Question: My son had 2 bags of turkey show chow left after the poultry show. We need to know if the feed would be ok to keep for next years show.
Answer: David,
Unfortunately, the Turkey Starter will not keep for that long. We normally do not recommend the feeding of feed that is greater than 120 days of age (about 4 months) and even less than that if feeding during the Summer.
Over time and varying temperatures, the feed will lose its nutritional value due to breakdown of ingredients and also could develop bacterial growth due to the products being perishable.
The only way you may try to salvage and store until next year is to package it and refrigerate/freeze it. I would think that trying to store 100 lbs of feed in a freezer is not practicle.
Thanks for your inquiry,
Keith Staggs
Ambassador - Market Poultry
Land O’Lakes Purina Feed
Question: I have seen mention of the Oasis product in reference to raising show broilers. I currently use the Honor Show Chow Broiler products. What is Oasis? Is there a benefit to using it? If so, where do I obtain it? Thanks!
Answer: Tim,
In short - Oasis is a vehicle to help you get more out of your nutrition program. It has three modes of action:
1) Green - The color green attracts the birds to the feed and makes them want to eat. This is why it is sprinkled on top of the feed and NOT mixed in the feed.
2) 25% Moisture - The moisture content helps the birds maintain their moisture. Chickens and Turkeys are 78% water - It is very important that they retain their moisture.
3) Acid Content - Oasis contains Citric, Sorbic, Propionic Acids - These acids reduce the pH of the GI Tract and allow for better nutrient utilization from your feeding program.
You can order the product from me. If you are interested in getting a bag, contact me directly at this e-mail or by calling the number below.
Thanks and take care!
Keith Staggs
Ambassador - Market Poultry
Honor Show Chow
Question: My son is getting ready for his second year of showing market broilers at the Perry County Fair and the Ohio State Fair. We used the Honor Show Chow broiler complete and had pretty good growth rates with the birds the first 12 did slightly better than the last 25. They came from 2 different hatcheries. I am looking for any average growth rate charts for market broilers. I realize there are many facors involved I am just looking for a chart so that we can adjust our order timing. Thanks for your help and for great feeds.
Answer: Matt,
There is not a published growth rate chart for show broilers that I am aware of. However a 6 week old broiler will weigh 8 to 9 lbs if they are fed and managed based on my program recommendations.
As you stated, there are many factors that will influence the bird weights and with more detailed information about your housing, set-up and schedules, I can better help you strategize your plan for optimizing the performance without over growing the birds based on the show regulations.
Thanks and feel free to contact me directly.
Keith Staggs
Ambassador - Market Poultry
Honor Show Chow
Question: What is the Protein content of your Show chow for poultry? At what age should I start feeding Show chow to my chicks? Is there any other feed that I should be feeding these chicks with the Show chow?
Answer: Jim,
The Protein content for the following feeds are:
Honor Show Chow Turkey Starter - 30%
Honor Show Chow Turkey Grower Finisher - 21%
Honor Show Chow Broiler Complete - 22.5%
The Show Chow Product line is a complet ration and does not need any supplementation of nutritional products. You should be satisifed with the results and outcome of your project birds by feeding Honor Show Chow!
Take care,
Keith Staggs
Ambassador - Market Poultry
Honor Show Chow
Question: I just read the article about Oasis feed supplement. Is this just for Broiler poultry, or is it also recommended for show quality poultry [Bantam and standard} laying breeds? We show many different breeds at the County Fair and Statewide.
Answer: Jim,
Oasis would not benefit your exhibition poultry as much as it does the market broilers. If you hatch or start young chicks, there is benefit to feeding Oasis to your young birds and getting them off to a good start. I would recommend feeding Oasis to your young birds for the first two weeks. After that point, ther is not much benefit for exhibition poultry.
Thanks,
Keith Staggs
Ambassador - Market Poultry
Honor Show Chow
Question: We have been advised that if our broilers are sneezing we should treat with antibiotics. Our Houston show broilers are now two weeks old. We treated our birds for three days at day 8. Now at day 14 some still sneeze. Should we re-treat now? At what point should we withdraw antibiotics before the show? The antibiotic we are using is water soluble Agrilabs Oxytetracycline Hydrochloride.
Answer: Dennis,
Antibiotics are not designed to be used more than 7 consecutive days.
I would assume that the sneezing that you are seeing / hearing is a result of the vaccination the birds received at the hatchery. I would manage the temperatures and ventilation in the house to optimize the environment and allow the birds to naturally go through the vaccine reaction without the use of antibiotics.
If you see the birds gasping for air or acting like they are sick, the antibiotics are needed. If the birds are snickering, sneezing, coughing then they are only going through a vaccine reaction and you will see these symptoms subside by day 18 as long as you effectively manage your temperatures and ventilation in the house.
Take care,
Keith Staggs
Ambassador - Market Poultry
Honor Show Chow
Question: My chicks are 4 days old and they are laying down in my flat feeders and eating, I know they should eat standing up. What am I doing wrong?
Answer: Austin,
You are very observant and attentive to the details as you have noticed the birds laying down to eat and that I say that they need to stand to eat!
The birds sitting / laying in the feed at such a young age is fine. The idea of the birds standing to eat is important when the birds are 4 weeks of age and beyond. This is when the birds are growing to the point that they get lazy and do not want to get up.
Question: I am looking for a feeding program for broilers. Do I need to add vitamin/minerals to the water in addition to broiler complete. My girls are just getting into FFA and any direction on a complete health and nutrition program would be of help. Thanks!
Answer: Milton,
First of all welcome to the Show Broiler Industry! You will find this project for your girls and family to be very fun and rewarding. There is a lot of quality time that will be spent as a family during the 6 to 7 weeks of this project! Enjoy the time spent with your girls! I look forward to show season every year because I know that my teenage daughter will communicate with me and we tend to have a lot of fun!
This is a very fast paced project and every day and every hour counts. We can not afford to have mistakes, temperature problems, out of feed, out of water, etc. issues. We never can make up for time lost with this project!
I have attached a week by week program for you to review and consider as you plan your feeding and management strategy for the upcoming flock of broilers. Read through the program and contact me if you have any questions.
Let me introduce you to a product called Oasis. Oasis is a product for poultry (broilers, layers, turkeys) that has shown a tremendous benefit to market show poultry by giving better rate of gain and breast meat yield. Oasis has three benefits to your show birds:
1) Oasis is green in color and attracts the birds to the feeder and they consume more feed.
2) Oasis contains 25% moisture which provides added moisture to the bird while they are eating.
3) Oasis contains Citric, Sorbic & Propionic Acid: These acids work to reduce the pH value of the GI tract and allows for more efficient nutrient absorption by the bird.
These three modes of action result in bigger, more uniform birds to take to the show ring.
Feeding directions are: Feed Oasis as a topdress (covering 50% of the surface area of all feeder space) once per day for four (4) consecutive days each week. Do not feed for the remaining three (3) consecutive days of the week. Repeat this feeding routine every week that you have your project birds (from hatch to show).
You will find that after about four (4) weeks of age, the birds decide to eat less during the three days off the product. If this occurs, it is okay to topdress all 7 days (after the 28th day of age). I would reduce the 50% coverage to about 30% coverage for the seven (7) day treatment.
The product comes in a 22 lb. bag and each bag will feed out a flock of chickens (flock size of 75 birds or less) from start to finish if you are using the traditional poultry feeders. If you are using pipe, gutter or trough feeders in the house, you will utilize more product because the feed surface area is increased by using these means of feeding equipment.
Each 22 lb. bag cost $75 (product cost) + $25 UPS Shipping charges. A box contains two-22 lb. bags and cost $150 + $30 shipping.
The product is located in Kingwood, TX and you are welcome to arrange a pick-up time if you are in the area and want to save the shipping charges.
In order to purchase the product, contact me directly and we will either ship the product to you or arrange a time for you to come pick up the amount that you need.
Thanks and take care!
Keith Staggs
Honor Show Chow Ambassador
Market Poultry
