# Best Foraging Breeds



## Keith

What breeds have you found best for foraging?


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## Apyl

Well here's what I have and they all forage well. I only feed about 1 gallon of feed in the morning and about that before dark to make sure they have the protein and such they need. I have 20 chickens and 9 ducks, all are healthy. 

ETA: 9/27/13 Since last year we revised our feeding a bit. Our Barred Rocks definitely forage the best. We are up to 28 chickens, 8 ducks, and 2 geese. I feed about 5 -6 cups of feed in the morning and free range. 

Ancona - gone
Barred Rock
Buff Orpington - gone
Andalusians
Lakenvelders
Dominique - gone
Production Reds - gone
Cochins
Silkies
Phoenix
Yokohama
Red sex link
Mixed breeds


Pekin duck
Mallard ducks
Rouen/Jumbo pekin duck
Rouens
African geese


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## JackAubrey

Before starting out , I researched chicken breeds as much as possible. I looked at Dark Cornish, Black Javas, and Speckled Sussex. These seemed to meet my requirements: A) Meat bird, B)Dual purpose bird w/ emphasis on meat production, C) Good foraging capabilities, D) Hens would raise chicks.
The Black Javas were my first choice, but they are difficult to find, and the few I did find were expensive. Dark Cornish were my next choice,until I saw how pretty the Speckled Sussex were! They were simply gorgeous! It's not like me to be swayed by such sentimentality, but what can I say? JA


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## rob

my silkie and my light sussex are very good at foraging.


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## romeosshadow

I have sex-link and silkie and they forage very well. 
I let them roam my yard.


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## BuckeyeChickens

Buckeyes make excellent foragers....they are a dual purpose Heritage breed, good layers and outstanding meat!!!


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## Marengoite

My Buckeyes forage well, just like Jeff said. For strictly laying birds that forage, our Hamburgs are probably the most aggressive foragers I have. They seem to eat barely anything out of the feeder and range widely as long as they can stay in the shelter of tall weeds or brush. They're about the closest thing I've seen to wild chickens. Of course they don't get very big, so I wouldn't consider them dual purpose, but if you want independent chickens that lay white eggs on hardly any food, they're hard to beat. Low maintenance, low overhead.


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## hockeychick

My Speckled Sussex are hands down the best foragers out of my group, and their coloring provides excellent camouflage. They aren't nervous birds either - they're quite curious. My Buff Orpingtons, Easter Eggers, Barred Rocks, and SL Wyandottes are decent foragers as well, but it's always the Sussex that wander the furthest.


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## 7chicks

She's gorgeous hockeychick! Thank you for sharing the picture.


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## rob

nice pic, everytime a pic appears i want what i see lol. gonna have to get a bigger garden


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## BuckeyeChickens

rob said:


> nice pic, everytime a pic appears i want what i see lol. gonna have to get a bigger garden


Here's another pic for ya Rob;


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## Energyvet

Nice. Very nice.


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## hockeychick

Thanks everyone! Unfortunately due to molting and a Red Star that likes to pick feathers, my Sussex girls aren't too pretty these days, except for one. When they have ALL their feathers they are truly gorgeous birds, and they have fun personalities.


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## rob

wow fantastic. looks like a drill sergeant


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## Julienkc

I think my leghorn lives on air. My EE's do fairly well at foraging too, and my silkies even weren't half bad at it when not broody.


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## BuckeyeChickens

rob said:


> wow fantastic. looks like a drill sergeant


Hey thinks he is a drill sergeant sometimes, too!!!


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## kejmack

I've had all kinds of breeds over the years and I have found that my Speckled Sussex are the best foragers. There is a reason that they were THE bird to have in the days before commercial chicken factories.


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## Chickenboy

My american games are the best foragers here they are also good at evading hawks


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## bellerophon09

Leghorns, American Games, Dominique, Buff Rocks and Sussex have all been great foragers for me. Having good foragers out with the lazy ones will sometimes encourage them to go out more. Buckeyes and Games are very alert hawk watchers.


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## Shumaker

Without a shred of doubt, game are by far the better foragers. They have the ability to survive in many different enviroments and can located in many parts covering the planet.


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## BuckeyeChickens

Shumaker said:


> Without a shred of doubt, game are by far the better foragers. They have the ability to survive in many different enviroments and can located in many parts covering the planet.


Agree 100% with that statement Mr. Shumaker!!!


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## piglett

bellerophon09 said:


> . Having good foragers out with the lazy ones will sometimes encourage them to go out more. Buckeyes and Games are very alert hawk watchers.


 i had a few RiR's in with my buff orpingtons. the orps took to foraging like ducks to water in time the Rir's learned that there was lots of goodies to be had & standing next to an empty feeder that would not be refilled till the end of the day was NOT the way to go. i have even heard that you can raise some cheep meat bird crosses that way, put them in with a breed that is known to forage & the meat birds will soon pick it up too.


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## DansChickens

Meat broilers !


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## BuckeyeChickens

DansChickens said:


> Meat broilers !


Now that is funny right there!!!


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## BuckeyeChickens

Any other breeds you guys might have experience with???


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## piglett

BuckeyeChickens said:


> Any other breeds you guys might have experience with???


my understanding is any breed can learn to forage if you put them in with a foraging flock, even meat birds can do it .
it's takes them longer to get to the rite size so they can be processed 
but it's much cheeper than buying bag after bag of feed for them.

piglett


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## troyer

I like cubalaya and sumatra as foragers, mine roam far and wide if given the opportunity. Sumatras seem to be naturally wary of hawks. 
Pictures #1 and 2 are cubalayas and #3 and 4 are blue sumatra cockerels. Sumatra don't have much meat. Cubalayas are mostly winter and spring layers.


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## troyer

A few more pictures. Mostly cubalayas. Big blue rooster in the middle of the first picture is a ganoi. These are excellent foragers, lay mostly in the winter, but don't have a lot of meat, the meat they have is of excellent eating.


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## piglett

fine looking bunch there Troyer!!!


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## Energyvet

Really enjoyed your pics. Cubalays are nice looking birds. I really like the group shot. Good luck with them.


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## BuckeyeChickens

piglett said:


> my understanding is any breed can learn to forage if you put them in with a foraging flock, even meat birds can do it .
> 
> piglett


I'm not sure I agree 100% with that Piglet but that's what makes this chicken stuff so much fune....we ALL have opinions and are free to disagree!!!

Since the original post was "Best Foraging Breeds"....I tend to agree, some breeds are better than others.

I have raised a bunch of chickens over the years and the last 10 years my focus has been mostly on the Buckeye breed. Most chickens I've raised from day old chicks in brooders seem to prefer hanging out around the feeders ALL day long rather than foraging! My game hens are completely the opposite....even the ones raised in brooders but the ones raised by momma seem to be even better foragers?!?!? Again, this is more breed specific it seems. I laugh when people say they raise "free ranging" or "foraging" Cornish Rock broilers....I've tried, know lots of people who are still trying and these birds just love waiting by the feeders rather than foraging!!! I'm sure some do forage but I wont go so far as to say any breed will become good foragers....that's just my two cents !


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## Bluerooster

I would think that just about any breed, with a good dose of "wild jungle fowl" somewhere in their pedigree would be a decent to good forager.


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## BuckeyeChickens

Bluerooster said:


> I would think that just about any breed, *with a good dose of "wild jungle fowl" somewhere in their pedigree* would be a decent to good forager.


....or maybe ANY of the American gamefowl breeds???


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## piglett

BuckeyeChickens said:


> I'm not sure I agree 100% with that Piglet but that's what makes this chicken stuff so much fune....we ALL have opinions and are free to disagree!!!
> 
> Since the original post was "Best Foraging Breeds"....I tend to agree, some breeds are better than others.
> 
> I have raised a bunch of chickens over the years and the last 10 years my focus has been mostly on the Buckeye breed. Most chickens I've raised from day old chicks in brooders seem to prefer hanging out around the feeders ALL day long rather than foraging! My game hens are completely the opposite....even the ones raised in brooders but the ones raised by momma seem to be even better foragers?!?!? Again, this is more breed specific it seems. I laugh when people say they raise "free ranging" or "foraging" Cornish Rock broilers....I've tried, know lots of people who are still trying and these birds just love waiting by the feeders rather than foraging!!! I'm sure some do forage but I wont go so far as to say any breed will become good foragers....that's just my two cents !


 *i have not done it myself but i understand that if you start the cornishX chicks out with a breed that is known to forage well then the "X" chicks will learn it too.*

*this is what we did*
*we had a mixed flock of buff orpingtons & RiR's*
*once they were about 6/8 weeks old we allowed them to free range as long as we were home.*
*now the orpingtons are known to be great foragers so they took to it like a duck to water. the Rir's wanted to hangout by the feeder though ....so i removed it. i would just feed them breakfast & a snack before they went to roost. next thing i know those Rir's were rite out with the orpingtons digging & scratching & finding their own food. they would stay out all day & come back to the coop with their crops full.*

*piglett*


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## BuckeyeChickens

piglett said:


> i have not done it myself but i understand that if you start the cornishX chicks out with a breed that is known to forage well then the "X" chicks will learn it too.....
> piglett


This is what my friends tried with their cornish/rocks....they raised them with some Freedom Rangers (good foragers so we hear) and their system was a 20' x 8' chicken tractor that was moved around the pasture. What they noticed was the Freedom Rangers foraged but the cornish/rocks did not....i'm sure it depends on the situation, where the hybrids originated (genetics), etc. When they asked me what i thought i suggested removing the feed too and they did did this a little while until the cornish/rocks began trying to canibalize each other! Once they went back to leaving the feeders in the tractor the cornish/rocks just hung around waiting for the next meal and watched the Freedom Rangers feed?!?!? I found the whole experiment fascinating because if my Buckeyes see another bird foraging in a field they run to see what they can find!!!


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## piglett

BuckeyeChickens said:


> This is what my friends tried with their cornish/rocks....they raised them with some Freedom Rangers (good foragers so we hear) and their system was a 20' x 8' chicken tractor that was moved around the pasture. What they noticed was the Freedom Rangers foraged but the cornish/rocks did not....i'm sure it depends on the situation, where the hybrids originated (genetics), etc. When they asked me what i thought i suggested removing the feed too and they did did this a little while until the cornish/rocks began trying to canibalize each other! Once they went back to leaving the feeders in the tractor the cornish/rocks just hung around waiting for the next meal and watched the Freedom Rangers feed?!?!? I found the whole experiment fascinating because if my Buckeyes see another bird foraging in a field they run to see what they can find!!!


interesting, well i guess we can put it down as "might work" maybe if they were not all in the tractor or if it was much bigger . i may try some this year. they will be in a large pen & they will either forage or they will be rather skinny. if they don't work out i'll process them suckers


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## BuckeyeChickens

piglett said:


> interesting, well i guess we can put it down as "might work" maybe if they were not all in the tractor or if it was much bigger . i may try some this year. they will be in a large pen & they will either forage or they will be rather skinny. if they don't work out i'll process them suckers


Piglett, my friends who have been conducting these Cornish/Rock (hybrid) evaluations are both big followers of Joel Salatin (sp?)....they both went to Polyface Farm and took seminars for raising chickens like Polyface does. Seems their results have not been the same but like I said maybe it's the source of chicks (genetics)?!?! They are producing BIG meaty chicks at 8 weeks of age but they do it by pouring the feed to them not "foraging" but at least they can tell their customers the chickens are "free ranging", right????


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## piglett

BuckeyeChickens said:


> Piglett, my friends who have been conducting these Cornish/Rock (hybrid) evaluations are both big followers of Joel Salatin (sp?)....they both went to Polyface Farm and took seminars for raising chickens like Polyface does. Seems their results have not been the same but like I said maybe it's the source of chicks (genetics)?!?! They are producing BIG meaty chicks at 8 weeks of age but they do it by pouring the feed to them not "foraging" but at least they can tell their customers the chickens are "free ranging", right????


sure put them out on the range & let them be free to feed all they like


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## BirdManSamiJD

After 38 years of raising, feeding & breeding over 22 different breeds of chickens, I would have to say 'Anconas' are the best at foraging on their own, as well as being an extremely alert, hardy and self-sufficent breed, they are absolutely beautiful and superbly stunning in their shimmering greenish-black plumage all dotted up ever-so smartly in sparkly little white spots!  
However, in my personal opinion, they are followed up in a very close second place positioning by the one of the wildest and flightiest breeds that I have ever own'd... the 'Single Comb Brown Leghorn'!! Here is an absolutely beautiful breed of chicken (esp. the roosters) with a quite a bit of a 'Go-Wild' -type of tendacy in their lil' beating hearts, fancy feathery make-up & successful breeding lineage! Dare I Say, they're a breed to never own if one believe's in allowing chicken's to Free-Range! Afterall, a person might never see them come back to the coop again and yet, still may have the honor of spotting them -occasionally roaming wild & free - under a wooded lot full of old trees nearby - OR - about two whole properties over & away from their own!


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## Tara80

I would say the Egyptian Fayoumi, from my experience. Mine will rely on foraging 100% for food (although they do beg for treats), even traveling pretty far away and come home to the coop every night. They lay eggs and are quite aware of what's going on - sound the alarm and running home the INSTANT they see a predator. They also can fly short distances and will go up into the trees.


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## MaransGuy

American Game are the best foragers that I have ever owned by far. Here is a few pics of mine.


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## Bee

BuckeyeChickens said:


> Piglett, my friends who have been conducting these Cornish/Rock (hybrid) evaluations are both big followers of Joel Salatin (sp?)....they both went to Polyface Farm and took seminars for raising chickens like Polyface does. Seems their results have not been the same but like I said maybe it's the source of chicks (genetics)?!?! They are producing BIG meaty chicks at 8 weeks of age but they do it by pouring the feed to them not "foraging" but at least they can tell their customers the chickens are "free ranging", right????


]

I've been to Polyface...no the CX do not forage because they have continuous feeds in their face they are crowded into a tractor, standing on feces contaminated grass. Can't expect them to forage as there is no way any chicken can "forage" in a tractor situation.

Chickens are not like a cow, which you place on a plot of grass and they start mowing it down. Salatin knows that as well as the next person, but it's a great marketing gimmick to have "pasture raised" chickens and be able to sell them for more money and Joel is a salesman, first and foremost. 

I've raised two batches of CX chickens from completely different sources and I mean completely different...one set from the east coast and one set from out in Utah. They both out-foraged all my DP free rangers that are superb foragers themselves(I cull strenuously for this trait) and for one reason only....they are hungrier.

Feed them once a day, in the evening, and you have the best foragers I've ever seen in 37 years..bar none. They HAVE to forage, or they starve. Of course, if you do that in a penned/tractor situation where they have absolutely nothing but poopy grass to eat, they will eat one another. I cannot imagine the intelligence level of someone who would impose that on these birds and then cry "Foul!" because it didn't work. A two year old could look at the foraging opportunities in a tractor and see that it would not sustain the appetites of that many meat birds. 

Here's a video or two so you can see for yourself the extreme willingness of the CX to forage when given forage to forage upon..which should be pretty basic to understand but many seem to not be able to grasp. Forage means different types of grass, bugs, worms, grubs, lizards...whatever hops out of the grass, they eat it. Forage does not mean a 10x10 plot of grass covered in CX feces with a trough of fresh feed hanging off the side of it.


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## jennifer

Ha! Bee wins again. I have heard some terrible things about that man. 
He says what you want to hear..


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## MaransGuy

Bee said:


> ]
> 
> I've been to Polyface...no the CX do not forage because they have continuous feeds in their face they are crowded into a tractor, standing on feces contaminated grass. Can't expect them to forage as there is no way any chicken can "forage" in a tractor situation.
> 
> Chickens are not like a cow, which you place on a plot of grass and they start mowing it down. Salatin knows that as well as the next person, but it's a great marketing gimmick to have "pasture raised" chickens and be able to sell them for more money and Joel is a salesman, first and foremost.
> 
> I've raised two batches of CX chickens from completely different sources and I mean completely different...one set from the east coast and one set from out in Utah. They both out-foraged all my DP free rangers that are superb foragers themselves(I cull strenuously for this trait) and for one reason only....they are hungrier.
> 
> Feed them once a day, in the evening, and you have the best foragers I've ever seen in 37 years..bar none. They HAVE to forage, or they starve. Of course, if you do that in a penned/tractor situation where they have absolutely nothing but poopy grass to eat, they will eat one another. I cannot imagine the intelligence level of someone who would impose that on these birds and then cry "Foul!" because it didn't work. A two year old could look at the foraging opportunities in a tractor and see that it would not sustain the appetites of that many meat birds.
> 
> Here's a video or two so you can see for yourself the extreme willingness of the CX to forage when given forage to forage upon..which should be pretty basic to understand but many seem to not be able to grasp. Forage means different types of grass, bugs, worms, grubs, lizards...whatever hops out of the grass, they eat it. Forage does not mean a 10x10 plot of grass covered in CX feces with a trough of fresh feed hanging off the side of it.
> 
> The SWEET life of a broiler chicken..the REAL story. - YouTube
> 
> A better life for a broiler chicken...how meat chickens should get to live! - YouTube


So much better for them to be raised that way.


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## Bee

jennifer said:


> Ha! Bee wins again. I have heard some terrible things about that man.
> He says what you want to hear..


I used to think he was the MAN...until I got to see his farm and meet him face to face. He has a few good methods which I have used and still use, but his farm doesn't reflect what his books preach, he was incredibly rude to several of the people, was evasive when asked questions from someone who actually knew something about livestock, and his chickens live in deplorable conditions...again, not like the books tells everyone to raise them.

The greed monster got Joel and won't let him go, which is a shame...I really liked his books and some of his methods.  Even a child could see his operation and realize it was about money and only about money...a few of the things he does(pastured poultry, pastured eggs) is a marketing gimmick.


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## Tara80

From my experience, foraging in a tractor DOES work well - it's just based on how often you move it.
We move our tractors once to twice a day depending, then they're not on too much poopy grass.
And, mine ARE actually like cows and mow the lawn down - within a few hours the entire pen is cropped short. (and I feed them twice a day, half a scoop of scratch grains and half a scoop of crumble twice daily)
Although I only keep 11 to 15 in an 8' x 4' tractor (and not 30+).
From what I can tell though, it does work fabulously; it's just all based on you as the user.


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## kjohnstone

All 3 breeds that I have are good foragers, the Australorps, the Ameraucana, and the 3rd (actually a hybrid), Amber Whites, who are more like forage machines. The abundant insects in my back yard are no longer abundant!


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## BuckeyeChickens

Bee said:


> ]
> 
> I've been to Polyface...no the CX do not forage because they have continuous feeds in their face they are crowded into a tractor, standing on feces contaminated grass.......
> 
> ......... I cannot imagine the intelligence level of someone who would impose that on these birds and then cry "Foul!" because it didn't work. A two year old could look at the foraging opportunities in a tractor and see that it would not sustain the appetites of that many meat birds.


Well I don't see the same thing in this video that "Bee" does but everyone can decide for themselves;






I like the way "Bee" is doing things in her video but as others have said chicken tractors can work when moved on a regular basis! Personally, if I were to employ a Cornish Cross meat bird system I like what "Bee" has done with her fowl and what Joel does with his turkeys;






I also agree with MaransGuy, my American Games are some of the BEST foraging fowl I have owned but they certainly are NOT a meat bird by any stretch!!! Chickens, regardless of the breed will ALL forage to some extent but genetics can play a tremendous role even within the same breed. I have owned RIR's in the past that were excellent foragers but another line from another breeder simply had no interest in foraging even when raised with chicks from the previous line! One thing is certain chickens are interesting bunch of feathers


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## Bee

Jeff, please realize that Joel is a salesman and this video is a sale's pitch and not reality. I've stood right next to his tractors and can tell you that the first shot in the first video, those birds had already been moved once that day. You can even see that behind the tractor when he moves it...fresh grass to fresh grass. The feeder was also empty, stimulating the birds to feed when they normally would not. It's for the video presentation and not for reality...take the free tour for yourself and see what you see. I was impressed by the books and videos too until I took the 2 hour tour and saw the reality of Polyface..it's a slick marketing ploy for charging more for broilers, is all. 

When I asked about his feed mix he got very defensive and wouldn't answer. 

When I was there the feeders were most definitely full, the grass was brown and trampled and covered with feces...in all the tractors...in the middle of the day. That's just birds picking at some grass and bugs in the first few minutes of the move to new grass and the rest is nothing much.

"Pastured" is a label on the finished bird at that place but it doesn't mean much beyond that. That he would say the grass if fresher and that they forage more due to being crowded into that small space and having food competition is laughable...and patently wrong. That's not true foraging and that's not birds selecting grasses that they can digest easily and that have the most nutritional content, as you would see with free ranging. That's just hungry birds eating a few pieces of rough old pasture grass before they get their feeder returned to them. 

Don't believe everything you see in videos of people who are selling something....I learned first hand that what you see is not actually what is happening on a daily basis. 

My vids? I'm not selling a darn thing but truth and don't stand to profit from one moment of it. Just spreading some truth.


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