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PRODUCING BROILERS FOR SHOW GUIDE FOR JUNIOR MARKET BROILER SHOWS

These things are a MUST do:

- Observe and follow all show rules and regulations regarding the purchasing and showing of Broilers
- Purchase Pullorum-Typhoid clean broiler chicks
- Use Honor® Show Chow® Branded Products
- Follow recommended management practices during the entire brooding and grow-out period
- Keep records on all expenses and receipts
- Cull birds accurately and select the show pen properly

House Set-up and Pre-brood

♦ Inform your Purina Feed Dealer 2 weeks prior to your needs
♦ It is best if you share your feed program/feed types with Purina Feed Dealer. This allows the dealer to plan his feed orders and ensure fresh, quality, feed throughout your growout period.
♦ Allow two square feet per bird that you start plus allow square footage for feeders and watering equipment
♦ Supply one feeder for every 20 broilers (this is a minimal requirement)
♦ Supply one watering unit for every 15 broilers (this is a minimal requirement)
♦ Place at least 4 inches of litter (pine shavings) throughout the house
♦ Adequate house lighting is needed – 24 hour light is necessary
♦ 40 Watt light bulbs (incandescent / fluorescent) are recommended
♦ Place 1-250 watt RED heat lamps per 25 broilers (this is a minimal requirement)
♦ Have house set-up complete and begin heating the house 3 days prior to receipt of the broilers
♦ Brood temperature (litter temperature) should be 90° F at floor level, 12” from the center beam of the brooder lamp
♦ Water temperature should be 80° F for the first 5 days.
♦ Bird performance will be negatively impacted if the broilers become too warm or cold
♦ Keep fresh air in the houses but avoid cold drafty air on the broilers
♦ Time spent in the broiler house is a major key to the success of your project!!
♦ The more the birds are stimulated, the better performance you gain at the show
♦ Each time someone enters the house, shake the feeders, and slowly walk around the house (stirring the litter), and making the birds get up and eat/drink/exercise. The more time spent in the house, the better the birds perform.
It takes TIME, TIME, TIME!!!!

Pre-brood Dates

2-Weeks Prior – Visit with your feed dealer about feeding plans and
1-Week Prior – Set-up and equip the broiler house with litter and all equipment.
1-Week Prior – Test all equipment including lights, heat lamps, feeders, waterers, etc.
3-Days Prior – Begin heating the broiler house – the key to a good start
1-Day Prior – Check progress of pre-brood temperatures. Make final adjustments if needed.
** NOTE: 1 hours prior to receiving birds, add feed to feeders
Prepare water and place in waterers. Remember water temperature needs to be 80 degrees Farenheit
Receive birds and confirm band numbers at time of placement in the house.
Call Ag Teacher/or 4-H leader within 24 hours of placing the birds if there are discrepancies with band numbers and/or bird health issues.

Week 1

Maintain brood temperature at 90 degrees farenheit
Feed 100% Honor® Show Chow® Turkey Starter
Change water 24 hours after placement of birds and every 24 hours after that

Week 2

Maintain house temperature at 80 degrees farenheit
Feed 100% Honor® Show Chow® Turkey Starter
Keep fresh water available at all times
10 days of age – spread wing bands open
Weather permitting allow fresh air into the house
Stir the air with a fan if weather does not permit you to ventilate with fresh air
Avoid creating a cool draft on the birds

Week 3

Maintain house temperature at 75 degrees farenheit
Feed 75% Honor® Show Chow® Turkey Starter and 25% Honor® Show Chow® Broiler Complete
Keep fresh water available at all times
Weather permitting allow fresh air into the house
If weather does not permit fresh air ventilation, stir air with fan
Avoid creating a cool draft on the birds
Plan a day for week 4 to cull birds. Ensure the availability of additional people to help.
Look at litter condition – Add 2-3 additional bags or clean entire house out and replace with new shavings maintaining a minimal 4” base throughout the house

Week 4

Maintain house temperature at 70 degrees farenheit
Mix 50% Honor® Show Chow® Turkey Starter/Game Bird Starter with 50% Show Chow Broiler Complete
Keep fresh water available at all times
Weather permitting, allow fresh air ventilation. Stir the air with a fan. Avoid creating cool draft on the birds.
On or before 28 days of age, cull birds down to approximately 3 birds for every bird that will be entered in the show. Example: 1 pen of 3 broilers shown – Cull down to 9-12 broilers. The criteria used for culling is the same as for picking the show pen (see criteria below).

Week 5

Maintain house temperature at 68 degrees farenheit
Feed 25% Honor® Show Chow® Turkey Starter and 75% Honor® Show Chow® Broiler Complete
Keep fresh water available at all times
Weather permitting, allow fresh air ventilation. Stir the air with a fan. Avoid creating a cool draft on the birds.
Read show rules, regulations and guidelines to showing broilers.

Week 6

Maintain house temperature at 68 degrees farenheit
Feed 100% Honor® Show Chow® Broiler Complete
Keep fresh water available at all times
Weather permitting, allow fresh air ventilation. Stir the air with a fan. Avoid creating cool draft on the birds.
Evaluate litter condition – clean-out entire house if it was not done at three weeks of age. Add 3-4 additional bags of litter if the house was cleaned out at 3 weeks of age (depending on litter condition).
Begin to prepare for transport of birds to the show.
Locate card board box and purchase fresh shavings (shavings from house not recommended unless they are exceptionally clean)
Ensure availability of additional people to assist in holding birds for pen selection. If it is a morning show, select birds the night before. If it is an afternoon/evening show, select birds the morning of the show in cool weather only. During hot weather, select birds after 9:00 p.m. prior to show.

Week 7 (continue through till show date)

Maintain house temperature at 68 degrees farenheit
Feed 100% Honor® Show Chow® Broiler Complete
Keep fresh water available at all times.
Weather permitting, allow fresh air ventilation. Stir the air with a fan. Avoid creating cool draft on the birds.
Monitor litter condition – the cleaner the house litter, the cleaner the birds will be at time of show.

Pen Selection

Do not over handle the birds.
Too much feeling, squeezing, and hanging upside down creates stress on the birds and causes birds to soften and possibly die.
Remember, prior to pen selection look for defects that would result in disqualification. Remove those birds (if any) and select the top birds for a pen to show.
Mark bird on the leg with magic/paint marker. Mark the first choice pen of birds all the same.
Mark alternate birds with a different color or mark for quick identification.
Avoid tie wraps, string or leg bands for identification purposes.

Criteria for Pen Selection:

Length of breast bone – Measure from the “V” in the breast to the end point of the breast (keel) bone.  The longer the breast (keel) bone the better!
Depth of body – The measurement from the front of the breast to the backbone should be considered. Deep bodied birds will exhibit more muscle mass!
Width of the breast muscle – Using your hand, measure the width of the breast muscle.  Wide breasted birds are desired!
Tapering of the breast – measure the amount of taper (loss of muscling) as you evaluate the breast muscle toward the back of the breast (keel) bone. Minimal amount of taper is best!

As horses reach their geriatric years, it becomes important to address the changes that occur by adjusting feeding programs to fit their nutritional needs. Purina^® Equine Senior^® horse feed is formulated to deliver complete balanced nutrition, including forage, to the senior horse with problems chewing and digesting feed and forages due to age.

Purina^® Equine Senior^® horse feed provides the specific balance of energy, protein, vitamins, minerals and high-quality fiber (including beet pulp) your senior horse requires to maintain proper body condition. And the unique Easy Soak™ Pellet Technology makes it easy to chew, regardless of your horse’s chewing ability, and is more digestible than whole grains, hay or pasture. Purina^® Equine Senior^® horse feed provides the best nutrition for senior horse. Plus, your horse will love the taste.

Feed form: Complete pellet and extruded nuggets

Recommended for: Older Horses, especially those that may be losing weight due to poor nutrient absorption, dental problems or no teeth at all. This feed can replace all or some of the horse forage requirement.

Guaranteed Analysis:

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Promotion open to legal U.S. residents, 13 years of age and older as of 7/18/11. Sweepstakes starts 7/18/11 and ends 9/18/11. Internet access, valid email address and Facebook account required to enter. Visit www.facebook.com/purinapoultry and www.facebook.com/chickenchat for complete details and official rules. Void where prohibited.

With the absence of rain locally, spring gardening has been at best, terrible.  But, rest easy, spring isn’t the only season to plant vegetables. Planting in July and August for fall production can yield great results. Most cool-season vegetables planted in the summer grow as well or better than those planted in the spring. As an added benefit, the flavors of fall vegetables are often sweeter and milder.

Fall vegetable choices are influenced by available space, grower preference, and intended use. Semi-hardy vegetables can withstand light frost (30 degrees F. to 32 degrees F). Beets, potatoes, leaf lettuce, radishes, and spinach all fall into this category. Hardy vegetables can withstand several frosts but are killed when severe cold temperatures hang on for several days.  Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, carrots, turnips, and kale are all part of this category.

When selecting seed, it is best to look for cultivars labeled early season or select seed with the fewest days to maturity. If you purchase seed in the spring (when varieties are more available), be sure to store them in a cool, dry location.

To determine when to plant a particular vegetable, find the average date of the first killing frost in your area and the cultivar’s number of days to maturity. To estimate when to plant fall crops, use the following formula: Number of days from seeding to harvest + average harvest period + fall factor (about 14 days) + frost tender factor (about 14 days) = days to count back from first expected fall frost.

Weeds often take over a garden as summer progresses, so start fresh with a fall garden. If the soil is extremely dry, irrigate lightly a day or two before planting. Plant seeds in narrow trenches to conserve moisture. Cover seeds twice as deep as you would during spring planting to keep them from drying during germination. Although most seeds will germinate quickly, some seeds (such as lettuce, peas, and spinach) will not germinate well if the soil temperature is above 85 degrees F. Try shading the seeds until they germinate with a board or a light mulch to keep the soil cooler. Root crops (such as beets, carrots, and turnips) can be left in the ground through the fall. Once there is a hard freeze, mulch plants with a heavy layer of straw to keep the ground from freezing. Root crops can be dug as needed throughout the winter.

The Bergfeld family is proud to have sponsored Kyle and his heifer, Abbie, in this year’s Montgomery County Fair Scramble Class.  Our Mom is certainly smiling as she looks down on the hard work and effort this young man put into this project.

We wish him the best – knowing that this is just a beginning for him.

GIG’EM ABBIE!

Taste of the Wild Dry Pet Food

In Store Price $49.36
Online $47.82

• Grain-free dog food for all life stages
• With various meats, roasted for great flavor
• Packed with highly digestible protein and antioxidents
• Supports healthy immune system
• Please read all label information upon delivery
• Made with real roasted meats
• Supplemented with fruits and vegetables
• delivers natural antioxidants to protect

Product Description
Taste of the Wild Pet Foods are available at both the Conroe and the Willis locations.  You can also order online by clicking  More >>

Taste of the Wild Dry Pet Food – High Prairie Formula

Angels’ Eyes Tear Stain Eliminator

List Price – $45.00
Our Price – $25.43
You Save – $19.57

• Puppies (up to 3 months): 1/8 tsp. daily; Dogs 2 to 5 lbs: 1/4 tsp. daily
• Dogs 5 to 8 lbs: 1/2 tsp. daily; Dogs 8 to 12 lbs: 3/4 tsp. daily; Dogs 12 lbs & up: 1 tsp. daily
• Kittens (up to 3 months) 1/8 tsp. daily; Kittens 2 to 5 lbs: 1/4 tsp. daily
• Cats 5 to 8 lbs: 1/2 tsp. daily; Cats 8 to 12 lbs: 3/4 tsp. daily; Cats 12 lbs & up: 1 tsp. daily
• Please read instructions on the package

Product Description
Angels’ Eyes is the first product specifically developed for DOGS to eliminate unsightly tearstains from the inside out! Angels’ Eyes also helps to eliminate staining around the mouth and their coats due to licking. Other products are topical requiring high maintenance and yet will only remove the tear stains temporarily causing it to return worse than before. Angels’ Eyes starts working before the tear stains begin and never adds food dyes or wheat which can have n… More >>

Angels’ Eyes Tear-Stain Eliminator

Raising show broilers doesn’t require any “magic”, “secret recipes”, or “hocus pocus”.  It does, on the other hand, require some intelligent planning and work.  Creating a schedule that includes pre-delivery setup, do’s and don’ts for arrival day, effective feeding schedules for meat birds, and proper meat bird culling and selection for show is vital.

Of course we offer a complete line of Honor Show Feeds in addition to all of the accessory products you’ll need when raising champion show broilers.

Honor Show Chow Turkey Starter is currently in store priced at $21.18

Honor Show Chow Broiler is currently in store priced at $21.39

Mention discount code CFS/WFS and receive $1.00 off each bag purchased.

For a complete day by day guide to raising champion show broilers, click here!

Stall Snack Refill Molasses Flavored

Special Price $6.99

• Helps eliminate stall boredom
• Delicious treat for your horse
• Easy to refill
• Inexpensive way to spoil your horse

Product Description
Tasty treats that fit in the Jolly Snack apple shaped holder.  This refill is  molasses flavored… More >>

Stall Snack Refill Molasses Flavored

Nutramax Cosequin DS Chewable Tablets

• Cosequin DS double strength capsules are available in 90 and 120 count sizes.
• Cosequin regular strength capsules for small dogs and cats are available in 90 and 180 count sizes.
• Cosequin chewable tablets are available in 40, 120, and 250 count size
• Cosequin Equine Powder is available in 1400, 700 and 280 gram bottles

Product Description
Original Research Brand
#1 Veterinarian Recommended Brand
Gua… More >>

Nutramax Cosequin DS Chewable Tablets