BL> being totally automated. The feed they eat has many additives in it,
BL> including moulting controllers, and amphetamines (for increased
BL> production). 
JB> Moulting??  Is that shitting??  Anyway, I wonder how much of the
JB> amphetamine  they eat wind up in the poultry...   You must be in your
JB> 50s or 60s. :) 
    Nope.  "Pooping" is pooping.  Moulting is the process by which birds (all 
feathered animals do it) renew their feathers.  Most people, when they first 
hear what a "moult" is, expect the bird to shed all their feathers, look bald 
as a billiard for a while until their new feathers grow in.  Actually, they 
shed some of their feathers and new ones grow in to replace them over a 
period of time.  Most birds do this about every six months.
    Generally, egg production drops significantly or stops all together 
during the molt so the longer you can stall the first moult, the higher the 
productivity of the bird.  Also, egg production is generally higher during 
the first cycle (prior to the first moult) and drops off slightly with each 
successive moult.  That's why most of your large producers will get rid of 
their laying stock at about 10-12 months. (Begin laying at 4 months + 6 to 8 
months to first moult.)
JB> Have there been any free rangers who used the crank to make 'em lay
JB> more??  I'd think the sunlight and excercise alone would make up for
JB> the 'dirty'  crank destroying their bodies.  It would also let them
JB> eliminate the drugs  more readily.  How about a free range cock on
JB> steroids? :) 
    Since the reason most free rangers do that kind of production is that 
they are opposed to the introduction of foreign substances into their flocks 
in the first place.  Giving the birds steroids or anphetamines would be the 
exact opposite of that way of life and so would be highly unlikely.  There 
are unethical persons in all walks of life however.
    Personally, my birds get a comercial mix that has, to my knowledge, no 
additives.  They also get kitchen scraps and occaisonally are given wild 
vegatation.  The only time I use feeds with any kind of additives is when I 
first get them.  The first bag of chick starter I use is a commercially 
produced medicated starter.  I want to give my chicks the best opportunity to 
begin a long healthy life and the little boost of antibiotics in the feed 
helps to get them over the hump of the critical first 10 days.  As soon as 
that bag of feed is empty (about 2-3 weeks) I switch them over to a chick 
starter with no additives.
BL> "Mad cow" disease was caused by feeding cattle things not in its
BL> natural diet, including cow by-products. (...)
JB> Ok, I was thinking it was bacterial or virulent and could be in the
JB> meat and  couldn't be cooked off like most other diseases are.  Is that
JB> the case? 
    It *is a virus, although the method of introduction may be the above 
stated cause.  It is believed that properly prepared foods *should reduce the 
risk of the disease being consumed, but hasn't been efficiently proven.  BTW, 
there is a related disease in sheep and goats and it *has been found in the 
U.S.  The diseases are related strains with similar symptoms, but can not be 
transmitted between non related species.  ie: Sheep to goats or sheep to 
cows.
        Byrd Mann
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