Category Archives: Chickens – Feeding

Revolutionising Quail Nutrition—The Natural Way – 5

At Back Yard Farmer, we believe that the best solutions often come from the garden, not a laboratory. We are thrilled to announce our new 5-Herb Botanical Blend, a premium upgrade to our quail feed that brings “clean-green” bio-security directly to your coop.

By blending Organic New Zealand grown Salvia ‘Amistad’, Rosemary, Mint, Lemon Verbena, and Bay Leaves, we’ve created a powerhouse formula that acts as a natural shield against pests while boosting bird vitality.

Why Now?

We’ve spent the last several seasons observing the challenges our New Zealand keepers face—from high humidity causing grain pests to the relentless pressure of mites and flies in our summer months. We didn’t want to just offer another chemical fix. We waited until we could perfect a ratio that is safe, highly effective, and stabilized with Salmon Oil and Lypoforte for maximum absorption. It’s the result of months of testing to ensure your quail get the very best of nature’s pharmacy.

A Functional Shield, Not a Filler

Our organic botanical blend fits right into the growing body of research on phytogenic feed additives. These plant-based supports improve digestion, immunity, and antioxidant levels without the need for antibiotics. By including these five specific organic herbs, we help your birds fight off mites, lice, and internal stress naturally.

The Fly-Zone Defender – Lemon Verbena

Headline: The Final Piece – Zesty Bio-Security with Lemon Verbena

We wrap up our “Super-Herb” series with the bright, aromatic power of Organic Lemon Verbena.

Why it’s the perfect finish:

  • Fly & Gnat Defence: Packed with citral, Lemon Verbena is a specialist at masking the scents that attract flies and gnats to the coop. By including it in the feed and dust bath, you’re creating an invisible aromatic barrier.
  • Stress Reduction: The calming scent and phytochemical profile help reduce environmental stress, keeping your layers calm and productive.

The Back Yard Farmer Difference: By bonding these five organic herbs to our feed with Salmon Oil and Lypoforte, we’ve created a dust-free, nutrient-dense, and bio-secure meal that represents the best of New Zealand farming.

Ready to upgrade your flock? Our new 5-Herb Botanical Blend is available now. Experience the natural difference in every egg!

Revolutionising Quail Nutrition—The Natural Way

At Back Yard Farmer, we believe that the best solutions often come from the garden, not a laboratory. We are thrilled to announce our new 5-Herb Botanical Blend, a premium upgrade to our quail feed that brings “clean-green” bio-security directly to your coop.

By blending Organic New Zealand grown Salvia ‘Amistad’, Rosemary, Mint, Lemon Verbena, and Bay Leaves, we’ve created a powerhouse formula that acts as a natural shield against pests while boosting bird vitality.

Why Now?

We’ve spent the last several seasons observing the challenges our New Zealand keepers face—from high humidity causing grain pests to the relentless pressure of mites and flies in our summer months. We didn’t want to just offer another chemical fix. We waited until we could perfect a ratio that is safe, highly effective, and stabilized with Salmon Oil and Lypoforte for maximum absorption. It’s the result of months of testing to ensure your quail get the very best of nature’s pharmacy.

A Functional Shield, Not a Filler

Our organic botanical blend fits right into the growing body of research on phytogenic feed additives. These plant-based supports improve digestion, immunity, and antioxidant levels without the need for antibiotics. By including these five specific organic herbs, we help your birds fight off mites, lice, and internal stress naturally.

Featured Herb of the Week: Salvia ‘Amistad’

We are kicking off our series with the exotic Salvia ‘Amistad’. While a favorite in NZ gardens, for quail, it is a hidden gem. We use the dried leaves and flowers to provide:

  • Natural Bio-Security: The resinous compounds act as a bitter deterrent for external pests and rodents.
  • Immune Vitality: Rich in anthocyanins, these purple blooms provide powerful antioxidants that help birds cope with environmental stress and high egg production.

Potential Benefits You’ll Notice:

  • Antioxidant & Immune Support: Helping birds through molt and peak laying.
  • Enhanced Palatability: Aromatic herbs encourage natural foraging and steady intake.
  • Superior Absorption: Our 1% Salmon Oil cuts the dust and ensures these herbal oils are fully digested.

Stay tuned! Over the next four weeks, we will continue diving deep into each of these “Super-Herbs.” Next week, we put the spotlight on Rosemary and how it acts as the ultimate “Liver Specialist” for your flock.

NEW FEEDING REGIMES FOR QUAILS AND DOMESTICATED WILD BIRDS

NEW FEEDING REGIMES

For Coturnix coturnix and all other Wild Birds

Combining my experience in animal nutrition and husbandry with extensive reading regarding the latest nutritional developments I am now manufacturing feeds that are very advanced in approach. These feeds benefit high performing quails as well as all other wild birds. My birds are performing so well on these feeds that I have included these formulas in all the feeds I offer for sale.

My strategy is to maximise digestibility using the simplest and best combination of materials and feed additives. I also utilise proven probiotics / prebiotics to stimulate and enhance the naïve gut, creating a favourable environment for good gut flora to proliferate and keep cell junctions tight. The rations also assist gut enterocytes with function and repair, while there are some elements in the feeds that help the modulation of immune responses.

I have formulated to specifications for Quail Starter, Grower and Layer feeds as top of the range diets by introducing new additives in addition to the present Vitamin and Mineral Pre Mix. These additives contain extra Lysine, Methionine, Threonine , Isoleucine and Valine which is intended to fully balance all the digestible amino acid ratios. These additions also lift the protein and energy digestibility beyond their stated levels on paper by using 4 separate and specific feed enzyme activities. The extra additives contain bioactive Vitamin D (Hy-D), Vitamin C, and Calcium Carbonate for bone modelling and antioxidant properties. Kelp meal, minerals, electrolytes and some sources of protected Butyrate, Carvacrol and Thymol steer good flora and discourage overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria and organisms. These new additions also contain a Mannosidase enzyme to aid the digestibility of various materials with proven Phytase, beta Glucanase, Xylanase and Protease enzymes.

My new feed formulations are the ultimate diets for quail and wild birds. All the above inclusions are essential and unique and take care of all amino acid balances using standard materials, supercharging the opportunity across all fronts for the birds to start well, grow well and produce well. There is plenty here to give bumble bee sized chicks, as well as mature birds, every chance to thrive without antibiotics, which is a big plus. These feeds are not only essential for wild birds, but give all poultry that extra boost when under stressful conditions.

Micro Nutrient Supplementation

I thought it appropriate to post some conversation about this topic I have had with a client

2014-03-16 - Street Accident

Hi there,

I’m new to your page and website but am excited to read all about your Vitamin, Mineral, Amino Acid and Enzyme Pre-Mixes for chickens.
I have six chickens I’ve had since one day old with their Mum, (there was 11 but now minus the rosters) they have not started laying yet, they must be six months now and I’m wondering if I’m just not giving them the right balance of feed. The Mum started laying again awhile back but then stopped.
I like to try to keep it organic and gm free, could you please advise if your mixes are natural and where you source everything from??
And also I’m unsure if i buy from you what and how much i should get, my chickens have not been eating much feed but rather enjoying free ranging.
How much for six chickens and to be sent to whakatane please and thank you for your time.
Dear Client
Thanks for the Email. As you can see from the analyses of the product we supply a wide range of micro nutrients in the product. These are formulated and mixed according to specifications for the specific animal and production stage, by using a combination of up to thirty different ingredients (raw materials). These ingredients are sourced from all over the world and some, like the methionine and lysine are synthetic. I also cannot specify that these are organic or non GMO. Most chickens would at present not be in production as result of the short day light lengths and will come into production after 21 June when the days are getting longer (day length being the stimulus for the birds to either produce eggs or molt and stop laying). Should you want to use the product, it has to be mixed with other food the chickens eat on a regular basis, such as a laying mash or pellet, as it is not water soluble and the birds would not consume it on its own. Mixing instructions could be provided at the appropriate time. Inclusion rates should be such that each mature bird takes about 2 g per day to provide for all the mikro nutrients required.  Whatever they then consume of these while free ranging is a bonus and will keep them more healthy – over consumption of these mikro nutrients is very rare, if not impossible. It is off coarse difficult to balance the diets of free ranging animals — the only solution is to endeavor to provide what you suspect they might be rquiring – in free range chickens probably first and foreost is Ca, P and Mg and thereafter some quality mikro nutrients. This will again depend on how “free range” your animals rally are and what is their available for them to eat.

R.I.P Alvin

2014-02-08 - Alvin

The Assistant Manager of the Backyard, the rooster named Alvin,  passed away today.  He was a great representative of the Ancona breed, and, above all he had personality and presence. He was like a friend and kept  me company as I toiled in the yard. I tried everything I could to save him – regular worming, the best food, fresh water, warm house, company and ……free range access to the garden during the day.  The last part is what did him in,  I think.  Alvin loved picking up every little thing he saw on the ground, working over the garden from end to end. In my efforts to establish a vegetable garden, turning over the soil to work in compost and lime as well as manure and I keep finding rubbish – bottles with dubious contents still in them, plastic, strange substances and whatnot. I cart everything away on discovery but that has not helped.

I have a lovely ngaia tree in the garden and know that the leaves are poisonous – that probably means that the berries and flowers are, too. I have not observed Alvin eating those, though. Some weeds are a worry and I shall have to check with neighbours to see which are poisonous. I still want to free range my chickens but fear for their safety.