Adorable Guy Fearlessly Feeds a Flock of Chickens From His Hand
Feeding Options
The most convenient way of feeding chickens is with a balanced pelleted ration, whether the birds are confined indoors or allowed to range outdoors. Most diets contain corn for energy, soybean meal for protein, and vitamin and mineral supplements. Commercial rations often contain antibiotics and arsenicals to promote health and improve growth, coccidiostats for combating coccidiosis, and sometimes mold inhibitors. However, it is possible to obtain unmedicated feed-check feed labels to see if they contain feed additives.
In the industry, the feed is pelleted so the bird can eat more at one time. Chickens are nibblers and make frequent trips to the feed trough for small meals, which requires energy. Pelleting reduces the amount of energy required for a bird to feed. However, many producers of pasture-based, "natural" poultry believe that the meat is better when the bird receives more exercise.
If the bird is eating a fibrous diet, grit such as oyster shells is supplied to aid in grinding up coarse feed in the gizzard. Industry birds usually don't use grit because the diet is low in fiber. Outdoor birds also pick up small stones.
Different rations are often used, depending on the production stage of the bird. Starter rations are high in protein-an expensive feed ingredient. However, grower and finisher rations can be lower in protein since older birds require less. A starter diet is about 24% protein, grower diet 20% protein, and finisher diet 18% protein (1). Layer diets generally have about 16% protein. Special diets are available for broilers, pullets, layers, and breeders. Whole grains can also be provided as scratch grains.
Access to clean water is important. Levels of total dissolved solids above 3000 ppm in the water can interfere with poultry health and production.
Poultry feed ingredients include energy concentrates such as corn, oats, wheat, barley, sorghum, and milling by-products. Protein concentrates include soybean meal and other oilseed meals (peanut, sesame, safflower, sunflower, etc.), cottonseed meal, animal protein sources (meat and bone meal, dried whey, fish meal, etc.), grain legumes such as dry beans and field peas, and alfalfa. Grains are usually ground to improve digestibility. Soybeans need to be heated-usually by extruding or roasting-before feeding in order to deactivate a protein inhibitor. Soybeans are usually fed in the form of soybean meal, not in "full-fat" form, because the valuable oil is extracted first. Whole, roasted soybeans are high in fat which provides energy to the birds.
Chicken feed usually contains soybean meal which is a by-product of the oilseed industry. In the industry, soybeans are dehulled and cut into thin pieces (flaked) to improve the action of the solvent (usually hexane) which is passed through the soybean to extract the valuable oil. Vegetable oils such as soybean oil are used for edible and industrial purposes. The soybean is then toasted as a method of heat treatment to deactivate an inhibitor which would otherwise interfere with protein digestion in the animal. However, chickens can also be fed unextracted (full-fat) soybeans. An advantage of feeding unextracted soybeans is that they still contain the oil which provides high energy fat to the bird. Unextracted soybeans need to be heat-treated-roasted with dry heat and then ground, rolled, or flaked before mixing into a diet. Another method of heat treatment is extruding. Extrusion involves forcing the beans through die holes in an expander-extruder which creates friction which heats the beans sufficiently (sometimes steam is also applied). The result is a powdery material which does not require further grinding. Roasted and extruded soybeans should not be stored for long periods of time, especially in hot weather, because the oil turns rancid.
Since protein is generally one of the most expensive feed ingredients, the industry uses targeted rations and reduce the amount of protein in the diet as the birds grow (chickens require less and less protein as they age); however, it may not be cost-effective for small-scale producers to have different diets for starters, growers, and finishers.
Vitamin pre-mix is usually added but may be reduced by using vitamin-rich plant sources such as alfalfa. Other plants also provide vitamins in their leaves, hulls, and brans. Fish oil can provide vitamins A and D. Yeast provides some of the B vitamins. Sunlight is a good source of vitamin D for ranging chickens (converting a precursor to vitamin D). Poultry in cattle pastures may obtain vitamin B12 when picking through dung pats for insect larva. Sprouting grains, although a labor-intensive process, is used by some producers for vitamins when access to range is not possible. Sprouting can increase the amounts of carotene (vitamin A precursor) in the grain and as a source of year-round forage, could be an advantage for certified organic poultry production to reduce the amount of synthetic vitamins required in the diet. Eating plants may provide a yellow color to the skin of slaughtered chickens and a deeper yellow color to egg yolks.
Trace mineralized salt is usually added to poultry diets, but other sources can provide minerals. Minerals, although not present in high levels in plants, are provided in fish meal and kelp (seaweed). Meat and bone meal is an excellent source of minerals, particularly calcium and phosphorus, as well as being a good protein source. However, if a producer does not want to use meat and bone meal, then dicalcium phosphate can be substituted.
Access to pasture can reduce the vitamins and minerals needed in the diet since the birds get vitamins from plants and both vitamins and minerals from insects. An example of an all-grain diet is enclosed. Probiotics are sometimes provided to chicks during placement and before shipping. However, preparing a balanced diet can be a complex, possibly costly process, especially for producers with little background in nutrition. Specialized knowledge is required about the nutrient requirements of chickens and the nutrients contained in feedstuffs. Feed ingredients need to be sourced, milled, mixed together according to a formulation, and the mix is usually pelleted.
Ration-balancing of home-made diets is important, especially on a commercial scale, to achieve the right amounts of nutrients. If diets are not properly balanced, then birds will suffer from nutritional diseases. The National Research Council's Nutrient Requirements for Poultry (2) specifies the amounts of protein, energy (carbohydrates and fats), minerals, and vitamins. The quality of the protein is important since it is made up of individual amino acids, some amino acids being essential to bird health. The proper amount of these nutrients needed in diets depend on breed, age, and type of production. The reference issue of Feedstuffs magazine (3) has a charts of feed composition which lists the amount of nutrients provided by various feedstuffs. Feeding textbooks such as Applied Animal Nutrition: Feeds and Feeding (1) also have such charts. Feedstuffs can also be analyzed in a laboratory for nutrient make-up. Poultry nutritionists or Extension agents can provide help in ration-balancing. In preparing your own diet, formulation is important. Sample diets are enclosed. Some diets do not include meat and bone meal. If you are mixing a large volume, you may be able to get a local feedmill to mill, mix, and possibly pelleted (requires different machinery) for you. Feedmills also have access to feed ingredients and staff with nutritional expertise who can formulate diets.
Ellie MacDougal, a Maine farmer who keeps 50 layers primarily for composted litter for an herb operation, is an example of a producer who mills and mixes her own ingredients on-farm. She purchases whole grains and mills them as needed to retain nutrients. She says that milled grains should be fed within 30 days or else they begin to lose nutrients. She suggests a hand-mill for small quantities or a motorized mill for larger amounts. Another option is to buy already milled grains and just do your own mixing. Some producers feed whole grains. An "old-fashioned" way of feeding chickens is the "mash and grain" method which is a two-feed system of providing whole grains along with a high-protein ration in order to reduce costs. The whole grains cost less than the high-protein ration and can even be grown on-farm (4). Contact ATTRA for more information on mash and grain feeding.
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Absolutely Beautiful Video Of The Ocean Road Highway
THE OCEAN ROAD HIGHWAY AN ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL VIDEO
What is the best part of the Great Ocean Road Highway? Is one of the most scenic places to see on the Great Ocean Road Highway; a protected, rocky beach nestled amongst cliffs. Waves thread their way through the gorge and up onto the beach when the swell is up. And when it's calm, the inlet turns glassy and turquoise blue.
Driving across you would love the view of the rocks, birds, and small yachts. It's absolutely breathtaking to feel the cool summer breeze against your skin.
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You've never seen the incredible Orion Nebula like this before?
A stunning visualisation of the Orion Nebula in a breathtaking view that has never been seen. The Orion Nebula is a diffuse Nebula arranged in the Milky Way, being south of Orion's Belt in the star grouping of Orion. It is probably the most splendid Nubulae and is apparent to the unaided eye in the night sky. It is 1,344 ± 20 light-years away and is the nearest locale of monstrous star development to Earth.
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The Marriott Hotel Resort Wartsila Diesel Engine
This is a wartsila diesel engine which generates power to supply the Marriott Hotel with electricity. There are six available engines, two wartsila and four caterpillar. Two engines are always in use, while the other four are on stand by.
The Wärtsilä 32 was developed in response to a need in the market for a new engine in the 320 mm cylinder bore class and since 1998 more than 2500 of these engines have been sold to the marine market, in total more than 4500 Wärtsilä 32 bore engines have been delivered to the marine market since the 1980s.
Based on the latest achievements in combustion technology, it is designed for efficient and easy maintenance in combination with long maintenance-free operating periods. The engine is fully equipped with all essential ancillaries and a thoroughly planned interface to external systems.
The Wärtsilä 32 engine is fully compliant with the IMO Tier II exhaust emissions regulations set out in Annex VI of the MARPOL 73/78 convention.
Key benefits
Exellent fuel flexibility allowing operation on HFO, LBF, MDO and ultra low sulphur fuel. Low fuel oil consumption over a wide load range.
Utmost power-to-weight and power-to-space rations in combination with a great flexibility in engine support arrangements allows optimised rigid or flexible installation for a wide range of vessel applications.
Fast starting times and great load acceptance makes the Wärtsilä 32 a preferred choice in many offshore applications.
High reliability and proven in service makes the Wärtsilä 32 an excellent choice for any application.
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Why a beautiful Sunrise always makes you feel extremely happy?
It has been proven that watching the sunrise or sunset gives you a better sense of gratitude for the earth. When you are caught up in the natural beauty of the Earth (like a sunset or sunrise), you rid yourself of any distractions and feel higher levels of satisfaction and gratitude for what's happening in front of you. I think if a person enjoys sunrises more than sunsets it means that they prefer to focus on what’s to come, rather than what’s already in their past.
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Beautiful Morning Dove Close up Eating a little Apple
Eating an apple is this Beautiful Morning Dove. While waiting for the bus to go to work, I decided to eat an apple. Here comes this adorable little dove looking at me. By that time, the apple was almost finished. I still gave it the remaining apple.
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Ram Goats Headbutt Each Other
Goats of all ages head butt. The reason why depends on the goat’s age and on their personality, too — most goats are social, inquisitive creatures and some even more so!
Younger goats butt heads in play. Older goats participate in this activity to establish dominance and determine their position in the herd. I will be Demonstrating this common behavior in the above video.
Rams are male bighorn sheep, animals that live in the mountains and often settle arguments with fights that include ramming their heads into others. Not to be confused with mountain goats, rams can be identified by their long, curved horns, long fur, and split hooves. Bighorn sheep are bovines and are related to antelopes, bison, buffalo, cattle and goats.
Size
Rams are typically 5 to 6 feet tall (1.5 to 1.8 meters) from head to tail, and weigh 262 to 280 lbs. (119 to 127 kilograms), though they can grow to over 300 lbs. (136 kg). Rocky Mountain bighorn rams have massive horns that weigh more than all of the bones in their bodies. A set of horns can weigh 30 lbs. (14 kg). Ewes, or female bighorn sheep, typically weigh 30 to 40 percent less than the rams, according to the National Bighorn Sheep Center.
Habitat
Bighorn sheep live in the Rocky Mountain region of North America, ranging from Mexico, northward across the western United States and into Canada. They live in the rocky areas, balancing on the boulders with their hooves, which are rough on the bottom to give the sheep more traction. Thanks to their amazing balance, bighorn sheep can stand on ledges that are only 2 inches (5 centimeters) wide. They can also jump 20 feet (6 m) and can go up a mountain at a brisk 15 mph (24 km/h). The only better mountain climbers in the animal world are mountain goats.
Desert bighorn sheep, a subspecies, live in Death Valley, California, as well as Nevada, Texas and northern Mexico. They can live on desert mountains as high as 4,000 feet (1,200 m). They get most of their water from eating plants to survive, according to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles.
Habits
Bighorn sheep have very good eyesight, which allows them to judge distances accurately when jumping, according to the University of Michgan's Animal Diversity Web (ADW). They also watch animals as far as a mile away.
Herds are separated by gender. Females live in nursery herds, with five to 100 members, which include adult females and lambs of both genders. Male-only bachelor herds usually contain five to 50 rams at one time, and they sometimes engage in homosexual activity, according to ADW.
Rams fight to decide who will be the dominant male in their group. During the fight, the males will face each other, rear up on their back legs and crash their huge horns into each other. Sometimes they charge as fast as 40 mph (64 km/h). Eventually, one of the rams ends up submitting and the winner is the new leader. This process can take hours.
Diet
Rams are herbivores. They typically eat seeds, grass and plants. Their diet changes depending on the season, though. In the summer, they eat grasses or sedges and in the winter, bighorns eat woody plants, such as sage, willow and rabbit brush, according to Defenders of Wildlife. What they eat also depends on the type of bighorn. For example, desert bighorns eat plants found in their location, such as desert holly and desert cactus.
One swallow of food isn't enough for these animals. They will regurgitate their food into their mouths. This regurgitated food is called cud. Then, they will rechew the food and swallow it once again. This is part of their digestion process.
Offspring
The dominant ram earns the right to mate with the females. Mating season, called the rut, is in the autumn. Males are not usually strong enough to mate until they are at least 3 years old.
Female bighorns are pregnant for about 175 days, or about 25 weeks. They usually have only one lamb at a time. In the spring, the young are born on high ledges that protect them from predators.
Lambs are dependent on their mothers for the first four to six months of their lives, though they can walk almost as soon as they are born. The mortality rate for lambs is quite high. On average, 5 to 30 percent of lambs don't make it to adulthood, according to ADW, though sometimes the death rate can be as high as 80 percent.
Rams typically don't mate until they are around 7 years old. They can live from 10 to 19 years in the wild.
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The Famous Twin Trafalgar Waterfalls
These prominent twin cascades are a 20-minute drive from Roseau. It's a short 10 to 15-minute walk along a well-maintained path to the viewing platform, where you can photograph both falls.
As you walk the path, be sure to stop at the warm spring that flows across the trail. The more daring can continue to swim in the refreshing waters of the smaller waterfall or find the hot springs of the tallest fall.
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Hampstead River in Dominica
Hampstead is a village in northeastern Dominica. Along with Bense, the area has a population of 495, and was used as a filming location for 2006's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. This is a beautiful place located in Dominica the Hampstead river.
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Dolphin kisses a little girl and brings her a gift
An adorable little girl kisses the Dolphins.
As the crowd watches on an adorable little girl in a small orange and white boat with the supervision of a woman. She greets the dolphins as they swim up to meet her. The little girl leans over and gave the dolphins a lovely greeting. The dolphins show their appreciation by bringing a gift to the beautiful little girl and gets a kiss from her, it's a heartwarming event that you have to see for yourselves.
Dolphins are small-toothed cetaceans easily recognizable by their curved mouths, which give them a permanent “smile.” There are 36 dolphin species, found in every ocean. Most dolphins are marine and live in the ocean or brackish waters along coastlines. There are a few species, however, like the South Asian river dolphin and the Amazon river dolphin, or boto, that live in freshwater streams and rivers.
The largest dolphin, the orca, can grow to be over 30 feet long. The smallest, the Maui dolphin, is just five feet long.
Dolphins feed chiefly on fish and squid, which they track using echolocation, a built-in sonar that bounces sound waves off prey and reveals information like its location, size, and shape. An echolocating bottlenose dolphin can make up to a thousand clicking noises per second.
Behavior and reproduction
Living in pods that can number a dozen or more, dolphins are intensely social mammals that communicate with squeaks, whistles, and clicks. Whether dolphins have language, as humans do, is a topic that scientists have debated for decades.
As mammals, they have warm blood and nurse their young. Dolphins have more than one mate, and generally produce a single offspring that will stay with the mother for up to six years, depending on the species.
Dolphins are graceful, sleek swimmers that can reach speeds of more than 18 miles an hour. They are also playful and often frolic in a boat’s wake, leaping out of the water—possibly for fun, to communicate, or even shed pesky parasites.
Threats
For centuries, people have hunted dolphins for their meat and blubber. Today, their main threat comes from being caught accidentally in commercial fishing nets. Dolphins must rise regularly to the surface to breathe—becoming entangled in nets prevents this, leading to drowning. For maine dolphins, warming ocean temperatures because of climate change have caused some of their primary food sources to move into deeper, cooler water. Furthermore, marine heatwaves, also caused by climate change, appear to have a negative affect on dolphins' reproductive rates and ability to survive.
In addition to hunting and entanglement in fishing gear, freshwater dolphins face the additional threat of dams fragmenting and degrading habitat.
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150 METER UNCUT FOOTAGE OF UNDERWATER ATOMIC BLAST 1958
Wahoo blast the test conditions were met on May 16 1958 allowing for the nuclear device to be detonated. Within a second of detonation, a spray dome was created that reached a height of 840 feet (260 m) after seven seconds. The overall shape of the spray dome resembled a cone with 45 degree sloped sides. Plumes were seen breaking through the spray dome after six seconds in every direction. The vertical plume continued rising until 12 seconds after the blast while the lateral plumes traveled for 20 seconds before collapsing. The diameter of the spray dome was approximately 3,800 feet (1,200 m) at the 20 second mark.[4](p237) The base surge reached a radius of 8,000 feet (2,400 m) in the downwind direction after 1.7 seconds. The downwind surge aided by a 15 knots (17 mph; 28 km/h) wind reached speeds of 21 knots (24 mph; 39 km/h). This base surge could be seen for three and a half minutes and for longer from the air as it continued to move across the ocean. When the spray dome and base surge had dissipated, a foam patch could be seen spreading from the surface zero water to reach over 6,000 feet (1,800 m).[4](p238) The nuclear blast was calculated to be 9 kilotons of TNT (38 TJ). All fallout stayed within the predicted fallout area with a maximum of 0.030 R/hr. The target ship at 5,900 yards (2.9 nmi; 3.4 mi; 5.4 km) was directly hit by the shockwave, vibrating the entire ship and shaking it violently. The Moran merchant marine ship moored at 2,346 feet (715 m) away was immobilized due to shock damage to its main and auxiliary equipment while also suffering minor hull damage. One hour and ten minutes after detonation, a five-gallon water sample was taken directly above the blast location showing 5 R/hr. The retrieval team entered a 3.8 R/hrfield after an hour and thirty five minutes.
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Coast Guard medevacs man from fishing vessel near Newport
Air ambulance and Coast Guard medevacs man from fishing vessel near Newport, OR
NEWPORT, OR, UNITED STATES
07.19.2021
A Coast Guard aircrew from Sector North Bend medevaced a man July 19, 2021, from a 40-foot commercial fishing vessel after suffering a medical emergency 5 miles west of Newport, Oregon. This video was taken aboard a Coast Guard 29-foot Response Boat-Small as they escorted the fishing boat. (U.S. Coast Guard video by Fireman Ben LaBerge/Released)
Film Credits: Video by Petty Officer 2nd Class Steven Strohmaier
U.S. Coast Guard District 13
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Bird Nest Building Hilariously Gone Wrong
An Osprey while building its nest and positioning the sticks and twigs it collected. One of the sticks got entangled around its neck. This scene is hilarious as it fights to remove it from around its body and put it in place to make the nest complete. Check it out!
Osprey, (Pandion haliaetus), also called fish hawk, large, long-winged hawk, about 65 cm (26 inches) long, that lives along seacoasts and larger interior waterways, where it catches fish. It is brown above and white below, with some white on the head.
An osprey flies over the water to hunt. It hovers above its prey and then plunges feet first to seize a fish in its long, curved talons. With a grip secured by sharp spicules on the underside of the toes, the bird carries its prey to a favourite perch to feed. Sometimes after feeding the osprey flies low over the water, dragging its feet as if to wash them.
OSPREY
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Osprey, (Pandion haliaetus), also called fish hawk, large, long-winged hawk, about 65 cm (26 inches) long, that lives along seacoasts and larger interior waterways, where it catches fish. It is brown above and white below, with some white on the head.
Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus).
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Related Topics: Hawk
Watch a male osprey catching a fish and taking it to his partner, who is incubating
Watch a male osprey catching a fish and taking it to his partner, who is incubating
A male osprey catching a fish and carrying it to his mate, who is incubating eggs.
Contunico © ZDF Enterprises GmbH, Mainz
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An osprey flies over the water to hunt. It hovers above its prey and then plunges feet first to seize a fish in its long, curved talons. With a grip secured by sharp spicules on the underside of the toes, the bird carries its prey to a favourite perch to feed. Sometimes after feeding the osprey flies low over the water, dragging its feet as if to wash them.
Osprey catching a fish.
Osprey catching a fish.
© Index Open
Chicken. Gallus gallus. Poultry. Fowl. Animal. Bird. Rooster. Cocks. Hens. Beak. Wattle. Comb. Farm animal. Livestock. Close-up profile of a hen's head.
BRITANNICA QUIZ
Birds, Birds, Birds Quiz
Which birds were released in Central Park in 1890 and 1891 by Shakespeare enthusiasts? Which birds lay their eggs in a chamber at the back of a burrow dug into an earth bank? Test your knowledge. Take the quiz.
The ospreys’ extensive breeding range extends to all the continents except South America (where it occurs widely in winter) and the Antarctic. The North American population declined greatly after 1947 because of the eggshell-thinning effects of DDT residues but began to recover after the pesticide was banned in 1972. Exterminated from the British Isles by 1910, the osprey reappeared there as a successfully breeding species in the 1950s and is now firmly reestablished in Scotland.
Single nests or colonies are built in tall trees, on the ground on small islands, or on ledges of cliffs. The nest is a bulky structure, up to 2 metres (6.6 feet) across, composed of haphazardly arranged sticks. The same nests may be used by many generations of birds, becoming huge in the process. Two to four white eggs marked boldly with dark brown blotches are laid. Downy young hatch in about five weeks and are fed by both parents. The young birds fledge in six to eight weeks.
The osprey is the only species in the family Pandionidae, which is sometimes considered a subfamily (Pandioninae) of the hawk and eagle family, Accipitridae, of the order Falconiformes.
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Super Adorable Puppies are Excited and Playful
These Lovely doggies Having Fun with each other, with their high and waggy tails in the air. They're oh so sweet! It would be hard to find a person who wouldn't say that puppies are not super adorable, but in addition to cuteness, they're also fascinating.
These puppies are for sale near me.
A puppy is a juvenile dog. Some puppies can weigh 1–1.5 kg (1-3 lb), while larger ones can weigh up to 7–11 kg (15-23 lb). All healthy puppies grow quickly after birth. A puppy's coat colour may change as the puppy grows older, as is commonly seen in breeds such as the Yorkshire Terrier. Puppy refers specifically to young dogs,[1] while pup may be used for other animals such as wolves, seals, giraffes, guinea pigs, rats or sharks.
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Baby Owl Loves Head Bobbing
All these varied head movements help the owl judge the position and distance of things around it—essentially, to triangulate on objects, including potential prey, and to build a composite picture of its surroundings.
This head-bobbing helps make up for an anatomical limitation: An owl’s eyes are fixed in position, so they simply can’t move the way our eyes do. To look up, down, or to the side, an owl has to move its head.
They have very flexible necks and can do 270 degrees of a full head turn, looking over one shoulder, around the back, and almost over the opposite shoulder. And after a few of these head-bobs to triangulate on their prey, they rarely miss.
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A Wreck of Seabirds Abundantly Together
Countless Seabirds crumple on the seashore where food is abundant. There are Pelicans, Seagulls, Gaulin and shorebirds all together eating scraps of fish that we're left behind by the fishermen. This video gives you a much closer look at the seabirds as they eat the remains that we're left behind. Then there are the tern birds which are very beautiful in colour.
This medium-sized tern, with its pink-flushed breast and elegant, swallow-like tail streamers, is one of Europe’s rarest seabirds. They nest in colonies, often alongside other terns and black-headed gulls, which helps protect their eggs and chicks from predators. The nest is a shallow scrape on the ground, but they will happily use special nest boxes placed on the floor. A summer visitor, roseate terns are usually the last breeding tern species to return each year, rarely arriving before May.
How to identify
The roseate tern is similar in appearance to common and Arctic terns but with shorter wings and two extremely long tail feathers during the breeding season. In summer plumage, it is a strikingly pale bird, with a black cap, whitish-grey back and wings and white underparts that are tinged pink - in a flock of greyer Arctic and common terns, roseate terns appear to glow white!
The bill is longer than in common and Arctic terns, and is all black in spring, with a scarlet-red base developing in summer. The legs are bright red.
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Seabirds Flocks On The Seashore For Food
Multiple Seabirds gather on the seashore where meals are plentiful. There are Pelicans, Seagulls, Gaulin and shorebirds all together eating scraps of fish that we're left behind by the fishermen. Watch what happens next in this video.
A seabird can be defined as a bird that makes its living primarily in the ocean, beyond the intertidal or surf zone.
Seabirds are beautifully adapted for life in the ocean. Generally, they have dense, waterproof feathers; layers of fat; and a desalinization system to remove excess salt. Some, like the Common Murre, stick fairly close to home throughout their lives; others, like some albatrosses and shearwaters, literally wander around much of the North Pacific over a year. Their body shapes reflect their life histories:
The stubby wings and potato-shaped body of the Marbled Murrelet are unsuitable for long-distance flying but great for pursuit diving underwater, giving them a three-dimensional feeding environment. This is the right design for colder, northerly waters where prey forms dense schooling balls.
Conversely, the long, slim wings, relatively small body, and heightened sense of smell of the Laysan Albatross are perfect for long-distance flying to find scattered prey at the ocean’s surface. This is the right design for warmer, open-ocean waters where prey is more widely scattered at the surface.
Most seabirds are long-lived (some over 50 years) and don’t start to breed until they are 5-10 years old. These characteristics may be an evolutionary strategy to cope with their highly variable ocean environment: it gives birds a chance to spend several years learning how to find prey over many seasons before attempting breeding, and, gives adults many chances to successfully rear young who reach reproductive age themselves.
Seabirds play important roles in marine, intertidal, and terrestrial environments because they forage throughout the world’s oceans, consume an estimated 7% of marine productivity, and are a food source for other marine and terrestrial predators and humans. On land and near shore, seabird guano fertilizes terrestrial, intertidal and subtidal zones, enhancing local plant growth.
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Dove Bird Scavenge for Food
A beautiful mountain bird in some green grass by the roadside in Sands Complex is on the hunt and is scavenging for food that it finds in the grassy field.
Usually, doves are smaller members of the family, while pigeons are larger. There are over 300 different species of pigeons and doves.
Description of the Dove
Most doves have relatively stout bodies, with short legs and short beaks. They all have a similar shape, though their plumage varies drastically from species to species. Some doves are uniform in colour, while others have many different colours and patterns.
Their colouration also varies drastically in brightness. For example, the African-collared dove is a uniform tan colour, while the pink-headed fruit dove has a bright pink head and neck, a white collar, and a green body.
Interesting Facts About the Dove
There are simply too many different dove species to possibly highlight all of the coolest types. However, we will do our best to pick the most unique species around!
Luzon Bleeding Heart – No, this bird isn’t a hopeless romantic, it looks like its heart is bleeding. The front of this bird’s chest has a bright red smear that looks just like blood. These birds live on a few small islands in the Philippines.
Victoria Crowned Pigeon – Ok, while this species isn’t technically a dove, they are in the same family and you would regret not checking them out! Victoria crowned pigeons are the largest members of the Columbidae family at a whopping seven pounds! They are bright blue, with a beautiful crown of white-tipped feathers on the top of their heads.
Rose-Crowned Fruit Dove – This species isn’t wearing a tiny fashionable hat, that’s the colour of its head! These birds have bright pink “caps” on the tops of their heads. The rest of their plumage is a veritable Picasso painting of pinks, oranges, yellows, and greens.
Polynesian Ground-Dove – These little birds are unfortunately on the brink of extinction. The IUCN lists this species as Critically Endangered and estimates that its population contains fewer than 150 individuals in the wild. These birds are a perfect example of how invasive species can decimate island populations. Human-introduced rats, cats, and ants kill the birds and also eat their eggs and chicks.
Habitat of the Dove
Doves live in a wide variety of different habitats, from tropical rainforests to deserts. Different species usually live in different ecosystems. Some species live only in the rainforests of Brazil, while others live across meadows and grasslands of North America.
These birds inhabit swamps, savannas, woodlands, atolls, islands, mountains, deserts, and more. Many species also live in urban areas, like parks, gardens, farms, and cities.
Distribution of the Dove
These birds inhabit nearly every landmass on Earth, except for Antarctica, some areas of the Sahara desert, and the northernmost reaches of the Arctic Circle. They are a varied and diverse group of birds.
Some species live across massive expanses of land, while others inhabit a tiny area of an island or group of islands. There are dove species throughout North, Central, and South America, as well as Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the surrounding islands.
Diet of the Dove
Most dove species are herbivores and eat primarily plant matter. Their exact diet varies based on the species and region that they live in. Some doves eat primarily fruits and berries, while others eat seeds and grains.
Those that feed on grains and seeds usually forage on the ground, while those that eat fruit typically forage in the trees and bushes. Some species also eat insects and other invertebrates, like spiders, flies, moths, snails, and more.
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What Does Bitcoin Mining Software Do?
In this video shows a bitcoin mining calculator or bitcoin mining app does. I will try to explain what bitcoin mining means and is bitcoin mining profitable and how to start bitcoin mining business. #bitcoinminingapp #isbitcoinminingprofitable #bitcoinminingcalculator
What Does Bitcoin Mining Software Do?
Bitcoin mining is the process by which a new bitcoin is brought into existence. There can never be more than 21 million Bitcoins in existence, by design. Over 3.3 million of Bitcoins are yet to be mined, a prize worth over $15 billion at today’s prices. Mining is a popular alternative to buying bitcoin.
Bitcoin miners aren’t physically digging anything up. Instead, mining is comprised of solving puzzles required to add new blocks of transactions to the blockchain. Bitcoin mining software does this by solving a complex mathematical problem and including the answer in the block. When a block is solved, a reward is earned.
The very first Bitcoin block offered 50 bitcoins (BTC) as a block reward. Built into Bitcoin’s code is a rule that cuts the reward in half every 210,000 blocks. Blocks #1 through #210,000 paid 50 BTC. Blocks #210,001 through #420,000 paid 25 BTC, and so on.
Currently, the block reward is 12.5 BTC, worth over $63,000 today, and is expected to halve again in 2020 to 6.25 BTC.
The process of bitcoin mining uses a measurement called hash power. This refers to how fast the hardware and software can produce guesses to solve the encryption puzzle. In general, a higher hash rate leads to faster block rewards.
Due to the increasing complexity involved with solving a block, hardware plays a huge role in productivity. This has led to the use of specialized ASIC hardware by many miners in combination with mining software.
Hash rate differences can be found between software providers, as well as differences in efficiency. This depends on how much of the reward goes to the software company or how much of your hash power is donated to the software provider.
In some cases, you can purchase the software outright or license the software per machine, allowing you to keep all your earnings.
You’ll find that bitcoin mining software comes in different forms, from web-based mining that uses javascript, to standalone software programs that mine in the background, to entire operating systems designed around cryptocurrency mining.
In some cases, like browser miners or some software packages, the mining software is really mining Monero (or a cryptocurrency with a similar CPU-optimized algorithm) and then converting to Bitcoin for payments. As you might expect, this conversion process can lead to some overhead that can affect profitability.
For Bitcoin, in particular, and if your hardware is optimized for mining Bitcoin, you’ll probably want to move to dedicated Bitcoin mining software solutions.
Key Features of the Best Software
Miners range from beginning, casual miners who just want to put their machines to work during downtime, to those building systems specifically to mine or even optimize for a particular type of currency. Even with such a broad group of needs, there is still some overlap in key features, some of which may be a bigger priority for some users.
Hash Rate
You can think of the hash rate as efficiency. Your hash rate can be used to predict your daily or monthly mining earnings. What you’ll find, however, is that there are sometimes measurable differences in hash rates from one mining software platform to the next. This discrepancy can create drag, slowing your mining earnings.
Currency Switch Mining
Some Bitcoin mining software provides the ability to switch to a more profitable currency for mining while still paying out in Bitcoin, or another currency of your choice. The software chooses the best cryptocurrency to mine based on the hardware you are using as well as the market price and current mining difficulty for the currencies it supports.
This can be a great feature for beginners
- https://minertools.shop
Disclaimer: All of the information, material, and/or content contained in this program is for informational purposes only. Investing in stocks, options, and futures is risky and not suitable for all investors. Please consult your own independent financial adviser before making any investment decisions.
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The Beautiful Times Square New York City
New York is a wonderful place to visit especially the Stunning Times Square. Watch and enjoy the stunning scenery.
Times Square, a square in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, was formed by the intersection of Seventh Avenue, 42nd Street, and Broadway. Times Square is also the centre of the Theatre District, which is bounded roughly by Sixth and Eighth Avenues to the east and west, respectively, and by 40th and 53rd streets to the south and north, respectively.
Known early on as Long Acre (also spelt Longacre) Square, it had an unsavoury reputation as the centre of illicit activity in the 1890s, though earlier in the 19th century it had been both a commercial and a residential area. The square was renamed in 1904 for The New York Times, which opened its new offices in the Times Tower on the square (though it would outgrow them by 1913). Almost immediately the square became the place where New Yorkers gathered to celebrate the arrival of the new year. In 1907 the Times began lowering a huge glass ball down its flagpole at midnight on New Year’s Eve to mark the occasion. Throughout the years, ever more sophisticated technology was used for the square’s ball drop as the tradition came to include live television broadcasts that shared the experience with tens of millions of people across the United States.
At the turn of the 20th century, several impressive theatres were established on 42nd Street, and by the second decade of the century, the Times Square and Broadway area had become arguably the most famous entertainment district in the country, partly because of the square’s central location and because situated beneath it was a large station for the newly constructed subway. During this period it earned the nickname “Crossroads of the World.” Moreover, in short order, Broadway became synonymous with American theatre, especially musical theatre.
As the Great Depression deepened, legitimate theatres on Time Square began to close and were frequently converted to motion picture theatres. As the 20th century progressed, the area became increasingly tawdry. By the 1960s and ’70s, it had become a centre for sleazy adult entertainment and was again crime-ridden. Time Square’s resurgence in the 1990s, with the introduction of large tourist-friendly stores, theatres, and restaurants, is often credited to advocacy by Mayor Rudy Giuliani and to investment in the area by the Disney Company.
Early on, Times Square became the preeminent American venue for advances in big, bright electric signage and advertising, especially after the introduction of neon signs in the 1920s. Beginning in 1928, the Times “Zipper” used some 14,800 lightbulbs to render moving headlines. Among the square’s most famous signs were those depicting a huge coffee cup, out of which real steam rose, and a cigarette-smoking man, blowing steam-generated smoke rings. Since the late 20th century the tenants in Times Square buildings have been required by law to display eye-catching signs, and, as a result, the area remains a flashing, nonstop feast for the eyes.
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Catfish attacks Pigeon at the water's edge
The Pigeons come to the water's edge to bathe and clean their feathers. The Catfish detects the oils in the water that comes from the birds while bathing and makes it's way upstream towards them. Then the Catfish launches an attack, which catches the Pigeon off-guard. The pigeon tries to get free from the Catfish clutch that held its feet. The Catfish then gives a death roll in the water drowning the Pigeon before it can eat it.
Catfish (order Siluriformes) is one of the largest orders of teleosts containing ∼4100 species, representing ∼12% of all teleosts and ∼6.3% of all vertebrates (Eschmeyer and Fong, 2014; Wilson and Reeder, 2005). Most catfish have a cylindrical body with a flattened ventral to allow for benthic feeding (Bruton, 1996). Catfish are so-named because of their whisker-like barbels, which are located on the nose, each side of the mouth, and on the chin. Most catfish possess leading spines in their dorsal and pectoral fins. Catfish are scaleless, a characteristic of catfishes distinguishing them from most other teleost fish. However, some catfish, such as plecos, possess bony dermal plates covering their skin (Arce et al., 2013; Armbruster, 2004; Burgess, 1989; Ferraris and Vari, 2012).
Catfish are highly diverse and distributed worldwide. They are commonly found in inland or coastal waters of all continents, including Antartica where fossils are found (Grande and Eastman, 1986). Catfish are most abundantly distributed in the tropics of South America, Africa and Asia, with one family native to North America and one family in Europe (Lundberg and Friel, 2003). Due to their worldwide distribution and diversity, catfish are interesting models to ecologists and evolutionary biologists, and are important for biogeographical studies (Sullivan et al., 2006).
Over half of all catfish species live in the Americas, of which channel catfish, blue catfish, and flathead catfish are the three primary catfish species in the United States. Populations of at least one of these catfish species are available in large numbers in most rivers, lakes, and reservoirs across the United States. Channel catfish are primarily native to the Mississippi River Valley but are widely introduced throughout the nation (FAO, 2015). Blue catfish are native to the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio River basins of central and southern United States, and also occupy south along the Gulf coast to Belize and Guatamala (Graham, 1999). Flathead Catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) are a large species in the Ictaluridae family. They spread primarily from the lower Great Lakes through the Mississippi River watershed to the Gulf States.
Catfish are quite hardy such that they are more adaptable for artificial spawning, handling, and culture. They possess all the characteristics necessary for aquaculture including relatively high fecundity, ability for artificial spawning, adaptability to earthen ponds for culture, high tolerance to low dissolved oxygen, relatively high resistance against infectious diseases, and relatively high feed conversion efficiency. It is such characteristics that make catfish one of the most popular groups of fish for aquaculture. In the world, a few major species are widely used for aquaculture, including channel catfish, blue catfish, walking catfish, shark catfish, Thai catfish, and African catfish. Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) is the major aquaculture species in the United States. A closely related species, blue catfish (I. furcatus), is also important in this industry as the F1 hybrid catfish produced by mating channel catfish females with blue catfish males are now broadly cultured.
Catfish are of considerable economic importance for aquaculture and recreational fisheries. Its global importance is increasing as several countries in Asia, such as China and Vietnam, are now heavily involved in catfish aquaculture (Liu, 2008). Catfish are the primary aquaculture species in the United States, accounting for over 60% of all US aquaculture production (Liu, 2011). In the southeastern United States, particularly in the states of Mississippi, Kansas, and Alabama, catfish is one of the top agricultural commodities. The catfish industry provides employment opportunities for tens of thousands of producers, processors, services providers, marketers, retailers, and restaurant owners.
Catfish production in the United States mainly includes channel catfish, blue catfish, and their F1 hybrid. The market for channel catfish is well developed in the United States. In 2006, the catfish production reached 700 million pounds, becoming one of the fastest growing sectors in American agribusiness. Blue catfish is also important because of its ability to produce hybrid catfish with channel catfish. The F1 hybrid catfish produced by crossing channel catfish female with blue catfish male exhibit a high level of heterosis and is a preferred genotype for aquaculture. Artificial fertilization is required for the production of the interspecific hybrids due to reproduction isolation. Major progress has been made in recent years for efficient production of the hybrid catfish, which account for almost half of catfish fry used in the current catfish industry (Dr Rex Dunham, Auburn University, personal communications).
However, the catfish industry in the United States has recently encountered unprecedented challenges due to devastating diseases, high feed and energy costs, and fierce international competition. As a consequence, the catfish industry has significantly shrunk from its high in 2003 with 662 million pounds down to 334 million pounds in 2013 (Hanson and Sites, 2014). Many catfish producers are not profitable due to the high feed and energy costs, and the economic losses caused by the outbreaks of devastating infectious diseases. Therefore, genetically enhanced brood stocks are much needed to support the catfish industry.
The interspecific hybrid catfish produced by mating channel catfish female with blue catfish male are superior to either parent in most production and performance traits. In comparison with its parents, the hybrid catfish grow faster, have a more aggressive feeding behavior, exhibit a greater feed conversion efficiency, are more resistant to major bacterial diseases, are easier to harvest, and provide a greater fillet yield. These improved production and performance traits make hybridization one of the most effective genetic improvement programs (Liu, 2008).
The hybrid catfish has the potential to revolutionize the catfish industry. However, the bottleneck exists in mass production of the hybrid seeds due to reproductive isolation between channel catfish and blue catfish. Artificial spawning must be conducted to produce the hybrid catfish fingerlings, while the rates of fertilization and hatching of the hybrid catfish are normally lower than those of channel catfish. Fortunately, recent progress in artificial spawning and fertilization has allowed improved fry production. Another important achievement has been made through use of different strains of channel catfish and blue catfish, which has produced genetically distinct Channel catfish X Blue catfish hybrids with even more superior production characteristics (Dunham and Masser, 2012).
Several performance and production traits are important for aquaculture, which include, but are not limited to, growth rate, feed conversion efficiency, disease resistance, processing yield, seinability, stress tolerance, and tolerance to low dissolved oxygen (Liu, 2011). Growth rate is a primary trait for aquaculture because fast growth would allow shorter culture period to reduce the energy and other related costs. Enhanced feed conversion efficiency could reduce feed costs and increase profit margins since feed cost accounts for up to 50% of all variable costs. Disease resistance is one of the most important traits because diseases cause major economic losses, up to one third of the industry every year. Two major devastating diseases include the enteric septicemia of catfish (ESC) caused by Edwardsiella ictaluri (Hawke, 1979) and the columnaris disease caused by Flavobacterium columnare. In addition, channel catfish virus disease, motile aeromonad septicemia caused by Aeromonas hydrophila and the “Ich” disease caused by protozoan parasite Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, can also cause significant economic losses. Processing yield is important because most catfish are processed into fillet for marketing. Seinability is an important trait because any fish that is left in the pond after seining can significantly reduce the feed conversion efficiency. Stress tolerance is important because stress of catfish can lead to the so-called red flesh disease, caused by high levels of stress during harvesting and transportation immediately before processing. Tolerance to low dissolved oxygen is important because it directly affects survival rates and the energy cost due to the use of aerators. Genetic factors contribute to controlling all these traits, though most of these traits are affected by the environment and environment × genotype interactions. Efficient methods of selection for improving these production and performance traits within breeding programs must be developed to provide technological advantages to our catfish producers to help them compete in the global marketplace (Liu, 2011).
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Fox makes a plunge in the snow to capture its meal
A cunning Fox puts together a few drops into the snow to capture its feast from beneath the surface. The fox has a keen sense of hearing, so it listens carefully for any moving rodents lurking beneath the snow. The fox makes a few attempts without any luck but on the last attempt, the fox finally was successful. These foxes are entirely different from the urban Foxes which have made a success of living with people. This is not based upon their mythical cunning, but rather their ability to adapt to a range of changing conditions. Wherever you live in Birmingham and the Black Country, you probably have at least one fox visiting your garden. We know more about urban foxes in Britain than we do about their rural counterparts and have compiled answers to the most common questions we are asked about our fantastic furry friends.
What do urban foxes eat?
They have very varied diets, Urban foxes eat earthworms, insects, fruit and vegetables and a wide variety of both domestic wild birds and mammals. Insects include large numbers of beetles, cutworms (the larvae of noctuid moths, which they get off lawns on wet nights), and both larval and adult craneflies. Most of the birds they eat are feral pigeons and small garden birds, and the most frequently eaten mammals are generally field voles, abundant on allotments, railway lines and other grassy areas.
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Praying Mantis Demonstrating it's Kung Fu Skills
A very crafty hunter the praying mantis is ascertaining its unique skills in the art of kung-fu towards its much larger enemy, the jumping spider.
Praying mantis are carnivores with a taste for live food. They can provide some helpful pest control to gardeners, as they eat potentially destructive insects like beetles, crickets, and grasshoppers. However, they aren't picky eaters, they're also known to prey on helpful insects like native bees and butterflies.
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Most Beautiful Exotic Islands in the World
Unfamiliar Islands are small clusters of islands or large expanses of coastline, all surrounded by pristine tropical foliage inland, and white sandy coasts that are bathed by crystal clear or vibrant turquoise waters. These exotic tropical islands have the potential to transport us to our paradise where we can enjoy doing nothing but relaxing in the perfect sunshine and enjoying the best of the wondrous natural environment.
The thick vegetation and the diverse seabed make these destinations perfect for travellers looking to immerse themselves in nature or to practice more energetic pursuits such as water sports or scuba diving. With hundreds of colourful fish, playful dolphins and majestic sea turtles, these island retreats are perfect for such activities.
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Flamingos are the most Gregarious Birds
Flocks of flamingos numbering in the hundreds may be seen in long, curving flight formations and wading groups along the shore. On some of East Africa’s large lakes, more than a million lesser flamingos gather during the breeding season.
In flight, flamingos present a striking and beautiful sight, with legs and neck stretched out straight, looking like white and rosy crosses with black arms. No less interesting is the flock at rest, with their long necks twisted or coiled upon the body in any conceivable position. Flamingos are often seen standing on one leg. Various reasons for this habit have been suggested, such as regulation of body temperature, conservation of energy, or merely drying out the legs.
The nest is a truncated cone of muddy clay piled up a few inches in a shallow lagoon; both parents share the monthlong incubation of the one or two chalky-white eggs that are laid in the hollow of the cone. Downy white young leave the nest in two or three days and are fed by regurgitation of partly digested food by the adults. Subadults are whitish, acquiring the pink plumage with age.
To feed, flamingos tramp the shallows, head down and bill underwater, stirring up the organic matter with their webbed feet. They eat various types of food, including diatoms, algae, blue-green algae, and invertebrates such as minute molluscs and crustaceans. While the head swings from side to side, food is strained from the muddy water with small comblike structures inside the bill. The bird’s pink colour comes from its food, which contains carotenoid pigments. #flamingos #gregariousbirds #beautiful
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