what is the best feed for show silkies

[comedianchick]

healthiest / best ingredients /most protein/

 

[paddock36]

I bought some food from our local feed store (comes in a 5lb bag) and I believe it said conditioner on the bag. You add it to your regular feed and it is supposed to improve feather quality for show.

 

[comedianchick]

thanks

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

Probably game bird feed. Another alternative is to add calf manna to their regular feed. It will increase the protein and do all kinds of nice things for them. Just throw a handful or two in like scratch...mine devour it.

 

[silkie101]

hmmmmm thanks im getting silkies to show soon

so this helps me alot thanks !!!!

 

[Neil Grassbaugh]

There is no backyard chicken that will benefit more from a sensible diet of commercially formulated feed than bantams.

Complete feeds are formulated for large chickens that have been bred to grow quicker and larger are quite adequate for bantams. Many will argue that the higher protein turkey and game bird feeds are necessary for the smaller birds since they do not eat as much but I will argue that they do not eat as much as since they are not so large. And since the feed was formulated for higher performance birds it is quite adequate for low performance bantams.

To me feeding high protein feeds to bantams is like shoveling uranium into a coal furnace.

The arguement is often made that higher levels of protein (the standard by which a feed's price and value are judged) promotes better feather growth on show birds. Maybe- but especially so on poorer bred birds and those that will certainly be pushed into larger body size.

I will also argue that higher powered feed in bantams will result in more washing difficulties near the vent area which is not a good thing for show birds and really dosen't this tell us something is wrong. And probably in the diet?

As a show chicken guy for over fifty years and with a huge involvement in commercial poultry I see this tendencey to feed high levels of protein as detremental to the birds and the pocketbook.

Feed Silkies regular chick starter, regular grower and regular laying feed WITH the addition of supplemental vitamins, and additional fats for breeder birds. And not any more protein.