Author Topic: FEED OR NO FEED (Read 7040 times)

shetlandpaul · « **Reply #15 on:** July 27, 2009, 08:01:57 pm »

its not the feeding. you can get auto systems. but you have to check them every day. wether you choose to feed them with pellets or corn etc is your choice. i would think not supplying them feed during the summer would have a bad effect on there laying or meat production.

harry · « **Reply #16 on:** July 27, 2009, 08:58:08 pm »

i almost agree but i dont think never feed in summer, feed every other day at least, someone did a survey once about how many insects there are in a square yard of field = something silly sevaral thousand or something like that

doganjo · « **Reply #17 on:** July 27, 2009, 10:24:25 pm »

I don't think the type of food, or either lack of, or abundance of, is an issue here. I think most of us on here would prefer to follow Defra guidelines on this occasion - whether law or not they are sensible for once. If you do not check your animals at least once a day you cannot pick up on their well-being or illness, and that is what is of utmost importance to most people who raise animals/poultry on a smaller scale than commercial ones, whether 3 birds or 103. JMHO

shetlandpaul · « **Reply #18 on:** July 28, 2009, 09:11:38 am »

even commercial ones will want to check there birds often, imagine losing a 100,000 because they did'nt spot a bug quickly enough.

harry · « **Reply #19 on:** July 28, 2009, 09:50:52 pm »

all i can think is their must be some very stressed highly strung poultry about kept in less than perfect conditions if they need checking twice a day as defra guidlines. Maybe defra are taking into consideration ignorant owners which they know are about.

shetlandpaul · « **Reply #20 on:** July 28, 2009, 10:40:28 pm »

i think the guidance was intended for the larger units. hence walking within 3m to check the hens. now just imagine something went wrong on say day 1 just after you had been to feed them. lets say one has got stuck in something by the time your back on day 3 its dead and odds on being eaten by its fellow chucks. You say your hens stay out over winter, have you had no problems with frostbite. i doubt its for ignorant owners just what the welfare folks feel they need. We have a problem with gulls just now if we were not at hand to deal with the problem IE bird netting and shooting the odd gull. we would end up with all our half grown chick gone. in your case you would not know until most of the hens had been killed or maimed.

doganjo · « **Reply #21 on:** July 28, 2009, 11:13:13 pm »

A couple on here lost all their hens - two legged thieves - their land was a distance away from their home. I know they checked them everyday. I just wouldn't have my animals anywhere I couldn't see them from my house. Just my personal views.