Feeding Gamefowl: Everything You Need to Know

March 30, 2024 by Lauro Braganza

Are you into gamefowl breeding and wondering how to feed your birds properly? Feeding gamefowl is not as simple as feeding standard chickens. Gamefowls require a special diet that will keep them healthy, strong, and competitive. This article covers everything from understanding the difference between feeding gamefowl and standard chickens to providing step-by-step guides on their proper diet and exercises! So sit back, grab a cup of coffee, and dive into the world of feeding gamefowl tips!

Many factors contribute to gamefowl performance, but feeds, which provide the primary energy source and nutrition, are the most important. If you want your gamefowl to perform at their best, feed them the right foods.

Like humans, gamefowl or backyard birds’ nutritional needs change as they grow. If you plan your feed program, using a complete poultry feed specially formulated for the birds’ life stage, species, or production stage will help your flock thrive and perform well.

Feeding Gamefowl vs Common Chickens: What’s the Difference

Feeding gamefowl is different from feeding standard chickens. Gamefowls have a specific diet to help them develop their physical attributes, increase their endurance, and boost their immunity.

Gamefowls require more protein than standard chickens, which can thrive on grains alone. They need higher amounts of amino acids like methionine and lysine for muscle growth and repair. You must provide them with feeds formulated explicitly for game birds or add supplements to their regular feed.

Gamefowls also need more vitamins and minerals than standard chickens. Vitamins A, D3, E, and K3, as well as calcium and phosphorus, are essential for developing strong bones, which are crucial in supporting the bird’s weight during fights or competitions.

Another difference between feeding gamefowl and common chickens is the frequency of feeding. Gamefowls should be fed multiple times throughout the day to keep up with their high metabolic rate, while common chickens can go longer periods without food.

Understanding the differences between feeding gamefowl and ordinary chicken is essential since they have unique requirements. Providing your birds with a proper diet can make all the difference in performance and overall health!

What Types of Feeds Do Gamefowls Need?

Gamefowls require a well-balanced diet to ensure optimum health and performance. The type of feed that gamefowls need varies depending on their age, weight, and activity level.

Chicks require a starter feed containing 20-24% protein for the first 6-8 weeks of life. After that, they can be switched to a grower feeds with 15-18% protein until they reach maturity at around six months old. Adult gamefowls should consume a maintenance or conditioning feed with 12-14% protein.

Gamefowl feeds typically contain grains such as corn, wheat, barley, oats, soybean meal, and other protein sources like fishmeal or meat by-products. Amino acids like methionine are added to ensure adequate levels in the bird’s diet.

Supplementation is also necessary for optimal health. Vitamins A, D3, E, K, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, and B12 are all important nutrients gamefowls need in varying amounts based on their activity levels.

In addition to commercial feeds and supplements, fresh fruits and vegetables can be used as treats but should not make up more than 10 percent of their diet.

It is essential to provide clean water continuously alongside appropriate feeding practices to ensure your birds stay healthy!

Step By Step Guide on Feeding Gamefowl

Feeding gamefowl can be tricky if you lack the right knowledge. Here is a step-by-step guide to feeding your gamefowl.

1. Start by providing fresh water for them at all times. Gamefowls require constant access to clean and cool water to regulate their body temperature. Give your chicken booster feed. This will boost the chicks’ metabolism and digestion to ensure optimum nutrient absorption, ensuring a lively and strong chick.

2. Stag Grower – The Stag Grower promotes bird muscle growth and increases their resistance to illness (immunity). Choose high-quality feeds that are explicitly formulated for gamefowls. These feeds contain essential nutrients for good health, growth, and development of your birds’ muscles.

3. Offer small amounts of feed two or three times daily rather than large amounts once or twice daily. This helps keep the bird’s metabolism active and stable throughout the day.

4. Regularly supplement their diet with fresh fruits and vegetables such as apples, carrots, and spinach. It provides additional vitamins in their diet, which cannot be found in commercial feeds alone.

Avoid overfeeding your gamefowl as they tend to eat more than necessary when given excess food, which leads to obesity-related complications like heart disease or even death from too much fat around internal organs.

Gamefowl Exercises

Gamefowl exercises are essential for maintaining the health and fitness of your birds. In addition to a balanced diet, regular exercise helps gamefowls maintain muscle mass and reduces the risk of obesity.

One way to ensure that your gamefowls get enough exercise is to provide them with adequate space to move around freely. Gamefowls love to scratch, peck, and roam about their surroundings, so they’ll require ample space in their coop or pen for these activities.

Another way of exercising your gamefowls is through training drills like running laps or jumping over low hurdles. These exercises help improve agility and coordination while keeping their cardiovascular system healthy.

Moreover, it’s crucial not to force intense workouts on young birds as this can lead to injury or even death from exhaustion. Instead, start slowly with simpler exercises and then gradually increase intensity once they mature.

Incorporating proper exercise routines into your gamefowl’s daily routine will keep them happy and healthy while enhancing their overall performance during competitions.

Do’s and Don’ts of Gamefowl Feeding

Here are some best practices to consider when developing a gamefowl feed program:

What To Do:

1. Make sure feeds are protein-rich

Experts suggest making your feed with up to 22% crude protein to keep up muscle development and repair. With muscle developed, gamefowl becomes more powerful.

3. Feeding patterns and schedules should remain standard.

Gamefowl have a unique digestive system that can accommodate only small amounts of food at a time in their crops, so this should be taken into account when feeding them.

4. Feed them according to their life stage.

As previously mentioned, a chick’s nutritional requirements differ vastly from those of a grown battlecock, so they should feed based on their stage of life. While making homemade feed may be tricky in this case, commercially available feeds, such as GMP, are tailored to meet the nutritional needs of each life stage.

5. Exercise isn’t something you should take for granted.

Like athletes, gamefowls should follow a training schedule before a fight. Your feeding schedule should also be adjusted accordingly. On the morning of training, give complex carbohydrates for fuel and protein and recovery nutrients afterward.

What You Should Not Do:

1. Feeds shouldn’t be given in uniform amounts.

The weight and performance of each bird should be closely monitored during pre-fight conditioning, and you should adjust their feeding accordingly. For example, 40 to 45g with supplements is usually recommended, but you have to know the amount each bird needs personally. Those lacking body may need 50 to 60g of feeds, whereas those at an optimal level may have 40 to 30g. You can adjust the amount accordingly for the best results.

2. Don’t forget to give supplements.

Nutritional supplements are popular for fortifying diets with vitamins, minerals, and other benefits. They are often used to bolster health, energy levels, and immunity and guard against age-related medical issues. Additionally, these products can boost physical performance and aid in the recovery process of illnesses. Consult with your veterinarian to determine which supplement best suits your pet’s needs.

Conclusion

Feeding gamefowl is not just about giving them food; it’s also about providing the proper nutrients and balance to keep them healthy and strong. As discussed in this article, many factors differentiate feeding standard chickens from feeding gamefowl. You need to understand these differences if you want your birds to perform their best.

When it comes to feeding gamefowl, always prioritize quality over quantity. A balanced diet packed with protein, vitamins, and minerals will help them grow into formidable fowls that can compete at high levels.

Remember that proper nutrition can only go so far without exercise. Gamefowl exercises play a huge role in keeping your birds fit for competition.

In summary, knowing how to feed your gamefowl correctly is essential for anyone who wants to get involved in breeding or raising these impressive birds successfully. With the tips provided above on what types of feeds they require, how often you should be feeding them, and the importance of exercise, you’re now ready to give your flock everything they need!