Anybody Try Alfalfa?

[j2had2]

Hi guys heard alot of good things about adding alfalfa to hens diets including dark orange yolks and bigger sized eggs along with the health benefits and have just ordered a bag. Going to mix these alfalfa pellets in with my normal 20% feed. Wanted to see if anybody has any suggestions or reviews from doing this. here are the ingredients in the alfalfa pellets

also has anybody tried this feed? looks great

 

[Kiki]

Adding alfalfa is not going to make any bird lay a larger egg.
It may darken the color of the yolk a little.
You need to make sure the alfalfa pieces are small and make extra sure the birds have plenty of grit available to they don't get crop issues.

I would recommend feeding them a LAYER type feed so they get enough calcium to lay eggs.

 

[Penpal]

You can get bright orange yolks from dandelion leaves, lamb's quarter, grass. Unless your chickens have no access to green leaves, buying green leaves is a waste of money.

I would soak the pellets just enough to soften them a little.

 

[Magnumchicken]

Alfalfa and other legumes have very high protein compared to other greens. 30% compared to 8 for grass. The chickens love it and eat the leaves not stems. Consider growing it in a patch for them. Yolks get bright orange and seems to improve the taste a lot.

 

[EddieSalita]

One of the layer mash brands I buy has it added. Theu love that mash. I have a couple areas I rotate the hens between. While resting one area I seed it with a forage mix that contains lucerne. If the store has bails for cheap I will sometimes put one in as well for something to sit on and for the hens to pick at. They seem to like it fresh more than dried.
If you really wanted to add some I would suggest adding some to some soaked feed. All mixed up. I doubt they will smash the pellets on their own.
But let us know how it goes

 

[TwoCrows]

My birds love Alfalfa, I occasionally throw them a flake of a 3 strand Alfalfa hay bale, LOTS of leaves. Many trace vitamins and minerals in Alfalfa they can't get in their standard chicken feed, along with the mental stimulation of scratching and picking through hay.

This said, xanthophyll is what causes yolks to deeply color up. Many weeds, greens and veggies contain xanthophyll, so lots of free ranging and or a plate of chopped greens and veggies per day will produce dark colored yolks as well. Exercise along with any Greens is a wonderful detox for the liver helping to prevent fatty liver disease.

 

[j2had2]

My birds love Alfalfa, I occasionally throw them a flake of a 3 strand Alfalfa hay bale, LOTS of leaves. Many trace vitamins and minerals in Alfalfa they can't get in their standard chicken feed, along with the mental stimulation of scratching and picking through hay.

This said, xanthophyll is what causes yolks to deeply color up. Many weeds, greens and veggies contain xanthophyll, so lots of free ranging and or a plate of chopped greens and veggies per day will produce dark colored yolks as well. Exercise along with any Greens is a wonderful detox for the liver helping to prevent fatty liver disease.

i mixed in a small amount of alfalfa pellets (for horses) into there normal feed mix, they haven’t attacked it like crazy but they peck at it occasionally. I just ate an egg that was laid today and the yolk was dark orange

 

[Peter_Rabbit_Farm]

I give my chickens, soaked Alfalfa Cubes. I get two five-gallon buckets and fill them both with 1/3 cubes and the rest water. I then soak for about 2hours, or until the hay is soft. I then drain the exess liquid, and I do that about once a week. With the amount of birds I have the two buckets last about 5 hours in the coop. I would suggest avoiding pelleted hay since you don't want it expanding in their stomachs'.

I would also say that the Nutrena all flock would be a vary good choice for your birds. If you are worried about the calcium level then just have a separate bowl in the coop for oyster shells/grit. You can also give back crushed up shells

When you look for a feed keep these three nutrients in mind they are most important.
Protein- 20%-18% is best to keep up a good body condition, and provides other benefits
Lysine - 0.75% or more. It is an enzyme that aids in your birds digestion
Methionine- 0.35% minimum. It is in my opinion the most important of the three. It is essential for brain function in your birds.

I hope this helps