Feed

[ShadowhillsFarm]

What does everyone feed their "show" poultry/waterfoul? I am showing mine in the local county fair in March....right now they are eating Dumor Layer Feed, Scratch Grains, Oyster Shells and Calf Manna.

Is there something else I should be adding now or closer to fair time?

Thanks

[Patrick]

There is no one good answer to that question. Ask 100 successful exhibitors and you'll likely get as many different answers. A lot of it has to do with what is available in your area, the species you are breeding, even breed in some cases, and the color variety of the birds you are working with. Start with a good commercial formula as the basis of your diet. Many people like to use a gamebird or turkey grower for many show chickens. Especially in recent years, where some concerns have led to the reduction in meat protein in a lot of poultry feeds, some people have been supplementing with a little cheap dry cat food, but be very careful about overdoing it, with any supplementation. What you are feeding now is a very good place to start. Young waterFOWL require protein on the lower side, to prevent problems associated with growing too quickly.

Management is probably more important than exact diet, as long as you've got them on some sort of commercial formula. If you want to be serious about exhibiting, show birds cannot be housed together in huge numbers, or the sexes mixed continuously. They must be housed appropriately according to their specific needs, based on species, breed and variety. Mediterranean breed cocks for example need plenty of room for their tails not to be damaged, featherfooted breeds need to be kept very clean, and not on wire, waterfowl require clean bathing water, etc, etc. Some varieties benefit from a lot of sun exposure, many are harmed by it, for show purposes at least. Mites and lice need to be checked for and treated when needed. Feeding is not a matter of adding something a month or two before the show, it's conditioning them long before, to grow and develop into good show birds.

[ShadowhillsFarm]

Thanks for the info. I think what we are doing now is good....we're not that serious into showing as of right now, but it would be nice to see some ribbons hanging from the cages when we show at the county fair ;)

[Patrick]

Why didn't you say so? That's easy. Just enter a breed or variety that no one else has. Automatic first place, no matter how bad it is. Don't want to take a chance that someone else will enter one? Make up a breed name. There's a reason it's called a FAIR. Just about anything goes. One of many issues with that other site, is that many people there do just what I described, then fool themselves, and sometimes unfortunately others, into thinking that simply because they got a ribbon at the fair means that they have something of quality. But I'm getting off track. Yes, your current feeding program is a good place to start.

[gregrag]

Well if you do not have any competetion in the breed it is kind of obvious you have nothing to Toot Your Horn about......:roll: Greg

[Patrick]

Well if you do not have any competetion in the breed it is kind of obvious you have nothing to Toot Your Horn about......:roll: Greg

What is obvious to you and I is not obvious to many people. Just look at BYC for endless examples. You'd be amazed at how many poor excuses for parents allow their children to think that they accomplished something worthwhile, simply for winning a blue ribbon with no competition, often on an embarrassment of a bird which shouldn't have been allowed in the show hall in the first place.

[Neil E. Grassbaugh]

I always liked

"It's not what you win but who or what you beat."

[Pathfinders]

I just got off the phone with a rep from Buckley Bros feed (who are the official sponsor this year for the Ohio National, just by the way.)

I had gone up to a feed store about 25 miles north of us this morning to try to convince them to carry Kent feeds, because the Tractor Supply in town is no longer carrying it (due to the new TSC corporate alliance with Puriana, which I do not like.) The manager/owner there said he would make some calls and see what he could do for me.

I had stressed how important it was to me to have a feed with an animal-based source of protein (which Purina does not have), and he wound up calling his Buckley rep, who I then talked to.

Seems that Buckley has, just in the last few weeks, made the decision to start adding animal proteins to their feeds; pork and (I think, should have taken notes) beef blood meal as well as fish meal, as opposed to feather meal which is what some companies use.

I was very pleased to hear this, as I really feel an animal-based protein is required by chickens. So he's going to send me some bags of their various products, and I'm going to check it out. You can see the different types of feed they carry if you're interested here:

http://www.buckleybrosinc.com/index.cfm?show=10&mid=9&pid=5

And if you're going to the OH National, they'll have a booth there, so you can ask any questions you may have directly.

[katschicks]

I had stressed how important it was to me to have a feed with an animal-based source of protein (which Purina does not have), Feed Purina Game Bird. It has animal protein added. Rog

[karabbitry]

Well I work for a purina dealer and the gamebird does NOT have animal protein in it. This may just be our plant out of Denver but that plant no longer has any in any of their feeds because of the chance of it getting into the wrong feed. The feed tags say ruminant and bone meal free and lists no animal proteins in the ingredients.

Don't mean to contradict anyone but from what I see it doesn't.

Anthony

[katschicks]

Yes Anthony you are correct. At the bottom of the page it does say Ruminant Meat and Bone Meal free. But it still contains animal protein. Just not those. Check under Ingredients. It does say animal protein products. You need to read the whole tag. Just me . Rog