How Iodine Can Help Your Chickens, and How To Keep Chicken Feed Fresh
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Chicken Article - Iodine in Chicken Feed, and Controlling Pests
by Glenda L. Heywood
Editor's Note: This article was published in a gamebird ezine created by Dr. Leland Hayes. Republished with permission. Read more from Dr. Hayes on his gamebird website and on poultryOne's new Guide to Raising Gamebirds.
RE: Iodine:
Hello: Regarding the note on 1% Iodine - it is available on line and in some
feed stores in one gallon size. It is very reasonably priced. I use it for
livestock, poultry, etc. It is gentle (sometimes says "Gentle Iodine" on
the label and is NON-STAINING. The 7% is much stronger to use on a sensitive
wound and stains wool, feathers, etc. horribly besides getting it on yourself
and is just about impossible to remove it from your skin.
Elaine - NJ
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RE: Replying to a statement about feed.
Feed is something that the nutrients are destroyed by
weevils of bugs of any kind, plus time after being
made if stored, and heat of a building.
More info on iodine and chicken health, and keeping chicken feed fresh, below this ad:
The bugs and weevils go thru the feed absorbing and digesting only the goodies of feed. Thus leaving the powder behind.
I would never waste my money on broken bags of feed especially if the hole has been not taped immediately ( an how can one tell how long it set with hole in bags?)
#1) Because if a vermin ( mice especially or rats) got there it will have urine on the bag and in the feed. As mice and rats DO NOT have bladders so goes the tracts they leave that become slick and slimy. They are urinating constantly.
#2) if the bugs such as darkling beetles ( you know those beetles that come out from under your feed sacks or any dark place when light hits them?) they digest the feed and lay larvae that hatch into meal worms.
Well, all the forms of darkling beetles live on either dead carcasses and digest the disease the bird had before dying while passing it out in manure and chickens or game birds eat it in their feed. Or actually eat thru the feed sacks.
Thus the weevil does the same thing and goes from one stage to the other. Darkling beetles live in behind the walls of buildings also and will eat insulation if allowed to live there and do not have either kind of food to live on.
thus need to burn all feed sacks, and put feed in good solid new garbage cans, with lids to keep them out.
#3) Well any kind of "critter" or "parasite" that feeds on broken bags of feed enough to make powder out of the feed has taken ALL the nutritional value out of feed. It is a waste of money and time to even expect the bird to live and grow or produce eggs on it.
#4) the next thing is this: look for the date in early spring on any bags of feed you buy? Why? because if the feed dealer stored the feed over winter it has lost the nutritional value of vitamins and additives. The feed has a shelf life of say 3 months tops, from time being milled to fed up.
So always inform your feed dealer when you are needing a certain kind of feed for young birds and adult birds. So you don't get old feed.
Nutritional value of feed is very important for the birds laying system being developed in the birds in females and the sexuality system in males. If the vitamins and minerals are gone so has the nutritional value.
Have a nice day
Glenda L Heywood
nationalpoultrynews@yahoo.com
ANSWER: Thanks for this very informative information�you have helped us all.
More info on iodine effects on chickens below this ad:
About the author:
G.L. Heywood is the editor for National Poultry News (NPN).
This article was originally published by Doctor Leland Hayes in his gamebird ezine. You may reach Dr. Leland at:
Leland B. Hayes, Ph.D.
P.O. Box 1682,
Valley Center, CA 92082
(760) 749-6829 FAX (760) 742-1173
Doctor Hayes publishes a very helpful poultry ezine. You can subscribe to it for free at www.LelandHayes.com
