[betty]

Hello, well all the "kids" seem to be doing alot better, hope I'm not speaking to soon!  I still have 2 in the house, think'n I might keep them in here for awhile, I've gotten used to them being in, I just have to dust more often.  They have gotten so tame, and I don't want to stress them by putting them back with the other jelouse ones.  I tried that and the big daddy rooster wanted to kick a**, so they seem real spoiled inside.  What can I do to put more weight on all of them?  They are growing but seem light when I pick them up.  They get corn, grass, bugs, and a mix with Red milo, white milo safflower, lintel, oak groats, red millet, white millet sweet canola, flax seed,cannary grass, proteine16%,fats 10%, carb.26%,oats, wheat,barly,and bread along with some table scraps, mostly cooked meat.  But they still seem light as a feather when I pick them up.  I can feel the brest bone.  They have food all day, if they get hungry. Will follow any advice! yf  Betty   P.S. Maybe to much seed?

[muntjac]

maybe to much  meat and  fats ............they only convert what they can at any given time ... so knock of the processs.cooked meat ,give them werms n meal grubs meat and fat is badddddd betty  .............. the meat is another thing they will find difficult to process along with fat ,hence the chicken that died of bacon rind ,it curled up in its crop n refused to go ,then killed it  :roll:  to much sweet canola is another thing it has sugars in it and these will process faster  than other grains and probably make ya chucks hyper .thu burning off more food   ,millets are a holding crop fine for keeping pheasants at home on the shoot but no real value .good crushed maize n barley wheat etc .is what they need .just give them the occasional treats   check they have enough oyster shell ,,, and also grit for crunching up the grains .

[Aunt Sally]

Are they birds 'designed' for meat Betty, rather than egg layers  :?:

[betty]

I just raise them as pets.  An egg here and there is fine.  I do give them a high calorie grit--Calcium,phosphorus, sodium, iodine,copper,iron, manganese,zink,amino acids, dicalcium phosphate, cal.carbonte vitamin abcde,vit.b12,spirilina ect.  in the mix, to many to mention.  They will get more grain, I feed them deer meat(cooked) but I'll cut that out too!  They are going to miss the treats. :cry:  I'll let them find their own meat when they are out free ranging in the yard when I turn them out.  Snow is about to fall, a little deer meat then?  It does make the egg bigger.  And it did help grow feathers back quick.  Well, that answered my question.  So Cracked corn, barly, wheat, anything else?

[Aunt Sally]

A bit of meat is good for them if they have been moulting and 'wild' meat is not easily found.

If they are egg layers rather than meat or utility birds their keel bone will be prominent and nothing to worry about.  As long as they eat well (not to much junk food in chicken terms), and they lay well and seem healthy and active then they're fine  

[betty]

I went to a chicken show in Ohio and the chooks there all had pellets in there feed dishes, I'm not sure what was in the pellets, and maybe I should ask the feed store for some pellets, and mix that in with the grain?  I know the corn and wheat will help keep them warm this winter, but maybe the pellets will to.  I'm also going to get the infa red baulb for mine.  Another question:  If I put the 2 that are inside out in the coop when it's dark out will the rooster leave them alone, he want's to attack them when he see's them, so I don't let them out anymore, how do I introduce them to the temp. change?  Or should I put them in a coop by themselves, it's a hen and rooster, about 4 monts old, and he can't fight that big old rooster.  Will putting them outside stress them?  I brought them in because they were sick, and they are on probiotics now, I don't want to make them sick again; what a mess!  Trying to do good has made things worse. :roll:

[Aunt Sally]

I'm afraid that's not something I've had any experience with Betty.  But some one will be along soon who can answer your question  

[muntjac]

the pellets are probably feed.the inside out ? is see what happens ,,,,

[betty]

My thoughts also    Will update ya, I hate to see them go outside, kinda liked havin them in the house :cry: , but they have to be with their own kind I guess.  Can't teach them to clean the house lol :roll: