doktilaok

First of all, I would like to apologize for not posting for a very long time. I will do my best to add new articles to this site. In the meantime may I invite you to visit my FaceBook page and please like my page and hope to add you as friends.

Aspergillus molds are responsible for the production of aflatoxins. These molds can naturally grow in the soil, decaying vegetation, cereal grains like corn, soya and wheat which are commonly used as feed ingredients.

High temperate and high humidity which is exactly the situation in the Philippines are the ideal situation needed for the growth and proliferation of aspergillus molds.

Mycotoxicoses, the condition of mycotoxin poisoning, highly affects the liver and ingestion of high level of aflatoxins will result to liver cirrhosis that may lead to the death of the animal. Mild exposure will cause poor weight gain and poor feed efficiency thus causing stunting and unthriftiness of our chickens.

These type of mycotoxins call also affect reproductive system of our breeder flock.

Another very dangerous effect is the suppression of our chicken's immune system thereby making them more prone to disease. Long term exposure can even cause cancer.

Even if the companies producing the feed we use have quality assurance measures to make sure that the raw materials used are with in the allowable limits. We must learn to store the feed we buy properly. Sacks of feed should be placed on a palette and not allowed to be placed directly on the ground. It is best also to keep at least one foot clearance of our feed from the wall of our storage rooms. See to it that there is no possibility of the feed to get wet. This is an important management practice that is not always seen in the farms and even in the poultry supply stores where we buy our feeds. Hopefully reading this article will correct the way we store the feeds we buy.

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We know that the feeds that we give our roosters are a source of nutrients that is needed for proper development and good health. Sometimes, feeds could be a source of disease and most often this is due to the raw materials used to produce the feed had a very high level of mycotoxin.

Mycotoxins are produced by Fungi or what we more commonly know as molds or in the Pilipino language we know this as "amag." These toxins are harmful to the animal and may cause disease or even death.

The common affected ingredients that are used in making feed are the following:
Corn
Peanut meal
Corn gluten meal
Milo
Soybean meal
Wheat and wheat by-products
Rape seed meal

The Philippines has a very humid climate which is also under the rainy season for about half of the year. This condition makes it more conducive to the growth of molds which will produce the mycotoxins.

Many of our fellow gamebird enthusiasts are quite familiar with the well known aflatoxin, this is just but one of the important mycotoxins that affect our chickens. The other mycotoxins are just as harmful and these are Don, T2, Zearalenone, Fumonisin, Ochratoxin and Ergot Alkaloids.

We will discuss each one in this series of topics to follow.

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Many gamebird raisers will invest a lot on vitamins which they give to their roosters. Often times, they would even buy vitamins made for humans such as Centrum Silver, Centrum Performance, and Kirkland Multivitamins that is why many poultry supply stores would be selling these.

Let us remember that these vitamins are made for humans which on the average will be weighing 50 kilos as compared to our roosters that would way about 2 kilos only. If you want to use these type of supplements, please don't give them the whole caplet. Divide it into 3 or 4 pieces and this is the amount you give to your birds.

We classify vitamins as supplements because it is of great value if the roosters are not getting a balanced diet that will supply their basic requirements. It will function to fill in the deficiency that the feed does not supply to them. Once the requirement of the rooster is met, all excess vitamins will be of no use to them.

For the water soluble vitamins, this will be expelled usually thru the urine. That is why in humans, after you take your multivitamin pill you will notice that your urine will be very yellow in color. This will not pose so much of a problem when we are talking about water soluble vitamins.

It is a different case for fat soluble vitamins such as vitamin A, D, E and K. Any excess will be stored in fatty tissues or organs and too much excess can actually cause vitamin toxicity. So be careful for it is not recommended to overdose your chickens especially with fat soluble vitamins.

That is why I would recommend that it is wiser to invest in a feed that can fully deliver the needed nutrients your feathered warriors require, even if this feed will cost more than the rest of the feed in the market. You are assured that they receive the right balance needed by your chickens. If you factor in the additional costs you put in to buy supplements, the better feed out there will turn out more cost effective.

I take vitamins everyday, and to be honest, I really don't feel a distinct difference, that is why when I miss taking my vitamin supplement it hardly has an effect on how I feel or perform through out the day.

Try skipping a meal for a day, you will be irritable, hungry, and even feel weak. It is better to eat right each and every day, then to eat wrong and depend on supplements. This is the same with the chickens we care so much for.

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Dear Friends, I know this entry has nothing to do with gamebirds. But just like our beloved sport, I would like to share to all of you gamebird afficionado's a super talented filipino artist, namely Johnoy Danao. He is such an exceptional singer and I would like everyone of my visitors to be able to get a chance to listen to his music.

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My dear friends, Hataw Pinoy is featuring a 2 part interview of me, may I invite you to watch the show and get to know a little bit more of DokTilaok. The 1st part will be shown tomorrow February 6 while the 2nd part will be shown on February 13.

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Many gamebird breeders and raisers often times are looking for secrets of how to produce birds that would consistently have a very good winning percentage.

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