The thing about moulting is that its all about cellular regeneration.
I remember as a kid someone had it in their mind that once the hens stopped laying to moult it was time to just throw them some scratch- no more expensive soft pellet for them. Many of the hens ended up going bald with broken quills that never moulted. It was common at just about everyones hen house on at least one hen.
Eventually that old hen would end up in the stockpot.
Later I learned that really, we aught have been supplementing their diet with the most optimal nutrients to help the birds regenerate every cell on their bodies as they would in nature. Of course the birds moult anyway and regeneration is taking place constantly. What Im trying to impart here is that you may be able to help your birds increase their immune systems, produce superior feather structure and body functioning.
Chickens arent machines but we tend to keep them that way. Theyre generally hatched in enormous incubators brooded under electric lamps and turned into statically efficient environments. We feed them incredibly consistent diets and let them sleep in microhabitats that weve created- that act as repositories for season after season of feather dander, dust, fecal dust and etc. Moulting can end up being incredibly stressful on the birds- and yes there are different kinds of moults.
Concurrently, while their parents are moulting, the chicks of the year are growing exponentially- overnight it would seem so quick is their development (save for those races and species that are very slow growing).
In nature, the birds time this part of the year with the time of the greatest bounty- the insect season- when insects fill the vegetation- working their hardest to prepare mate, die or migrate before the dry season. This is when the chicks and moulting adults are eating an optimal diet-
And this is when I personally feel- this is only my opinion- that soy foods are most deleterious for your birds. I also believe that breeding pairs should be kept on soy free diets as well, all year round. But the most important season is actually well upon us. Its time to start nourishing the cellular regeneration so close behind us.
When you supplement wisely, judiciously, effectively- youll notice such great differences in plumage pattern and pigment, in facial skin and leg scale hue- . With the right diet a captive Green Junglefowl may be nearly as brilliant looking as those in the wild. The same is true for domestic fowl. Of course theyre not wild creatures but one can turn on the genetic switches that turn on the jungle hues.
Look for soy-free scratch, soy free pellets- and really just drop feeding soft pellets and mashes and crumbles altogether this time of year- it's time to clean up and that stuff just makes a mess. Look for a cat or dog food that is soy free- they make them and you're not going to be feeding so much that it's going to break the bank.
You need to feed animal fat and animal nutrition every single day through to the autumn when you can put them on millet.
Don't say- oh my girls get kitchen scraps please- unless you are a butcher or work at a pizzeria- you don't have consistent access to the right nutritional sources.
Many people will argue that their hens do just fine on the traditional soft- pellets moult or no moult. Good for them.
I need my birds to live very long productive lives. They deserve the most optimal nutritional feasible, especially this time of the year.
Here's a mix you should be able to handle on any budget:
75% scratch grain
10% soy free pet kibble
10% nuts or granola mixture with lots of nuts and seeds
5% cooked brown rice made with plenty of spicy sesame oil or mix PLENTY cayenne pepper into olive oil
I remember as a kid someone had it in their mind that once the hens stopped laying to moult it was time to just throw them some scratch- no more expensive soft pellet for them. Many of the hens ended up going bald with broken quills that never moulted. It was common at just about everyones hen house on at least one hen.
Eventually that old hen would end up in the stockpot.
Later I learned that really, we aught have been supplementing their diet with the most optimal nutrients to help the birds regenerate every cell on their bodies as they would in nature. Of course the birds moult anyway and regeneration is taking place constantly. What Im trying to impart here is that you may be able to help your birds increase their immune systems, produce superior feather structure and body functioning.
Chickens arent machines but we tend to keep them that way. Theyre generally hatched in enormous incubators brooded under electric lamps and turned into statically efficient environments. We feed them incredibly consistent diets and let them sleep in microhabitats that weve created- that act as repositories for season after season of feather dander, dust, fecal dust and etc. Moulting can end up being incredibly stressful on the birds- and yes there are different kinds of moults.
Concurrently, while their parents are moulting, the chicks of the year are growing exponentially- overnight it would seem so quick is their development (save for those races and species that are very slow growing).
In nature, the birds time this part of the year with the time of the greatest bounty- the insect season- when insects fill the vegetation- working their hardest to prepare mate, die or migrate before the dry season. This is when the chicks and moulting adults are eating an optimal diet-
And this is when I personally feel- this is only my opinion- that soy foods are most deleterious for your birds. I also believe that breeding pairs should be kept on soy free diets as well, all year round. But the most important season is actually well upon us. Its time to start nourishing the cellular regeneration so close behind us.
When you supplement wisely, judiciously, effectively- youll notice such great differences in plumage pattern and pigment, in facial skin and leg scale hue- . With the right diet a captive Green Junglefowl may be nearly as brilliant looking as those in the wild. The same is true for domestic fowl. Of course theyre not wild creatures but one can turn on the genetic switches that turn on the jungle hues.
Look for soy-free scratch, soy free pellets- and really just drop feeding soft pellets and mashes and crumbles altogether this time of year- it's time to clean up and that stuff just makes a mess. Look for a cat or dog food that is soy free- they make them and you're not going to be feeding so much that it's going to break the bank.
You need to feed animal fat and animal nutrition every single day through to the autumn when you can put them on millet.
Don't say- oh my girls get kitchen scraps please- unless you are a butcher or work at a pizzeria- you don't have consistent access to the right nutritional sources.
Many people will argue that their hens do just fine on the traditional soft- pellets moult or no moult. Good for them.
I need my birds to live very long productive lives. They deserve the most optimal nutritional feasible, especially this time of the year.
Here's a mix you should be able to handle on any budget:
75% scratch grain
10% soy free pet kibble
10% nuts or granola mixture with lots of nuts and seeds
5% cooked brown rice made with plenty of spicy sesame oil or mix PLENTY cayenne pepper into olive oil
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