Extreme Temperature Fluctuation HERBERT C. JORDAN Associate Professor Poultry Science Penn State University UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre Co.) Home-mix feed managers of poultry, rabbits or game birds should consider some different feed alternatives in case of extreme temperature fluctuations. Through responding to calls on poor performance in poultry, rab bits and game birds, it appears fluctuations in outside temperature as much as 40 degrees in one day can cause birds to go off feed, overeat, get sick, fail to drink enough water or sitand fail to exer cise. Some hens stop laying for no apparent reason. • If outside temperature varies more than 20 degrees in a 24-hour period, the flock of birds in an insulated building or open shed may show significant variation in performance. Low performance may be costly. • Low winter temperatures may accompany wide daily variation in outside temperature. If this hap pens, consider one of the following after consulting your nutritionist or poultry expert Monitor feed consumption per bird per day and encourage it if consumption gets low in cold weather. Cod liver oil can be laid in one continuous thin line on the out bound chain of the feeder. Place fresh cod liver oil on top of fresh feed at the rate of one pint per 100 pounds of feed consumed for one treatment or more per week. Cod liver oil should increase appetite, improve eggshell quality, improve egg number in some cases and, in breeder flocks, fertility and hatchability may increase. Do not mix cod liver oil in feed before storage as it can become rancid. Rancid feed can damage performance. • Beef tallow which is frozen then run through a hammer mill carefully can be added in propor tion of '/> - to 1-percent tallow by weight to the final mixed feed of layers or breeders that are not per forming may be an answer. Be careful with any animal fat it can cause physical prob lems with feed, become rancid, or gum-up the feed mixing or con veyance system. If animal fat is fed, the feed bin and all systems need cleaned every few days or as needed. Allow birds to clean up all feed every day or two if possible. • High quality fresh fishmeal can be added to a final ration at the rate of 1/2 to 1 percent by weight. Know the source of meal and have the vendor tell you what the micro be and harmful chemical level is. Fishmeal needs to be mixed throughout the entire ration just like any ingredient • Save highest quality com until the coldest part of winter. Jan. 22 may reach temperatures in Pen nsylvania below zero, so the low temperature inside any house at 4 a.m. may be low enough to require extra heat from feed in birds. This is true in high wind conditions. If com is low test weight or of poor quality do not feed it If no other com is available supplement poor com with fat or oil or some other source of quality energy. Fermentable carbohydrates, such as com, should not be fed in large quantities to rabbits. • Since we see small gizzards in many laying birds that perform poorly, it may be useful to have granite grit laid on top of feed twice a month at the rate of 1- to 4-pounds per KXTbirds. Insoluble grit along with oats in the ration causes gizzard to be normal. Normal gizzards help keep birds healthy and strong. Oats may replace com at 200 pounds per ton, as long as feed is made to have adequate energy with fat or oil. • Vitamin-mineral-electrolytes Farmland Trust WASHINGTON. D.C. The American Farmland Trust (AFT) announced that it will accept nom inations for its ninth annual Agri cultural Conservation Awards from now through August 1. The awards honor those indivi duals and organizations who have made outstanding contributions toward the protection of the nation’s agricultural resources. AFT, a national, non-profit orga nization dedicated to protecting farmland, established the awards in 1984 to encourage broad parti cipation in agricultural resource conservation. Awards are given for outstand ing federal, state, or local contri butions in public policy and prog- May Require (VME) can be toxic if overfed, so mix VME in water at half strength and make it available to the flock only 3 days a week, every week. Then, after the third day, clean the VME out of waterer. Administer vitamin-mineral-electrolytes care fully and at low levels. • Molasses in the feed at a prop ortion of Vi - to Vi -percent of the ration may improve performance in cold weather or in a season of widely varying temperatures. Potassium and sugar in molas ses may cause diarrhea in birds. Overall, a goal is to get adequate but not excessive feed consumption. Also, do not allow feed or water Nominations ram development, public educa tion, model land protection projects, and corporate achievement. Nominations should include a one-page summary of the candi date’s accomplishments. Support ing documentation up to 10 pages may include letters of recommen dation, detailed descriptions or examples of the candidate’s accomplishments, or newspaper and magazine articles. Self 0 MILK. IT DOESABOOY GOOD.' MIDDLE ATLANTIC MILK MARKETING ASSOCIATION, INC Lancwnr Pfenning, Utorfeay, Aprf 25, m&t Change quality to decrease during storage or handling. Feed that gets wet, old, moldy or contaminated must not be fed. Wide variations in weather parameters such as temperature, atmospheric pressure, relative humidity, wind or chill factor can cause abnormal behavior and per formance in game birds, turkeys, rabbits, chickens, and waterfowl, normally in that order. Provide birds with protection from the weather changes or improve other care factors like nutrition, space per bird, pure water, fresh unpolluted air and a better quality light. If a problem arises, seek help. Seeks nominations are permissible. All nominations must include the names and addresses of the nomi nee and nominator. Materials or questions should be sent to awards coordinator, AFT’s National Office, 1920 N. St., N.W., Suite 400, Washington, D.C., 20036. Nominations must be received by August 1. Awards will be presented at special cere monies this winter in Washington.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers