Ok, everybody speak up. As next weekend will be my first show experience. I have been exposed to poultry on the family farm all of my 40 years. I know showing is a different ball game entirely. So what do you feed your show birds? Do you have a formula? What about conditioning? I have so many questions. Thanks
I feed mine purina show chow for broilers mixed as a 1/4 ration Purina Layer or (starter/flock raiser mixed 1/2 and 1/2) to a 1/4 ration rooster booster or a five grain scratch 1/4 ration and a small cat or dog food 1/4 ration every other day i add a teaspoon of wheat germ oil to there feed! this will help bring the oil out on you birds feathers, along with brightening the comb and wattles. They do get some oats every few days as well
That sounds like a reasonable mix. I use wheat germ and flax seed already. Anyone else willing to share? I would love to compare and decide what direction or combo works best for me and mine.
Mine are on turkey/gamebird pellets, my whole flock which includes chickens, two duck breeds and a few turkeys. Plus they get to free range, I get dated bakery goods and fresh veggies, they go through 100 pounds of whole cabbage a day right now. I cleaned a truck farm out. They get on occasion whole corn, quinoa, lots of meat scraps, ground bones, beet pulp and alfalfa.
Right now we feed ours a mixture of purina layena/flock raiser, I throw in some boss dried cat food and oats as well as some flax seed. I usually add some wheat germ when I run out of the flax though. Mine free range and have full access to my garden and kitchen scraps that I compost there. Once we are finished using the pumpkins for decoration they'll be getting that for a treat.
Depending on the age and the breed I am feeding depends on the amount of each ingredient I use but here is a list of what I use. Starter/ Grower, Black oiled sunflower seeds, Wheat, Corn, Safflower seed, Red cell, Kelp meal, Brewers yeast and a 58% protein power for poultry. I use a 16% protein all grain pigeon feed as a scratch and a pigeon grit that has in it: Grinding stones, Silex-stones, Oyster shells ,Sea shells, Redstone, Charcoal, Anise oil. Chris
I too like to use pigeon feed as a scratch, but it is so darned expensive! $21 per 50 lb bag about a week ago.
If it isn't super hot you can stop watering for a half hour before the show. So far as feed goes I feed greens and scratch and the stuff that they feed birds to be released into the wild.(you can usually get the stuff in crumbles)
In the off season I dont feed this high protein but during show season. Begins with worming. roosters get wazine17 hens get the hot peppers. I feed mine purina show chow for broilers Purina Layer little bit Calf manna five grain scratch little sunflower oil little sunflower seeds shelled and doctor green (softer grasses) cat food or bread treats. little grit and a juicy worm If I find one I mix the three bags 50 lbs bags of layer, broiler,and scratch grain in one large feed holder. Add the rest in bits according to each bird needs. we try to not give White birds much if any corn turns feathers yellow so sebrights get oats , sunflower seeds and oil, cooked eggs and little puina layer mixed in. sprinkle calf manna and doctor green. silk cloth for shining up befor penning. brings out most shine. At the bigger some judges dont like to see full guts (crop) so remove food - water until after judging , then promptly put it right back in. doesnt matter too much at the fairs. The sebrights have become little fatties, so gotta cut some sunflower seeds back . little tubbs both of them. and one of them suddenly went broody and she looks like a perfect little meatball with eyeballs hovering over eggs that are way too big for her.
