HPBAA recommends free ranging your poultry for better health. However, some conditions may prevent or even still require that extra added boost to your flock for vigor and health. Vitamins will help improve fertility, appetite, appearance, and stamina of your flock. A good feed diet is also a must. To much of one feed can be harmful to your flock.
Nesting & Bedding Material:
The best nesting material to use as a prevention of mites and lice is cedar shavings. Pine needles or shavings may also be used. Do not use cedar shavings for bedding on any baby fowl. Allowing litter to build up under baby fowl will cause Amonia Poisoning of the chicks. Clean dry and sanitized areas should be maintained daily with baby fowl.
Agricultural Lime is the best source of ground cover for poultry houses and coops. Hydrated Lime will irritate the birds eyes and breathing. You basically want a 4 to 6" layer of calcium carbonated lime. Slightly wet the material and it will absorb odors and kill mycoplasma in the soil.
Food grade Diatomaceous Earth (DE) is also good for mixing with feeds or bedding as a prevention of flies, lice, & mites. Fly larvae are not able to reproduce in bird droppings that have passed through the fowls digestive tract with DE in it.
Vitamins:
Electrlyte Pak: Mix 1 teaspoon per gallon of water for 3 to 5 days during periods of stress,heat, or after medicating.
ASP Vita Pak: Mix 1/4 teaspoon per gallon of water for first 14 days of life. Then give 2 to 3 days a week for 6 weeks. Can be combined with feed.
B15: 1/10 to 2/10 for 3 days.
A & D: Inject 1/4 cc intramuscular (in the muscle) once every 2 to 3 weeks in brood stock to improve fertility & hatchability.
B Complex: Inject 1/2 cc intramuscular daily to increase appetite & energy.
B12: Inject 1/2 cc intramuscular daily to increase appetite & energy. B12 100mg tablet given daily will accomplish the same goal.
Vitamin K: 1 250mg tablet daily for 3 to 5 days. This is a blood coagulatant to help stop bleeding.
Cod Liver Oil
Capsules/Liquid: Give 1 tablet 2 to 3 times a week for vitamin A & D source. Give 1 tablespoon per gallon of feed or water to accomplish the same goal.
Red Cell: Mix 1 tablespoon per gallon of feed or water once a month. May be mixed with Cod Liver Oil or Wheat Germ Oil.
Natural Feeds & Vitamins:
Chicks (All Baby Fowl): Feed a chick starter medicated for coccidiosis. A 22 to 24% protein is fine for newly hatched chicks. However, it is recommended that you drop the protein level to 18% after the first 14 days of life. Too high of a protein level will cause diarrhea in chicks after a certain time in their life.
Adult Birds: Laying feeds are fine for your females, but hard on the male birds. Females release the extra calcium that is in laying feeds through egg lay. Male birds are not able to release the extra calcium, thus calcium deposits build up in their kidneys and cause death. It is recommended that an 18% Protein feed be given to the entire flock such as a corn, cracked corn, milo, wheat, sunflower seed mixture. Catfish food may be the protein ingredient in the feed. Get to know your local feed store and discuss your flock and their feeds available. You may supplement the calcium with Oyster shell. Place the shell where the birds can take it when they want.
Table scraps are an excellent source of protein supplement. You may also buy meal worms, raw hamburger meat, and crickets for your birds.
Boiling eggs, mashing them with the shell still on them, and feeding them back to the birds is always a favorite for the birds.