During The Moult

[THE FIFER]

what is your management with your birds during the moult, IE: feeding,baths, cleaning out feathers,(are u on deep litter) and are they out flying, other ????

[Wiley]

My feeding is very light to be entirely honest with you and has a very high Barley content for many reasons. It has a high carb content, the moult takes a lot of energy and the carb content provides the necessary energy to go through a good moult. It also has a fair percentage of protein, although not as much a pea or bean, it's protein content is sufficient. It has a low fat content also, but that is not important what is important is that the birds dislike the grain and will only eat what they need, and feeding barley is the best judge of when a bird has had it's fill. Barley like wheat has a high sulfur content which also helps with the moult. It will also keep the weight of the birds and make it easier to get into breeding condition. It is also proven the use of barley reduces the tricho count.To this I will also supplement there diet with seeds that are high in fatty oils to help produce softer feathers as well as many of these seeds increase the protein content of my mixture

 

In the drinker we use cider vinegar and garlic 5 days out of 7 a week. The garlic is chopped up and placed in the cider vinegars bottles and are left for at least a week to mature before it is used. Sedochol would be used twice a week and many know the use of it.

 

"A mixture of Methionine, Choline and Sorbitol, to regulate the digestive system. Irregular digestion can be caused by changing diet, breeding, molting and extremely tough races

- Promotes muscle growth, Optimizes fat burning, resulting in increased resistance

- Promotes liver metabolism and kidney, Detoxifies the blood and liver, resulting in increased physical performance

- Promotes the formation of new feathers during molt."

 

Protecting the liver is very important this time of year as it becomes under stress of the moult. The idea is to make a birds moult as stress free as possible .

 

I'm a big believer that during the moult the birds should be able to get as much air, and sunlight as possible so generally the wire doors will be in place to help to provide this. The birds are let out very little until they are paired, but they will be offered a bath once a week.

 

A box with a very small would be placed in the loft to crest a vacuum for the feathers and it's amazing how well it works for the feathers. The birds and boxes are generally cleaned out once a week.

 

The birds are fed communally and are fed once a day a handful at a time until they become picky with the grains.

[b.massey]

My birds are out in aviary most weekends and bath put out for them (I do hot water with bath salts)

 

They're on a high protein feed with loads off small seeds added for fats and oils, 3 times a week impact in water with sedochol 2 times a week.

 

They're mostly on there last flights now and if honest there bouncing with condition.

 

I hoover my corridor every day until feathers stop appearing clean floor every 2nd day and perches every weekend. I'll up the cleaning to floor daily and perches every second day starting November as that's show time approaching

 

Birds are never out loft from the YB national right through to pairing up Mid Feb

[Delboy]

Birds are kept in loft Sept until March. They get regular baths in aviary and are fed moulting mix with added barley/wheat. Clean water and grit are given and any bird that struggles with a moult cant be expected to cope flying 16 hours on the wing so end up in the wheelie. A great moult is very important to next years winners.

[yeboah]

Any mixtures that are left I mix them altogether

Widowhood,Gerry plus or similar and a protein mix

Usually kept in during winter but will change this year and let out on good weekends

Just clean water changed as often as possible

Oil on food from Co Op Gtx is best lol

With touch Brewers yeast

Birds already have that wow factor

[THE FIFER]

[demolition man]

Plenty of oils with seaweed powder, garlic and cider viniger and a drop of sedicol

[William Reid]

sorry removed my post gabby water

[alex young]

I'm feeding V/L Mutine plus, approx.1oz+ and a handul of 50/50 Matrix/Redband.Once a week I put Pro-Gem plus on the corn and in the water garlic and Naturaline.The birds are exercised on good days.

[paddymac]

I feed Beatties moulting supreme with gemthepax mixed through it 3 days per week, on other days I mix hormoform into the mix and use versalaga all in one grit mix and garlic in the drinkers. Birds are confined mostly to the lofts due to the risk of bop strikes but will get out on the occasional good day if I'm not at work.

[Delboy]

sorry removed my post gabby water

 

hahaha

[William Reid]

hahaha

.

[ALF]

Birds are still getting out every morning 26 in each loft they get a soup can full of barley then 1 and a 1/2 cans of winter mix to each section and they are still excersing for at least 25-40 mins every morning and are looking good

[geordie1234]

When I let them out once a week I pray they don't fly at all..

[William Reid]

what is your management with your birds during the moult, IE: feeding,baths, cleaning out feathers,(are u on deep litter) and are they out flying, other ????

.

[BIGPETE]

Great post Wiley.