RodB
59 posts
Feb 15, 2005
2:19 PM
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Hi
Ive noticed my drum of wheat is breaking down and creates a lot of powder it doesnt seem to happen to other grains just wheat , does this cause any problems for the birds ,I have been poring it from one drum to another with a strong fan in between to blow it and any husk away before I feed it .
What is the storage life of grain , does its nutrition fall off over time , I dont have much in the way of supply where I live and must ship it in from the city , so its better for me to purchase decent ammounts .
Do you have a bath setup for your kit birds and if so how often do you allow them to bath .
Do you fly your birds while in heavy molt or lock them down .
Thanks guys
Rod
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Mother lode lofts
502 posts
Feb 15, 2005
2:42 PM
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Rod, the powder most likely is due to bugs , I buy 250 - 500 lbs of wheat at a time and have no problems, I think that under dry clean conditions it should last a very very long time. But I will have problems with pellets certain times of year as far as bugs but it doesn't seem to hurt anything.
As for the moult I don't lock down, but I do pull the last three flights in July on my A team so that they will moult those in first. I will lock down for 4-5 weeks after that and feed up rich, our national fly is in the Fall and this helps eliminate some head aches.
Nothing wrong with baths and the birds love it, once a week is good but more or less doesn't hurt.
Last Edited by Mother lode lofts on Feb 15, 2005 2:44 PM
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luna
9 posts
Feb 15, 2005
2:59 PM
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Rob, what i do is toss in a couple of bags of desicant at various levels while pouring in my wheat in the 55 gal. drum to absorb the moisture, its helps.
good luck , ron
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MCCORMICKLOFTS
392 posts
Feb 15, 2005
3:32 PM
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I think Scott is correct in that the dust in the wheat is usually do to bugs, weivels or something like that. Occasionally I'll get a bag that is dusty and I do like you and slowly pour it into another bin while out in the wind. Someone mentioned putting one of those fabric softner things you use in the dryer into the feed bin and it will keep all bugs away. Never tried it but I do occasionally put on inside my hat band when fishing to keep the skeeters away. One thing I have noted is that usually the dustier wheat is the shriveled up kind. The large human grade I get most of the time has very, very little dust at all.
I put a bath pan in with my kits about once or twice a month along with adding Permectrin and a dash of Ivomectrin to keep the parasites at bay. The loft birds get one about once a week when it is warmer.
As for the molt, I also pluck out the last two or three flights on the A-team about mid July then separate them by sex and lock them up in the main loft. They get a rich feed during this time and get to molt out regularly with no stress. I do this for about 7-8 weeks and try to have them back in the air by the second week of September. As you know, July here is the middle of summer while September is the end of summer or beginning of fall. I know it is the opposite where you are. And in case you were wondering, no there are no ill effects in performance by doing this. In fact, I would say it is better in the long run as those that don't do it are usually competing in our national fall fly with birds that are still molting their outer flights.
Brian.
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Phantom1
100 posts
Feb 16, 2005
9:03 AM
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For bugs, you can also put your feed in a freezer - if you have a deep freeze large enough. Often in the Summer, I'll get some weevels showing up in my feed bucket and storage bin. I'll take several bucket fulls and set those in the freezer overnight. Next day all is right with the world once again.
Eric
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J_Star
207 posts
Feb 16, 2005
10:00 AM
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What damage does Weevels do to the grains and Does it cause any harm to the birds? Just wondering...
Jay
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