick up and hold your birds to train that wont scare them some are skittish by nature .I think there are some vids on UTUBE.

If you have white birds DO not feed corn, it turns their feathers yellow and it is impossible to get that stain out. I am not a big fan of corn ,I prefer oats. One of the formost breeders of sebrights in the world said he raised many a great silver sebright on oats and eggs. He said stay away from the corn.

 

[bantam_n00b]

Good advice you guys, but i think im going to stick with the Mazuri feed until i run low on money, ha i swear my chickens are going to be eating better than i am. Or do you know if there are any other good feeds that are equivalent to Mazuri feeds? Or i dont even know which Mazuri feed to get from my oeg bantams. Can someone tell me?

 

[aveca]

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Absolutly fasinating resolution..Where do you find this product? We have 2 feed stores in town and neither has it..This is very interesting to me...I try to make sure even the show birds get turn out time cause there are things out there that most feed makers are not duplicating ... Would it make the metalic green in australorp feathers POP as the cloths designers say??There is a feed store about 45 mins from here that might have it.. Great stuff thanks for sharing. best yet you explained how it works.

 

[Resolution]

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The exotic pheasant maintenance kibble see message above.

 

[featherbaby]

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Why does the Manna Pro have "orange poop" and the calf pro does not? Is it just a dye in the food? Is it harmful? Is the calf manna nutritionally adequate for chickens?