Backyard Poultry Forum

Will do, hope the california quail chick will stop still for photo as does a great impersonation of speedy gonzalis, fasted chick i have ever seen , very cute when its snuggled up to pheasant chicks for a sleep.

The Golden pheasant chicks seemed to get rickets, am feeding them on vella chick starter and then vella pullet grower.
They would start to limp and go lame, so i ended up regularly adding ornathon bird vitamins to the water at least once a week, when i stop they start going lame again . Is there a better grower with more calcium to prevent this. The baby chickens growing at the same time have been perfectly fine. Had to destroy 2 pheasant chicks as their legs were to bad, still have 4 growing. Would addng shell grit help .

One of the causes of Rickets is a vitamin D deficiency. You would have been supplementing this with the Vitamins. Adding calcium (shell grit) will also need Vit D to be effective - they work together. Are they getting some sunlight?

Have moved all but one to a shaded avairy, were in the brooder box in garage, could move them to a more sunny avairy , didn't think about vitamin D deficiency, could still add vitamins to water as well, thanks for the advice sue.

Years ago' when I had very little experience and my chooks were probably fed an inadequate breeder diet, my Barnevelder chicks would go down on their hocks within the first couple of weeks. I gave them free access to meat meal and they would have an almost spontaneous recovery. That was my first lesson in poultry nutrition.

Table 1. Nutrient content of various slaughterhouse by-products

Ingredient DM Energy CP EE CF Ca Met Lys
Meat and bone meal, 45% 92 1080 45.0 8.5 2.5 11.0 0.53 2.20
Meat and bone meal, 50% 93 1150 50.0 8.5 2.8 9.20 0.67 2.60
Meat meal, 55% 93 1220 55.0 7.2 2.5 7.60 0.75 3.0

DM = Dry matter (% of total content)
Energy = Energy in kcal/lb.
CP = Crude protein (% of total content)
EE = Crude fat (ether extract; % of total content)
CF = Crude fiber (% of total content)
Ca = Calcium (% of total content)
Met = Methionine (% of total content)
Lys = Lysine (% of total content)

(Source: Feedstuffs Ingredient Analysis Table: 2011 Edition, by Amy Batal and Nick Dale, University of Georgia)
http://articles.extension.org/pages/673 ... to-poultry

A quick search indicates that Methionine and Lysine are also significant in the treatment of Rickets. I would only offer add lib as they can be over dosed.

Interesting Sue, i could give them of my small dog kibble, the chooks certainly help themselves to it when free ranging polishing off any that the dog left. If i crush it should be small enough. My Galahs when feeding young will take to some kibble when supplied too.

My golden pheasant chicks have not had any problems this year.
They were given Vella chick starter and occasionally duck weed or silver beet.
Then around week 7-8 were put on 50/50 mix of Vella chick starter and a grain scratch mix.

At what age swane did you put yours outside to get some sunlight . Mine were probably 10 weeks old before i took them outside and put in one of my avairies. Were yours super tame, one of the young boys if i opened the brooder and whistled he would come out and sit on my forearm and whistle back, another would sit on the brooder top and watch. More friendly then chickens at the same age.

I put them outside approx. 2 weeks old.
They weren't super tame, they were somewhere in the middle. They were chilled and not really fussed by me.

Wow only 2 weeks, were they feathered by then , maybe i have been keeping mine in the brooder to long. The last one was raised with a california quail cock and is skitish which i think has learnt from the quail. The other 3 are still quite tame, walk up to great me when i enter the avairy.

Have your pheasant chicks improved mycoola?

The 3 pullets seem fine but i notice now the young cock has started to limp again , will add vitamins to water once a week and have been now making sure they have plenty of shell grit available. Maybe will buy some silverbeet and give them regularly.

All good know running around strong, flying jumping , looking great, looks like being out in the sunlight did the trick.cock starting to colour now.will be selling.