Additional Protein Sources For Feed

[icy_flames]

I'm trying to figure out how I can supplement additional sources of protein into my flock's feed. They are on a organic no corn no soy layer ration but it only has 17% protein. They are doing very well on this food and currently I give them BOSS, hard boiled eggs on rotation with their daily veggies snacks. Urban owner here. They cannot free range.

I've seen people mention that they use flock raiser instead of layer due to the higher protein but I have yet to find a organic no corn no soy flock raiser blend and I'm not too comfortable messing around with their calcium intake so I stick with layer (they do have access to flaked oyster shell in their run).

Any thoughts on mixing the following into their feed?
- organic dehydrated beef broth
-organic flaxseeds (not ground because it will go rancid
-organic beef gelatin mix
-organic powdered peanut butter
-ground crickets
-ground mealworms (all of my chickens hate mealworms as treats but blending it into feed might be fine)

 

[Perris]

let them eat grass - it has protein, amongst other good things.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

I think the items you mentioned would work as long as they are all no-sodium. Obviously, meat (sounds like organic in your situation) scraps, leftovers, or purchased for the flock would work as well.

That being said...17% is probably sufficient, although a little more can’t hurt (note that a lot more CAN).

 

[Lucy Brown]

Mixing mealworms into the feed is fine.

 

[Lucy Brown]

You want to give them a balanced diet rather than giving them too much of protein though.

 

[PioneerChicks]

I offer mine dried cat food free choice after their meals. They eat according to their bodies' cravings.

 

[kerbotx]

You might look into Black Soldier Fly Larvae instead of mealworms, the trending thought is that they are more nutritious. Or if your flock doesn't like dried mealworms, they may prefer them live - and you can farm them yourself. Look into DIY feed recipes, you might come across ingredients you hadn't considered before. I do give my girls a little flax seed in their wet mash, they love it.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I've seen people mention that they use flock raiser instead of layer due to the higher protein but I have yet to find a organic no corn no soy flock raiser blend and I'm not too comfortable messing around with their calcium intake so I stick with layer

Hi there.

I'm gonna help you out a little bit here..

First if you want a higher protein feed that's organic you will likely need to go with a non medicated STARTER or a game bird feed. There simply isn't enough demand for organic in flock raiser YET.

Boss, and boiled eggs are both fat.. with eggs coming in at 34% protein and 64% fat according to energy/calorie count not volume!

Too much flax can give your eggs fishy flavor.

Most vegetables will DIMINISH protein

Oyster shell on the side free choice does NOT mess with their calcium intake and may even extend their life span, not taxing the kidneys when it isn't needed. I never use layer since discovering the difference. The ONLY time soft shells happen are new layer hiccups relative to the shell gland and NOT nutritional intake. My elder birds have softer molts now!

Most grasses are between 7-16% protein at least the hay types available to me with alfalfa being the highest in calcium. Corn is about 7% protein.

Peas are between 20-22% protein depending on type, growing field, etc.

Noting some of the amino acids required by poultry NEEDS to be animal derived sources.. and not all are created equal.. Our mostly vegetarian formulas have them synthetically added in

Corn and soy can both be found in organic AND are important sources of energy ALL over the world.. unless one has allergy issues maybe just buying organic is enough instead of avoiding them completely?? Soy is an important source of protein for many, though I too am not personally fond of it.

Treats and enrichment are fine at below 10% of the total daily intake. Otherwise, try not to kid yourself that you're somehow balancing things better for them than what the professional avian nutritionist already did.

Consider using a supplement on occasion like Rooster Booster brand Poultry Cell product or Rooster Booster brand Poultry Booster product are both good products IF needed or desired for a boost. NO supplement should be given more than 10 days in a row.

You do not need to grind anything for your birds.. if you'e gonna give them some crickets.. they are very low nutrient but high entertainment value.. get live ones.. meal worms too, if you're gonna do them are MUCH more enjoyed by the birds.. my flock turns it's nose up at dry meal worm but really go after the live ones.

So my end point here is this.. energy comes from only 3 sources.. protein, fat, and carbohydrates including fiber. PLEASE be sure you know what the other values are.

As much as many of us like to poopoo layer, according to all the information I've seen it is formulated to meet a laying chickens needs well.. However, us keepers who aren't commercial keepers tend to give "healthy veggies" QUACK!!!, which diminishes the formulation. Giving the link to merck vet manual avian nutrition, notice the blue tables on the right side of the page..

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul...t-poultry/nutritional-requirements-of-poultry

Okay.. so one more possible suggestion.. find an organic starter and MIX with your layer to equal the protein you are happy with.. still keeping you flaked OS available. OR get the organic STARTER.. offer it wet as a mash or dry.. in the form of an enriching daily treat instead of fully switching.. Tada.. higher protein snack fully formulated for chickens.. they WILL notice the difference I have used higher protein game bird starter to do this before.. noting that they just smelled more like soy, my birds still liked it.

There IS a limited return factor.. excess protein becomes extra smelly, expensive waste.. and EXCESS protein can contribute to gout and kidney failure in the same manner excess calcium CAN, though different forms. So just remember to consider the WHOLE situation and not take one piece and run with it like many tend to do.

22% protein was shown to give the highest hatch rates, which also says to me more nutrients in the eggs my family is consuming. Too much protein decreases hatch rate respectively. So do you best to keep it balanced and don't be fear mongered into something even worse than you realize.. like fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome caused by excess intake of energy from ANY source.. and ALL those condition are USUALLY with a genetic predisposition PLUS nutrient deficit.. Sorry, TMI.. really..

How big is your flock, what are their ages, gender, breeds? 17% layer SHOULD be decent choice.

Make a scratching area/ semi deep litter in their run if you haven't already.. it invites bugs and worms to the party.. and they will pick out what they want plus have fun digging around looking for them.

Consider sprouting anything you can.. your boss, peas, barley 15% protein, wheat, etc.. sprouting/fodder.. again is for enrichment NOT nutrition.. but it can be a fantastic adventure (not flax, it turns to paste) for both the keeper and the flock especially since they aren't able to free range.. but yes, grass clippings that are fertilizer and herbicide/pesticide free are always fun in the run. If you're gonna give lettuce, cabbage, etc.. maybe hang it so they have to jump just a little.

Sorry so long, I'm not expert.. just a passionate keeper with too many things I'm avoiding doing while I spend time on the web.

 

[Dephora]

Hi there.

I'm gonna help you out a little bit here..

First if you want a higher protein feed that's organic you will likely need to go with a non medicated STARTER or a game bird feed. There simply isn't enough demand for organic in flock raiser YET.

Boss, and boiled eggs are both fat.. with eggs coming in at 34% protein and 64% fat according to energy/calorie count not volume!

Too much flax can give your eggs fishy flavor.

Most vegetables will DIMINISH protein

Oyster shell on the side free choice does NOT mess with their calcium intake and may even extend their life span, not taxing the kidneys when it isn't needed. I never use layer since discovering the difference. The ONLY time soft shells happen are new layer hiccups relative to the shell gland and NOT nutritional intake. My elder birds have softer molts now!

Most grasses are between 7-16% protein at least the hay types available to me with alfalfa being the highest in calcium. Corn is about 7% protein.

Peas are between 20-22% protein depending on type, growing field, etc.

Noting some of the amino acids required by poultry NEEDS to be animal derived sources.. and not all are created equal.. Our mostly vegetarian formulas have them synthetically added in

Corn and soy can both be found in organic AND are important sources of energy ALL over the world.. unless one has allergy issues maybe just buying organic is enough instead of avoiding them completely?? Soy is an important source of protein for many, though I too am not personally fond of it.

Treats and enrichment are fine at below 10% of the total daily intake. Otherwise, try not to kid yourself that you're somehow balancing things better for them than what the professional avian nutritionist already did.

Consider using a supplement on occasion like Rooster Booster brand Poultry Cell product or Rooster Booster brand Poultry Booster product are both good products IF needed or desired for a boost. NO supplement should be given more than 10 days in a row.

You do not need to grind anything for your birds.. if you'e gonna give them some crickets.. they are very low nutrient but high entertainment value.. get live ones.. meal worms too, if you're gonna do them are MUCH more enjoyed by the birds.. my flock turns it's nose up at dry meal worm but really go after the live ones.

So my end point here is this.. energy comes from only 3 sources.. protein, fat, and carbohydrates including fiber. PLEASE be sure you know what the other values are.

As much as many of us like to poopoo layer, according to all the information I've seen it is formulated to meet a laying chickens needs well.. However, us keepers who aren't commercial keepers tend to give "healthy veggies" QUACK!!!, which diminishes the formulation. Giving the link to merck vet manual avian nutrition, notice the blue tables on the right side of the page..

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul...t-poultry/nutritional-requirements-of-poultry

Okay.. so one more possible suggestion.. find an organic starter and MIX with your layer to equal the protein you are happy with.. still keeping you flaked OS available. OR get the organic STARTER.. offer it wet as a mash or dry.. in the form of an enriching daily treat instead of fully switching.. Tada.. higher protein snack fully formulated for chickens.. they WILL notice the difference I have used higher protein game bird starter to do this before.. noting that they just smelled more like soy, my birds still liked it.

There IS a limited return factor.. excess protein becomes extra smelly, expensive waste.. and EXCESS protein can contribute to gout and kidney failure in the same manner excess calcium CAN, though different forms. So just remember to consider the WHOLE situation and not take one piece and run with it like many tend to do.

22% protein was shown to give the highest hatch rates, which also says to me more nutrients in the eggs my family is consuming. Too much protein decreases hatch rate respectively. So do you best to keep it balanced and don't be fear mongered into something even worse than you realize.. like fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome caused by excess intake of energy from ANY source.. and ALL those condition are USUALLY with a genetic predisposition PLUS nutrient deficit.. Sorry, TMI.. really..

How big is your flock, what are their ages, gender, breeds? 17% layer SHOULD be decent choice.

Make a scratching area/ semi deep litter in their run if you haven't already.. it invites bugs and worms to the party.. and they will pick out what they want plus have fun digging around looking for them.

Consider sprouting anything you can.. your boss, peas, barley 15% protein, wheat, etc.. sprouting/fodder.. again is for enrichment NOT nutrition.. but it can be a fantastic adventure (not flax, it turns to paste) for both the keeper and the flock especially since they aren't able to free range.. but yes, grass clippings that are fertilizer and herbicide/pesticide free are always fun in the run. If you're gonna give lettuce, cabbage, etc.. maybe hang it so they have to jump just a little.

Sorry so long, I'm not expert.. just a passionate keeper with too many things I'm avoiding doing while I spend time on the web.

Wow amazing content right here. I just wanted to add that grass can be as much as 30 percent protein as well. The range is all over the place, as it depends on the type, the level of fertility of the ground and how old it is when you cut it. The older grass and fodder gets the more its protein level degrades. That is why the range for barley can be anywhere from like 7-18 percent. I started a clover field on 1 acre for this purpose, clover is a great source of protein no matter how old it gets. But if you keep cutting the lawn and letting new growth happen it should theoretically keep a high protein level. I have to find a study that talks about that actually.

This article sort of touches on the topic of barely fodder https://www.researchgate.net/public...luation_of_Hydroponically_Grown_Barley_Fodder

What days they found it was most nutritious at day 8 of growth in summary. But it will degrade over time after that. But the seed went from 11 percent protein to 14 percent protein once it was fodder.

It is too bad your girls can't free range. But giving them lawn cuttings is a good idea for more reasons than just protein.

Is their run large? I also agree with the scrap area idea, maybe even going so far as to keep a compost pile in their area. That might add enrichment for them and nutrition. They go mad whenever you turn it, cute to see.

 

[icy_flames]

WOW! Thank you all VERY much!